The Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams

Very few of her movies still exist, unfortunately, but you can watch clips here and here. Soon she was an international star performing water ballets (and basically inventing synchronized swimming), at the New York Hippodrome with its huge glass tank, challenging swimsuit norms in her “one-piece suit” when women still wore bloomers and long-sleeve dresses, and appearing in films in the teens and twenties. She continued her competitive swimming and became famous for long-distance feats. She started performing “mermaid” acts swimming in tanks, and wowed crowds with high diving displays. She set records in the 100 yard and mile swims, and turned her talents to entertainment. By age fifteen, Annette was swimming competitively and giving diving exhibitions.Īt sixteen, Annette got serious. But swimming became more than just physical therapy. Her mom and dad made the fateful decision to enroll Annette in swimming classes to help strengthen her legs this exercise helped so much that her limbs were “normal” by age thirteen. Little Annette had a weakness in her legs which necessitated the use of metal braces. Annette Kellerman was born in 1886 to musician parents. She gave me great insights into Dangerous When Wet, so it was a pleasure to get her take on this film, too! Be sure to check out the official Esther Williams website! To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice.Via: Unless otherwise noted, all images are my own.Īs an added bonus, Williams’ daughter, Susan, was kind enough to talk to me about this movie. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie Preferences, as described in the Cookie Notice. Click ‘Customise Cookies’ to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more.

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The Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams