SPLASH!: ESTHER WILLIAMS PAGE.: Esther Williams

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Esther Williams

Esther Williams, was a teenage swimming champion. She was spotted by a MGM talent scout while working in a Los Angeles department store.

She made her first film with MGM in a 1942 "Andy Hardy" picture called Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942). Soon after MGM created a special genre for her known as "Aqua Musicals". Her first swimming role was in Bathing Beauty (1944). Esther Williams was called "America's Mermaid", because it seemed she could stay underwater forever!

Esther Williams, is one of my favorite actress. I hope you enjoy reading about her movies as much as I have enjoyed putting together this blog..

4 comments:

monty said...: Beginning to appreciate Esther more and more. Saw her today in Take Me Out To The Ballgame and I loved it. Keep up the great work Dawn.; April 17, 2010 at 6:41 PM
Dawn said...: P.S. I'm planning on adding a list of Soundtracks to the bottom of each movie review.; April 18, 2010 at 5:23 AM
monty said...: Cool. I am tinkering with a new idea for a post on here Dawn. Let me work on it and I hope to have it posted in a few days. And if works, I think we will be able to use it on all the other blogs as well.; April 19, 2010 at 9:51 AM
Dawn said...: Monty, it sounds very interesting..I can't wait to see what it is.; April 19, 2010 at 12:23 PM

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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.