While filming at Lakeside Pool on a cold January day, the swimmers went on strike unless director George Sidney stripped naked and went into the water.
While performing poolside, bandleader Xavier Cugat draws a large caricature of himself, something he was well practiced in doing. He had been a cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times.
At the time of its release, this was MGM's third-highest grossing film, after Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) and Gone with the Wind (1939).
The movie was initially to be titled "The Co-Ed" with Red Skelton having top billing. However, once MGM execs watched the first cut of the film, they realized that Esther Williams' role should be showcased more, and changed the title to "Bathing Beauty", giving her top billing and featuring her bathing-suit clad figure on the posters.
In one sequence Red Skelton's character appears in a tutu. In a later interview, Red said it was uncomfortable because he had to have his chest, back and underarms shaved for this costume.