Skirts Ahoy!

Three young women who have had traumatic emotional experiences enlist in the WAVES. Mary Kate Yarborough, a "girl next door" from the Midwest, was jilted by her fiancé. Whitney Young, a socialite from Long Island who has been engaged multiple times, left her fiancé standing at the altar. Una Yancy, a blonde ditz from New York City, is determined to track down Archie, her Navy boyfriend from whom she has only heard only twice in two years, and to be assigned to his station in Paris. The only thing that the ladies have in common is that their last names all begin with the letter Y.

They are sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center for WAVE boot camp and are assigned to the same company, becoming roommates. Whitney is named recruit company commander after saving Mary Kate from drowning during swim training. Whitney and Una adapt well to the rigors of boot camp, but Mary Kate does not, suffering from severe homesickness and facing an elimination board that can discharge her for inadaptability. While Whitney advocates for her, Mary Kate's former fiancé appears and tries to convince her that she will be better with him than in the Navy. She becomes angry and convinces the board to allow her to continue in the Navy.

Granted a pass midway through their training, the trio visit Chicago looking for a good time. They learn that while the sailors have no trouble meeting girls, it is harder for the WAVES to meet guys. Una and Whitney visit a coed bar in a downtown hotel, where Whitney meets a man named Paul Elcott, not knowing that he is the newly assigned doctor of their training battalion. Whitney attacks three irritating WACs and is brought before a board of inquiry. Dr. Elcott testifies and the board does not take disciplinary action. Elcott then privately admonishes Whitney for her behavior and attitude.

At a USO dance, Una asks Dr. Elcott to dance, and tries to maneuver him to where Whitney is standing. He resists, and Whitney leaves the dance. She dances with Pops, an old civilian plumber, in the hallway.

Still attracted to Dr. Elcott, Whitney trails him to a movie house, where they argue intensely, and she storms out of the theater. After returning to the base, Whitney performs a solo aquatic ballet in the swimming pool.

Upon graduation, the three girls are separated. Mary Kate is assigned to Brooklyn. Una is assigned to Paris, but learns that Archie has been transferred elsewhere. Whitney is sent for advanced training in Washington, D.C. before being sent on an overseas assignment. All three of their love interests meet them at the train station, promising to procure assignments so that they can be together. The girls wave goodbye as their train departs for New York.

• Esther Williams as Whitney Young
• Joan Evans as Mary Kate Yarbrough (singing voice dubbed by Joan Elms)
• Vivian Blaine as Una Yancy
• Barry Sullivan as Lt. Cmdr. Paul Elcott
• Keefe Brasselle as Dick Hallson
• Billy Eckstine as Himself
• Dean Miller as Archie O'Conovan
• The DeMarco Sisters as the Williams sisters
• Juanita Moore as Black Drill Team Member

Bobba and Kathy Tongay, better known as the Aquatots, make an uncredited cameo appearance.

Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van make a brief appearance, performing a rendition of "Oh By Jingo!".

Eckstine was paid $75,000 for his appearance.[3]

In March 1951, MGM announced that Isobel Lennart was writing Skirts Ahoy! for Esther Williams, Vic Damone and Vera-Ellen, with Joe Pasternak producing. Williams was scheduled to make the film following her work in Texas Carnival.[4]

By July, the film was to star Williams, Sally Forrest (replacing Vera Ellen) and Viviane Blaine, who would take a leave of absence from the Broadway production of Guys and Dolls.[5] Sidney Lanfield signed on to direct.[6] Forrest was replaced by Joan Evans[7] and Keefe Brasselle replaced Vic Damone.[8]

Filming began in September 1951.

The film had been scheduled for a January 1952 release, but the U.S. Navy objected because the WAVES in the film are shown wearing summer uniforms designed by Hattie Carnegie that were not yet available to real WAVES. MGM agreed to delay the film's American release to coincide with an upcoming WAVES recruiting drive and the annual Navy charity ball scheduled for May 23, 1952, with Esther Williams as its guest of honor.[9][10] The film had opened earlier in May outside of the U.S.[11]

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Oscar Godbout likened Skirts Ahoy! to cotton candy with "lots of eye appeal—no substance" and called it "super-polished hokum that Hollywood can manufacture with both cameras tied behind its back. ... that which is designed as a racy little sloop is launched as a flat-bottomed barge."[12]

According to MGM records, the film earned $2,585,000 in the U.S. and Canada[13] and $1,464,000 overseas, resulting in a profit of $342,000.[1]

• Skirts Ahoy! at IMDb