Million Dollar Mermaid

Annette Kellerman was an Australian swimming star who created a scandal in 1902 by introducing the one-piece bathing suit at a public beach. Her rise from obscurity is chronicled here, after a bout with a childhood illness that left her crippled for awhile. America's swimming sweetheart Esther Williams was the obvious choice to play the champion swimmer and she does a fine job. She gets solid support from Victor Mature as a cocky promoter with Walter Pidgeon and David Brian in good supporting roles.

The main ingredients are the swimming numbers--and the highlight is the acquacade spectacular choreographed by none other than Busby Berkeley. With exceptional color photography, good script and more than competent performances, this one is a winner.

Victor Mature has a colorful performance as the cocky promoter.

As for Esther Williams, it's easy to see why she was a top box-office draw at MGM during the '40s and '50s.

I've heard that this movie was not a completely accurate story of the life of Annette Kellerman. Since I don't really know her story, I cannot say, but I did enjoy this film, as I've enjoyed all of Esther Williams' films. Esther Williams is the most wonderful, beautiful, sweetheart of a girl to watch. Even when she gets upset (which is never that often cause she always has such good spirits), she still seems so nice and innocent. And her swimming is always a joy to watch. In "Million dollar mermaid", Esther starts off as a little girl who is overcoming polio. She still can't walk straight, but she tries to swim. And she does it pretty well for the first time. Her father is concerned at first, but then really admires her determination and decides he will be right there with her.

As she's grown up, we see Esther as a terrific swimmer and diver. One scene in particular, Esther gets in trouble on a NY beach for indecent exposure. She is wearing a one piece bathing suit that shows all of her arms and about 75% of her legs, but nothing else. I know that this film takes place at the turn of the 1900s, but it's still jarring to see a woman making such a scene and getting arrested for that when today you've got topless women all over the beaches of Europe (and the Caribbean and Miami) wearing absolutely nothing but the tiniest g string bikini bottoms.

As the film continues, we see her achievements, first as Esther swims all the way down the Thames in London to Greenwich, and then her performing at the Hippodrome in New York. She does some dazzling numbers there such as flipping around underwater, sitting in a giant clamshell with a pearl, jumping off a 50 foot high platform ( the platform itself is so beautiful, it's like a tall thin vertical waterfall). I heard somewhere that she badly injured herself one time rehearsing that scene when she jumped from that platform. And they had to stall film production while she recovered. Esther's father was the maestro of the orchestra playing during her water shows. One night, there's a tragedy with her father during one of her shows just while she was getting in the clam. Another time, a tragedy happened with Esther while in a water tank and the glass of the tank cracked and broke. Thank God, she recovered. There's also a subplot in this film of a friend of Esther's who's trying to fly his plane around the world, and there's also a part with a kangaroo. And the very best of all of Esther's water ballets is here. Starting with a lot of her crew and herself jumping from these high flying trapeze bars just swinging out of these pretty colorful clouds, some brilliant overhead patterns of Esther and the girls in the water, along with other terrific plays such as Esther and the girls wearing dazzling, sparkling crowns as they're slowly coming out of the water. This was a great film. There has never been anyone else quite like Esther Williams. She was amazing and wonderful. And like Mickey Rooney, she only left us a few years ago (both in 2013), both living into their 90s. There were sadly, the last of the wonderful surviving Golden age celebrities. Esther Williams and Judy Garland were both the most wonderful women ever to grace this earth. They were both angels. Judy, sadly hasn't been with us since 1969, and Esther, now sadly has left us too. Dear God, please take the best care of these two wonderful angels in heaven. Someday when it is my time for God to take me, perhaps I will see both Judy and Esther up there.

In Australia, little Donna Corcoran (as little Annette Kellerman) swims to overcome polio. Supported by father Walter Pidgeon (as Frederick), she becomes a little swimming champion. The cute girl quickly grows up to be attractive trophy-collecting Esther Williams (as the adult Annette Kellerman). She meets manly Victor Mature (as James "Jimmy" Sullivan) and goes to America. Mr. Mature puts her in a shocking one-piece bathing suit and Ms. Williams is accused of "indecent exposure." They are mutually attracted, but Williams must listen to Mature tell her:

"Wet you're terrific, dry you're just a nice girl who ought to settle down and get married."

