SPLASH!: ESTHER WILLIAMS PAGE.: Summertime with Esther

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Summertime with Esther

Is this not the loveliest picture of Esther Williams?
You just can't get more beautiful than that. That's the
thing about the classic movie stars as compared to the stars of today. The classic stars had such grace and beauty and just were way better. I had to post this pic Dawn, it was too good not too. And I plan to watch as many of her movies as possible. Hopefully TCM will show quite a few of them over the summer. And once I get caught up on her wondrous career, I will have to showcase Esther on my blog as a star of the month. May even get you to be a guest contributor that month, if you don't mind. Have a great evening. Talk to ya later.

1 comment:

Dawn said...: Monty, beautiful picture of esther williams. I agree, the classic movie stars do seem to have more grace and beauty, than the stars of today.

TCM.. seems to be showing more of her movies than they have in the past. Which I'm very happy about.

I would be honored to be guest contributor on your Esther Williams, Showcase. Please give me a weeks notice. :); April 23, 2010 at 6:18 AM

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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.