Hollywood's Dark Mermaid

Esther Williams was the undisputed queen bee of one of the most baffling Hollywood sub-genres: the Aqua Musicals of the 40s and 50s. No one rose out of the pool depths-with a smile, no less-quite like Williams. But who was she really? Competitive athlete? Pretty pin-up? Feisty feminist? Kept woman? Williams somehow managed to be, at different times in her life, all of these things and more. Let’s dive a little deeper into these facts about Esther Williams, Hollywood’s mermaid.
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[@belagracie]

I met her in 1980 at the old Cypress Gardens in Florida (it is now the home of Legoland). There was an Ester Williams pool shaped like the state of Florida at the edge of the big lake there. It was used in one of her movies. When we got finished touring the gardens, my mom and I were in the gift shop admiring the beautiful swimsuits they had for sale. I loved to swim but had a hard time finding a suit that fit (even at age 16, I had large “assets” and needed more support than the average swimsuit could provide). There was an older lady there touring the gift shop with a group of executives. She saw my mom and eavesdropped on our conversation. She suddenly strode over to us, said hello, and spotted the problem immediately. She looked me up and down, rifled through the suits on the rack for a second, then handed me a suit. It fit me perfectly and I wore it for the better part of a decade. I still own it, because how can you part with a swimsuit that Ester Williams chose just for you?!

[@marsh443]

💐Wow, what a gr8 teenage memory, tkx for sharing👍👏

[@wasserdagger]

Lucky girl! ;-)

[@karenhill3970]

​@marswh443 what a NEAT story!!!!my precious Mom loved Esther. Could almost swim just as good...I love her movies and THE ONE IS "So EASY TO LOVE" I think....one of my favorites...mom's too She & Daddy were stationed in Florida in 50's Mom LOVED CYPRESS GARDENS ...always talked about it . especially in summer when her movies would come on late show in Fort Worth,Texas...🇺🇸🇨🇱🦜🦜🦩🐬🐬🐠🐠🌊🌊please tell me is CYPRESS GARDENS complete ly gone is any left!???😢😮‍💨😮‍💨😔🙏🙏

[@BuntingClipClop]

Quite right! I would NEVER part with a swimsuit Esther Williams had chosen for me! What a moment of luck!

[@annerohrbacker6097]

Wow! That’s amazing!

[@coryandersen3365]

One small quibble - the word Lamé (as in gold lame) is pronounced lahmay. It's a french word and the final e at the end is pronounced.

[@lindak7499]

Yes, thank you. I can't imagine they would name a fabric "lame"! But, also Lana Turner was not pronounced "lanna" -

[@wasserdagger]

A few other mispronunciations I noticed the narrator made: Deborah Kerr's last name is pronounced "Karr," not "Curr," and Ricardo Montalban's last name is "MONtalbahn," not "Mont ALban."

[@ittybittykittymama7582]

What else do you expect from 'artificial' intelligence?

[@p.gilfry5623]

and it's inauspicious (in-aus-pi-cious) not inspicious. these narrators need to be checked for correct pronunciation.

[@Eleivana777]

You beat me to it. Sometimes they use AI voices that mispronounce everything. But I thnk this narrator is just ignorant.

[@minxella12]

While I'm glad that she found happiness after two duds, I personally would have taken a pass on El Fernando. To me he asked way too much, insisting that she not have a career was part of the times but forsake the kids?! Ugh, ugh. She's lucky they forgave her.

[@harpersmythe658]

Lah-na Turner, not Layna 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️

[@coribird5177]

Thank you

[@timothymcnamara1631]

There's a couple more words in this that made me think it's AI? Beulah is generally pronounced with the first syllable rhyming w You

[@janaleland9038]

Son--Lana Turner's name is pronounced "Lah-nah." And regarding Esther Williams' silver Lamé swimsuit--Lamé is pronounced "lah-may."

[@nealebradford600]

You can always tell when a video is narrated by AI from the mispronounced words

[@estellaclifford2608]

Yes, that mispronunciation was particularly jarring.

[@joycegreer9391]

There were several mispronounced words/names.

[@shadowlouise]

janaleland, Silver? I heard "gold." But it did say "lame." 7:50 Although the video did include footage of Esther wearing silver. (Lay-na Turner! Could anyone be that ignorant of one of the biggest stars EVER in the history of Hollywood? Maybe someone very young, but this is not human).

[@mctrustsnoone3781]

It was Montalban “Mont-tale-bane” that go me, ugh.

[@rubychew6535]

No man is worth giving up your children.

[@annsumner8570]

How many babies are removed from life, every day. Selfishness is a lot worse, nowadays.

[@prioress]

It doesn't sound like she came from a family that valued children, being unwanted herself. So very sad.

[@rebeccalee1065]

....Or WOMAN.

[@joycegreer9391]

Yeah, I don't think he gave up HIS children.

[@TxNWmn]

I had no idea Esther Williams did such a thing... I knew of Vivian Leigh, but not Esther. I totally agree, no guy (that Argentine husband was no man, cause a MAN would never ask such a thing!) is worth leaving your children for. SMH.

