Top 10 Esther Williams Films
No other actress has ever attempted the water ballets and stunts Esther Williams performed on a regular basis (often risking life and limb in the process).
Who Was Esther Williams?
Esther Williams was Hollywood's "Million Dollar Mermaid" and possibly the most unique star ever to grace the silver screen. Although she grew to become a likable actress and successful singer, Esther Williams will forever be remembered as the starlet who turned swimming into an art form.
To this day, no other actress has ever attempted the water ballets and stunts Esther performed on a regular basis (often risking life and limb in the process). And she is universally credited as single-handedly popularizing synchronized swimming, which has been recognized as an Olympic sport since 1984.
Exhibiting a grace and control underwater that seemed to border on superhuman, it should come as no surprise that Esther intended on becoming an Olympic swimmer. In fact, she was one of the few women capable of doing a butterfly breast stroke (at the time) and even qualified for the Olympic team.
But, when the onset of World War II canceled the 1940 Olympic Games, Esther's dreams of gold medals were shattered. But, fans of her films are forever grateful that she agreed to take the consolation prize of becoming the most unlikely of Hollywood stars. For there truly is only one Esther Williams.
And in honor of Esther, I have put together this list of her top ten best films. If you've never seen this water nymph in action, you're in for a treat.
A Note on This List's Order
I chose the order of my Esther Williams top ten by considering each film's importance in Esther’s overall career, the size/importance of her role in them, and their overall popularity today as evidenced by their ratings on sites like, IMDB, Netflix, and Rotten Tomatoes.
Naturally, feel free to watch them in any order you like (this is merely a recommended top ten). You might watch them in the order listed here, chronologically (like I did), or in a way that corresponds with your own movie tastes.
Top 10 Esther Williams Films
- Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
- Bathing Beauty (1944)
- Dangerous When Wet (1953)
- Neptune's Daughter (1949)
- Easy to Love (1953)
- Thrill of a Romance (1945)
- Easy to Wed (1946)
- On an Island with You (1948)
- This Time for Keeps (1947)
- Pagan Love Song (1950)
1. Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
Based on the life of Australian aquatic star, Annette Kellerman, Million Dollar Mermaid is in many ways the ultimate showcase of Esther’s unique talents. It features one of her greatest performances in and out of the water and is certainly the most ambitious film she ever appeared in.
A rare musical drama in Esther’s career, it tells the incredible story of how Annette Kellerman (Esther) went from a little girl with crippled legs to the greatest swimming star in the world. But, don’t expect to hear an Aussie accent coming from Esther. Most likely, the studio deemed an accent would be more distracting than it was worth—not an uncommon decision in studio era films.
But if this bothers you, it is a very small hiccup in a movie with so many good aspects: gorgeous cinematography, a solid plot, and mind-blowing choreography by the one and only Busby Berkeley (his trademark kaleidoscope-like overhead shots will be easily recognized by fans).
One particular Berkeley-choreographed stunt nearly got Esther killed. One of the water ballets required Esther to dive from a 50 foot tower wearing a metal crown. The impact of the water actually caused the crown to break Esther’s neck, putting her in a body cast for 6 months before shooting could resume.
Despite this trauma, Esther still often referred to Million Dollar Mermaid as one of her favorite films. If that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is.
Recommended
2. Bathing Beauty (1944)
Originally titled The Co-Ed and clearly written as a Red Skelton vehicle, after seeing Esther in the finished film the studio quickly changed the title to Bathing Beauty. Best described as a kind of variety showcase, this movie made Esther an instant star.
But, the real star of the film is still Red Skelton, who plays popular songwriter, Steve Elliott. After meeting his beautiful bride-to-be, Caroline (Esther), in California, Steve impulsively gives up songwriting and retires. It doesn’t bother Steve that he already agreed to score New York producer George Adams’ (Basil Rathbone) aquacade show. But, it certainly bothers George!
Desperate to get his songwriter back, George flies to California to convince Steve to put off his retirement. When that doesn’t work, he vindictively hires a girl to pose as Steve’s "jilted wife” in order to break up Steve and Caroline’s wedding. The charade works only too well and sends Caroline running back to her old job at an all-girl’s university.
