Love Letters to Old Hollywood

Out of all of Esther Williams's films, On an Island with You is the one that frustrates me the most. There are so many aspects to love -- Cyd Charisse and Ricardo Montalbán's sensational dancing, Esther being Esther, and the arresting color photography, to name a few -- but it all comes to a screeching halt with its very problematic love story and very irritating romantic lead.  The plot concerns the behind-the-scenes drama of a big Hollywood musical, which stars Rosalind "Ros" Reynolds (Esther), her fiancé Rick (Ricardo), and another actress named Yvonne (Cyd). Working as a consultant on the production is Larry Kingslee (Peter Lawford), a Navy lieutenant who fell in love with Ros during WWII when she visited his base with her USO show. The only problem? She doesn't remember him at all because they only had one passing interaction. When one of the film's scenes requires Larry to fly a plane with Ros in it, he decides to make her realize that he is the right m...