[@toniacollinske2518]

I enjoy your videos. The frequent mispronunciations are really jarring.

[@windycitykitty]

yes, was going to say the same. LAAna Turner? Many of the KZbinrs also do the same with the old stars. To my generation, these are household names. I guess these stars are pretty much forgotten today..... PS - Gold Lame (pronounced LaMAY, not lame).

[@ambertrujillo8103]

It drove me crazy. How hard is it to see how to pronounce names. It seems like he did some homework. I just can't understand it . Oh well sad for me.

[@missmayflower]

@@ambertrujillo8103Well, he DID pronounce it phonetically. Since there’s only one n, the final vowel should cause the a to be pronounced as a long a. Lana is no longer a common name. Us old folks take it for granted. By rights, the name should have two n’s.

[@rebeccao8895]

It’s an artificial intelligence narration most likely

[@annerohrbacker6097]

Do they do that in order to get us to comment about it though? Possibly. lol

[@sandisteinberg731]

Williams went to her house every evening and cooked dinner for her children staying to help them with their homework. Then she returned to the house she shared with Lamas. Very unorthodox, but she did not completely give up her children as you imply. I don't think many people could live like that but she made it work with her selfish and domineering husband.

[@marsh443]

Back in the day, old-school, self-centered latin-dominated male thinking...

[@rebeccalee1065]

But, Wasn't SHE Selfish Also--To CHOOSE A Man Over Her Children? A Victim She Was Not...Except Of HER Own Choices.

[@joycegreer9391]

@@marsh443 Yup, typical macho man.

[@tracylouiseletch9450]

Why people try to analyze or criticize others bothers me because opinions are usually so dull.

[@joycegreer9391]

@@tracylouiseletch9450 LOL

[@armandoacevedo1922]

Damn Esther Williams and her "gold, lame swimsuit!" (Seriously, does no one check pronunciation anymore?)

[@annaquinn4810]

Does no one?????? How about “doesn’t anyone”.

[@ScrapWench0]

@@annaquinn4810”does no one” is also correct.

[@armandoacevedo1922]

@@ScrapWench0 Thank you.

[@dancingfilly7355]

Why should a guy who has no knowledge of fabrics think to check the pronunciation of a fabric???? Get over it!!

[@shadowlouise]

@@dancingfilly7355 That "guy" seems to be gender fluid. I am now hearing a female voice for the mechanical narrator. Neither of them can correctly pronounce fabrics nor the names of some of the most famous celebrities in Hollywood history. I'm surprised It doesn't refer to this star as "Easter Willy-ams."

[@sandisteinberg731]

Actress Deborah Kerr's name is pronounced Car.

[@user-zr9nl2wl3o]

Kerr is a Scottish surname and nobody in Scotland has ever pronounced it Carr. That was an affectation that according to Kerr was decided by Louis B Mayer.

[@SandySaunders9142]

Like STAR.

[@rsbkug3981]

Met her in Atlantic City she jumped from a helicopter and was so friendly

[@BuntingClipClop]

That really WAS fascinating! I adored Esther Williams as a teenager. Little did I know of the twists and turns, that horrific neck injury, the body cast for 6 months, the purpose built swimming pool...heavens! I found it engrossing! People are getting a little too bent out of shape about the mispronunciations, I think. Don't lose sight of the fact that there's someone out there making a show that you value watching because nobody else is doing it! Live and let live, guys, we're all on a learning journey.

[@shadowlouise]

BuntingClipClop, Why do you believe "we're all on a learning journey?" Are you suggesting someone is making note of the mispronunciations, and doing something about it? I would like to believe that. If it is true, our criticism of the mistakes is helping in furtherance of that goal. It is not necessarily true that we value watching a mess. I often refuse to watch an entire video because the mistakes are too irritating. I have seen others comment that they are walking out, too.

[@cottoncandiez8872]

​@@shadowlouise🙄 I see either two scenarios: Firstly, the mistakes are genuine and having so many people correct the mistake is both unneeded and less likely for him to correct in future out of stubbornness Secondly, they are put in place to garner comments as is the current pasttime of the day in which case you are encouraging

[@karannetaylor3977]

Life is thee learning journey indeed, perhaps not for bunting clop clop though

[@karannetaylor3977]

Sorry clop clop liked your comment and didn't like cotton candies shadow Louise's got names muddled there.

[@karannetaylor3977]

Again cotton candies liked your comment but not shadow Louise's.

[@connierenna-xf9um]

Thanks, my mom mentioned her a lot when I was growing up, but, I had never known much about her, so I enjoyed hearing about her!!

[@Swelte]

How interesting. I love these mini docs so much!

[@purplebutterfly7257]

Wow the hydraulic lift and the deep deep pool sounds scary as scary can be. 😱

[@Pandabaire3540]

what kind of woman chooses a man over her children......that's a hard pass on respect from me

[@Sunflower8587]

Thank you for making these videos. Very interesting. Just for future reference, Ricardo Montalban's last name is pronounced Mun-tail-bon. He was big on TV in the 70s and 80s when I was growing up. So I heard his name spoken aloud a lot. Fantasy Island was popular and he also played Khan in Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn. He actually also played the character on OG Star Trek in the 60s too.