Steve immediately follows her and in hopes of winning her back, finds a loophole in the university’s charter that allows him to enroll as a student. But, the dean of the school—as well as, Caroline, herself—is looking for any excuse to throw Steve out again. (All in the name of the school’s reputation, of course!)
Although a massive hit at the box office when it was released, Bathing Beauty is probably the most dated of Esther’s films. But, if you’re a fan of jazz or big band music, this is the film for you. The movie features extended musical numbers by some of the most talented musicians of the period, including Xavier Cugat (who became a regular presence in many of Esther’s films) and the amazing organist, Ethel Smith.
But of course, the thing that really makes this film worthwhile is the iconic water ballet finale, the first of its kind onscreen. Clips of this water ballet were even reused years later in the #1 movie on this list: Million Dollar Mermaid.
3. Dangerous When Wet (1953)
Dangerous When Wet marks an important milestone in the life and career of Esther Williams. It is the first and only movie in which Esther starred opposite future husband, Fernando Lamas. (Fernando also happens to be one of the only professional grade swimmers with whom Esther ever co-starred).
In the film, Esther plays Katie Higgins, the eldest daughter of an extremely athletic family. When a fast-talking salesman witnesses the family’s skill in the water, he convinces them to enter a competition to swim the English Channel—with his company’s product, Liquapep, acting as their sponsor.
But, once the family arrives in England for training, Katie meets Andre (Lamas), a handsome and wealthy Frenchman. Although Katie is intrigued by the debonair Andre, this new relationship also threatens to distract her from the family's crucial Channel race.
Esther gives an absolutely charming performance in this enjoyable aqua-musical, never more so than when Katie gets pleasantly tipsy at Andre’s chateau. But, it’s in the film’s climatic Channel race that Esther really shines. She registers Katie’s exhaustion so acutely, you'll feel like you're actually witnessing her muscles shutting down.
But, the film’s most famous moment is an extended dream sequence featuring the famous cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry. In this sequence, Esther appears to swim in a cartoon ocean and the moment perfectly highlights one of Esther’s most underrated talents: the ability to act underwater.
The scene is also sure to fascinate swimmers, as Esther manages the incredibly difficult feat of performing an Australian crawl beneath the surface of the water.
4. Neptune's Daughter (1949)
Filmed partly in the famed Weeki Wachee Springs—an iconic Florida attraction known for its resident mermaids—Neptune’s Daughter reteams Esther with her Bathing Beauty co-star, Red Skelton. But this time, it's Esther who’s the main attraction.
She plays Eve Barrett, a former swimmer who’s become the face (and designer) of a popular bathing suit company. Eve actually spends most of her time looking after her boy-crazy sister, Betty (played by Betty Garrett).
When Eve hears that Betty has started dating a visiting South American polo player named Jose O’Rourke (Ricardo Montalban), she immediately gets in touch with the womanizing foreigner to give him a piece of her mind. The problem is, Betty isn’t actually dating Jose!
After meeting the polo team’s masseure, Jack Sprat (Skelton), Betty mistook the red-haired Jack for Jose O'Rourke—and Jack doesn't go out of his way to correct her mistake. That means, the real Jose has no idea what Eve is talking about when she accuses him of leading her sister on. But, if playing along means spending more time with the beautiful swimsuit designer, Jose is more than willing to play.
Betty Garrett is perfectly cast as Eve’s vivacious little sister, and she and Skelton almost walk away with the movie with their combined comedic skills. But, the real highlight of the film is when Esther, Montalban, Garrett, and Skelton perform the classic, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. The song deservedly won Best Original Song at the Oscars and has become a timeless holiday standard.
Neptune’s Daughter is also notable for featuring a very rare live-action appearance by voice-over extraordinaire, Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck….etc….). Looney Tunes fans will be sure to recognize him by the voice he uses in the film, as it's very similar to that of one of his most famous characters.
5. Easy to Love (1953)
Easy to Love contains some of Esther’s favorite water ballets, and is truly a movie only she could do. Esther plays the role of Julie Hallerton, the main attraction at Florida’s (now defunct theme park) Cypress Gardens. Julie has long pined after her workaholic boss, Ray (Van Johnson), but Ray has never shown the slightest interest.
Eventually, Julie finds herself pursued by two other men, as well as a possible business opportunity. Can she wait for Ray forever or is it finally time for her to move on personally and professionally?