SPLASH!: ESTHER WILLIAMS PAGE.: Esther's Swimwear line.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Esther's Swimwear line.

The studio's costume designers had little experience designing swimsuits. William's plaid flannel swimsuit for Thrill of a Romance was so heavy that Williams was dragged to the bottom of the pool. She had to unzip the suit and swim naked to the edge of the pool to avoid drowning. Cole swimsuits used latex, which meant zippers were no longer necessary. In 1948, Williams signed a contract with swimwear company Cole of California to act as their spokesperson. Because of this, Williams and the other swimmers in her films wore Cole swimsuits.

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Click picture to view movie clip. Bathing Beauty (1944). Musical. Cast: Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone and Esther Williams, Harry James and his Music Makers, Ethel Smith, Helen Forrest and Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra. Director: George Sidney. This was not William's screen debut, but it was her first musical. The film was initially to be titled "Mr. Co-Ed" with Red Skelton having top billing. However, once MGM executives watched the first cut of the film, they realized that Esther Williams' role should be showcased and changed the title to "Bathing Beauty". The film is Janis Paige's film debut.

Neptune's Daughter (1949). Musical/ romantic/ comedy Cast: Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalbán, Betty Garrett, Keenan Wynn, Xavier Cugat and Mel Blanc. Directer: Edward Buzzell. Features the Academy Award winning song Baby, It's Cold Outside by Frank Loesser. Neptune's Daughter was the third movie that paired Williams and Ricardo Montalbán together, the other two being Fiesta (1947) and On an Island with You (1948), and the second to co-star Red Skelton (1944's Bathing Beauty).

Thrill of a Romance (1945) Romance. Cast: Van Johnson, Esther Williams and Carleton G. Young, with musical performances by opera singer Lauritz Melchior. Director: Richard Thorpe. Written by Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman. This was the first of four films that paired Williams and Johnson together. Made over a period of eight years, those that followed were Easy to Wed (1946), Duchess of Idaho (1950) and Easy to Love (1953).Thrill of a Romance was a box office success, becoming the eighth-highest grossing film of 1945. Click to view trailer.

Jupiter's Darling(1955). Musical /romance. Director: George Sidney. Cast: Esther Williams , Howard Keel and Marge Champion. The film features Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Scipio Africanus who appear briefly. Carthaginians Mago Barca and Maharbal also appear. Jupiter's Darling was based on Robert Sherwood's anti-war comedy film The Road to Rome (1927). The film was the last of three films Williams and Keel made together, the other two being Pagan Love Song (1950) and Texas Carnival (1951) .Click picture to view movie trailer.