Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving. Every year from 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film among the 20 highest-grossing films of the year. In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid, which went on to become her nickname while she was at MGM. Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed network television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida. Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Before retiring from acting, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and a successful restaurant chain known as Trails." She lent her name to a line of swimming pools, retro swimwear, and instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Esther Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
A Guy Named Joe
as Ellen BrightA cocky Air Force pilot stationed in England during World War II falls for a daring female...
Movie pageThat's Entertainment!
as (archive footage)Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50...
Movie pageThat's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time...
Movie pageThat's Dancing!
as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the...
Movie pageTake Me Out to the Ball Game
as K.C. HigginsThe Wolves baseball team gets steamed when they find they've been inherited by one K.C. Higgins,...
Movie pageTill the Clouds Roll By
as Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)Light bio-pic of American Broadway pioneer Jerome Kern, featuring renditions of the famous songs...
Movie pageZiegfeld Follies
as Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in...
Movie pageThat's Entertainment! III
as Self - Co-Host / NarratorSome of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of...
Movie pageBathing Beauty
as Caroline Marie BrooksAfter breaking up with her fiancé, a gym teacher returns to work at a women's college, but a...
Movie pageMillion Dollar Mermaid
as Annette KellermanAfter overcoming polio, Annette Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece...
Movie pageNeptune's Daughter
as Eve BarrettScatterbrained Betty Barrett mistakes masseur Jack Spratt for Jose O'Rourke, the captain of the...
Movie pageThrill of a Romance
as Cynthia GlennA soldier falls in love with a newly-married woman after her husband abandons her for a business...
Movie pageDangerous When Wet
as Katy HigginsThe health conscious, dairy-farming Higgins family begin each day with an invigorating swim. One...
Movie pageThe Unguarded Moment
as Lois ConwayA high-school music teacher is the victim of a student who writes indecent notes and assaults women.
Movie pageSkirts Ahoy!
as Whitney YoungThree young ladies sign up for some kind of training at a naval base. However, their greatest...
Movie pageEasy to Wed
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Movie pageThe Hoodlum Saint
as Kay LorrisonA former reporter comes back home after serving in the army during World War I and finds that...
Movie pageTom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
as SelfCelebrate the fiftieth birthday of the animated cat-and-mouse team, Tom & Jerry, including clips...
Movie pageNight of 100 Stars II
as SelfThis special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited...
Movie pageDuchess of Idaho
as Christine Riverton DuncanEllen Hallit is in love with her playboy boss, Douglas Morrison, but is too timid to do anything...
Movie pageOn an Island with You
as Rosalind RennoldsA young navy lieutenant is brought in as technical adviser on a song-dance-and-swim film being...
Movie pageThe Costume Designer
as Self (archive footage)This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The...
Movie pageAndy Hardy Comes Home
as Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)Andy Hardy, now a grown man with a wife and children, returns to his hometown on a business trip...
Movie pageDance Crazy in Hollywood
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Movie pageTexas Carnival
as Debbie TelfordA Texas carnival showmen team is mistaken for a cattle baron and his sister.
Movie pageCallaway Went Thataway
as Esther Williams (uncredited)Two smart marketing people resurrect some old films starring cowboy Smoky Callaway and put them...
Movie pageHollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading...
Movie pageJupiter's Darling
as AmytisRome is on the verge of being conquered by Hannibal. While Rome's ruler, Fabius Maximus, plots a...
Movie pageGlorious Technicolor
as SelfThe history of color photography in motion pictures, in particular the Technicolor company's work.
Movie pageEasy to Love
as Julie HallertonTwo men vie for the heart of a Cypress Gardens swimming star.
Movie pageFiesta
as Maria MoralesWhen a matador leaves town to focus on his music, his twin sister takes on his identity in the...
Movie pageGene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
as Self (archive footage)American Masters Series. Documentary on Gene Kelly that gives insight into his dancing, how he...
Movie pageAndy Hardy's Double Life
as Sheila BrooksAndy is about to head off to college but he's got a few things to take care of before leaving....
Movie pageHollywood Musicals of the 40's
as Self (archive footage)Highlights from the great musicals of the 1940s. Stars featured include Judy Garland, Mickey...
Movie pageThe Original Mermaid
as Herself (archive footage)Story of Annette Kellerman, the international swimming vaudeville and silent screen star whose...
Movie pageMagic Fountain
as Hyacinth TowerA financier decides to take a vacation somewhere where nothing can disturb him. He travels to...
Movie pagePagan Love Song
as Mimi BennettIsland girl Mimi plans to leave Tahiti, but maybe she'll have a reason to stay when Mr. Endicott...
Movie pageThis Time for Keeps
as Nora CambarettiAn ex-GI falls for a bathing beauty.
Movie pageTwenty Years After
as (archive footage)This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits,...
Movie pageInflation
as Mrs. SmithThe Devil works with Adolf Hitler to cause inflation in the United States.
Movie pageThe Big Show
as Hillary AllenA European circus family is torn apart by greed and jealousy.
Movie pageRaw Wind in Eden
as LauraPassengers struggle to survive after their plane crashes on a remote island. Director Richard...
Movie pageParade of Aquatic Champions
as HerselfJohnny Weismuller, Esther Williams and other aquatic champions present an exhibition of swimming...
Movie pageEsther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid
as Self (archive footage)The story of Esther Williams is that of an improbable encounter. That of the glamorous Hollywood...
Movie pageBusby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
as SelfDocumentary profile of legendary dance choreographer Busby Berkeley.
Movie pageDick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Sarah HarmonDick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American...
TV Show pageThe Donna Reed Show
as uncreditedRevolves around typical family problems, such as firing a clumsy housekeeper, throwing a...
TV Show pageWhat's My Line?
as Self - Mystery GuestFour panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while...
TV Show pageWhat's My Line?
as Self - PanelistFour panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while...
TV Show pageThe Oscars
as SelfAn annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The...
TV Show pageThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as SelfThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on...
TV Show pageOmnibus
as uncreditedOmnibus is an American, commercially sponsored, educational television series.
TV Show pageThe Ed Sullivan Show
as SelfThe Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...
TV Show pageThe Rosie O'Donnell Show
as SelfThe Rosie O'Donnell Show was an American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by...
TV Show pageParkinson
as SelfMichael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.
TV Show pageMGM: When the Lion Roars
as uncreditedOn April 24, 1924, the movies changed forever: The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio opened and soon...
TV Show pagePrivate Screenings
as SelfTurner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne interviews noted personalities from the Golden Age of...
TV Show pageMGM Parade
as Self - Water Ballerina in 'Ziegfeld Follies' (archive footage)The original concept of the show was to allow the viewer to see the inner workings of a movie...
TV Show page