On an Island with You

1948
Approved
1h 47m

IMDb RATING

5.9/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, Jimmy Durante, Peter Lawford, Esther Williams, and Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra in On an Island with You (1948)

Play trailer2:30

1 Video

20 Photos

Survival Comedy Musical Romance

While shooting on location in the South Pacific, a movie star is pursued by a handsome Naval officer who is convinced she is the girl for him.While shooting on location in the South Pacific, a movie star is pursued by a handsome Naval officer who is convinced she is the girl for him.While shooting on location in the South Pacific, a movie star is pursued by a handsome Naval officer who is convinced she is the girl for him.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.9/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Photographer
(uncredited)

Jack Boyle

Lieutenant
(uncredited)

Bill Chatham

Sailor
(uncredited)

Chester Clute

Tommy
(uncredited)

James Dale

Seaplane Navigator
(uncredited)

Lester Dorr

Photographer
(uncredited)

Tay Dunn

Photographer
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Cyd Charisse completed the bulk of this film (most impressively in two romantic dance duets with Ricardo Montalban), then broke her leg during the filming of the big ceremonial dance, where the corps de ballet is in island native makeup. A double completed her scenes (shot at full length), but the injury kept her out of her next scheduled film, Easter Parade (1948). That role, which would have advanced her to fourth billing, went to Ann Miller, making her MGM debut.

Goofs
"Chita," the Chihuahua that Xavier Cugat gives to Jimmy, is said to be a female dog, but at about 1hr 31 mins, the dog's male appendage can be seen.

Quotes
Lt. Lawrence Y. Kingslee: Put your arms around my neck.
Rosalind Reynolds: If I put my arms around your neck I'd choke you!

Crazy credits
The MGM lion emblem opening the film is completely colorized in a custom color scheme just for On an Island with You (1948).

Connections
Featured in That's Entertainment! (1974)

Soundtracks
On an Island with You
(1948) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Edward Heyman
Sung by a chorus during the opening credits
Also performed by Ricardo Montalban (dubbed by Bill Lee) during the opening scene

User reviews32

Review

Featured review

3/10

Song-and-swimsuit musical torpedoed by creepy undermining...

Musical-comedy vehicle for swimming star Esther Williams set in Hawaii. Peter Lawford has a rather hopeless role as a moony-eyed Lieutenant who becomes obsessed with Esther, playing a movie actress; she's already involved with her co-star (Ricardo Montalban) and is also busy sparring with her unloved movie-rival (Cyd Charisse, in a demeaning part as a girl nobody seems to want). In its day, probably a very acceptable piece of fluff, but in this age of celebrity stalkers, Lawford's intrusive, seemingly off-balanced fan is unintentionally creepy (at one point he even kidnaps Williams, but she stops him from being arrested). Only for die-hard MGM musical buffs, although Esther's swimming sequences are not on their usual grand scale here. *1/2 from ****