Understandably, this nervy line puts a cramp in their romance. Williams also attracts "Hippodrome" owner David Brian (as Alfred Harper). While not classically handsome, kangaroo-trainer Jesse White (as Doc Cronnol) gets no action; he's faithful, supportive and funny, but apparently not Williams' type. All this silliness is based on a few facts from the real turn-of-the century celebrity Annette Kellerman's life. The original "Million Dollar Mermaid" was also famous for appearing for the public in only her "birthday suit" - but this biography keeps Williams' Kellerman modestly covered.

Stick around for the sensational aquatic scenes. This is where Williams, choreographer Busby Berkeley, and cinematographer George J. Folsey really shine. They didn't do it alone, of course, as the MGM production team employed hundreds of hard-working helpers. Ballet dancer Maria Tallchief (as Anna Pavlova) and one of the seemingly endless cute Corcoran kids are additionally noteworthy. Young Donna won a "Film Daily" acting nomination in their juvenile category, Mr. Folsey's color photography received "Academy Award" consideration, and Williams drew in the crowds.

****** Million Dollar Mermaid (12/4/52) Mervyn LeRoy ~ Esther Williams, Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon, David Brian

If any kind of biographical film was to be made about Annette Kellerman, champion swimmer from the turn of the last century, MGM was the only studio to do it. They had the only star qualified and the only studio that gave said star her own set.

If Annette Kellerman hadn't blazed the trail, Esther Williams could not have had a movie career. Kellerman first won many swimming medals in her native Australia and then went to the United Kingdom and then to America where she was the first international female swimming star. The Aquacade, the water ballet, I believe the Australian crawl swimming stroke were named in her honor, all these are due to her. She was crippled as a child and swimming did indeed make her legs grow stronger, as therapeutic to her as it was to a certain crippled president of the United States.

I'm really surprised that the Australians have not done any kind of big screen or small screen film about her, she was such an icon in a newly independent country. Leaving it to America and to MGM, Million Dollar Mermaid is a fine Esther Williams film, but no more than that. I get very little information about the trials and tribulations of the real Annette Kellerman and the people around her.

She did in fact marry her manager James Sullivan played here by Victor Mature who did NOT bring Rin Tin Tin to the silver screen. They do in fact cover her notorious arrest in Boston for wearing a shocking newly designed one piece bathing suit. Boston had many silly laws back in the day, they were known for it. If you remember in John Ford's Donovan's Reef, a gag is used about Elizabeth Allen wearing the typical Gay Nineties bathing attire and then stripping down to what Kellerman popularized.

Most of the plot of Million Dollar Mermaid is fictitious, her romance with Hippodrome impresario David Brian, her accident on the set of Neptune's Daughter. Annette did become an early silent film star as big in the silent days as her male successors Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe became in sound.

Kellerman and Sullivan lived to see Million Dollar Mermaid and it's unknown what they thought about it. The fact they were both still around I'm sure made MGM tread softly. One thing the film didn't answer was why Kellerman did not compete in the Olympics. In that she has something in common with Esther Williams. Esther didn't compete because the 1940 Olympics were called off as were the 1944. She had to turn professional and then became an actress and the rest is history. Why Kellerman didn't is something I'd like to know.

Perhaps an Australian production might answer that question if one is made. Until then we'll have to be satisfied with the beautiful and expensive Million Dollar Mermaid.

Entertaining biopic of Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer turned vaudeville and early Hollywood star. Esther Williams is a natural fit for the role and does a fine job. Of course, it's an old-school Hollywood biopic so there's more fiction than fact in their telling of Kellerman's story. That sort of thing never really bothers me but it does some so be advised ahead of time this isn't a documentary. Esther is lovely as ever and has some excellent aquatic numbers choreographed by the great Busby Berkeley. A couple of these numbers are classics that every Esther fan will want to see. The rest of the cast, including Walter Pidgeon, Victor Mature, and Jesse White, is solid. The only problems are that the movie is overlong and the romance with Mature is less than exciting. But it's Esther Williams swimming in Technicolor and that definitely needs to be the headline.