[@heidibee501]

I enjoyed this video greatly. Her movies were shown on TV in the fifties and sixties. I loved them but had no idea how exciting and dangerous they were. That being said, the names of several actors were not pronounced correctly, and it was a lamé (pronounced lah-may) bathing suit. It's French, complete with an acute accent. *Who took care of her children when she was no longer in the picture? So sad.*

[@cameliawilks2049]

I was a young girl when I met Ester Williams. A new hotel in my hometown was having a grand opening. It had a large pool. She motioned for me to join her in taking a photo. I stood on the diving board next to her as photographers took photos. My family hoped my photo with her would be one that would be printed in our local newspaper. But it wasn’t. But I can still say I met her and had my photo taken with her.

[@susankerr9521]

Yikes. Japan is not a city but a country. Williams wore a gold lame' (pronounced la-may) swimming suit, not a lame one. She competed with Lah-nah Turner, not Lay-nah Turner. It's the little things that are jarring ... .

[@countessAugusta]

😢😂😂😂

[@lindahughes2289]

ESTHER was a stunning beauty AND could act too !

[@JCKay]

Dear Narrators of Factinate - please research how to pronounce names and basic words before recording .... Thank you, Your Audience

[@joelressner9651]

Upfront Canadian accent, too.

[@dancingfilly7355]

Choose a different channel if he’s not up to your standards!!

[@shelrichter6247]

@@dancingfilly7355 Not knowing that Japan is not a city is a shame, but not a sin. Esther's "lame" swimsuit? I genuinely giggled at that one. Her request; however, is simple. It's not hard to learn how to pronounce the names of the people's whose lives you're digging into. This is very common on these documentary channels.

[@sheryldekoning7341]

I was on her side right up until she chose a man over her own children

[@unclesven4515]

She learned from her mother who didn’t want her.

[@jeepstergal4043]

She did the best with what she had.

[@purplebutterfly7257]

I wouldn’t give up my children for the world let alone a measly man.

[@JustMe-uu3bh]

@@unclesven4515 ooooooooooooooh that would do it.

[@gladysclausing8785]

I was under the impression that Fernando Lamas left her for Arlene Dahl and had a son with her! 😮 Also, I can’t believe she left her children for him? Could. Could never understand a woman leaving her children 😡

[@roxstix]

True story. I had a traffic collision with Esther Williams in Long Beach in 1985. I didn't know it was her until her insurance agent told me.

[@robinlanier6886]

Wow! 😳

[@williamandrews4251]

Lots of people gave birth at home in the 20s and 30s. My grandfather was from a wealthy family and was born at home and was delivered by a midwife.His father was Doctor.

[@ittybittykittymama7582]

My late husband, born in Puerto Rico, was delivered by a midwife. His birth certificate was a handwritten note from the midwife!

[@lizmasterson3956]

I'm so impressed with these old times features, so interesting.

[@penelope5667]

Brings back memories of watching the movies with Mama and Daddy🥰 so interesting to hear stories of the actresses and actors lives! Enjoy your stories thank you ✌❤🙏

[@aukusart]

Love your videos. Could you do one on Remedios Varo, the painter?

[@annuknowthe1562]

I really enjoyed that, thank you.😊

[@helenawarsinnak]

How can a mother choose a man over her own children!!!!😡 I hope that she knew how BLESSED she truly was that her children let her come back into their lives!!!!

[@connierenna-xf9um]

Ii know!

[@LovelyLass-nb8op]

No way would I have forgiven her

[@Priciaf]

You mean the Olympics in the city of Tokyo, Japan 😉

[@sandisteinberg731]

Actress Deborah Kerr's nane is pronounced Car.

[@Hummingbird108]

Deborah Kerr was Scottish it’s pronounced Kerr only the English call it Carr.

[@MamieVanDoren-yr6wn]

She is lying. I knew and worked with Jeff he doesn’t deserve this BS. She was trying to sell her book. Jeff isn’t here to defend himself. But I am. RIP dear Jeff Chandler

[@yhwhtlc9217]

I would never ever chose a man over my children...

[@secretshaman189]

Really interesting, thank-you for your research.

[@Factinate]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lrajic8281]

I used to swim in the Esther Williams Pool almost every day in the summer in the 60s. There was a plaque with the name of the pool. It was a basic Olympic sized pool. It was clean and had a huge building for changing. Not many amenities. But, oh, the great memories! We were 30 minutes from the ocean and Hollywood.

[@marsh443]

💐 Thanks for ur gr8 presentation. Before my time so I vaguely recall her name but wow... what a beautiful, talented women, SMART too! 👏 👍

[@sueostergaard8691]

Lana is pronounced "Lahna" not "Layna".

[@aliciarobertson4979]

Perhaps the mispronunciations are because it is an AI narration?!

[@twentynineteen4687]

Verge does not have a hard g

[@margieshelnutt9006]

My Dad adored her and we always watched her movies together. I love your videos.

[@wasserdagger]

Damn, she was beautiful!

[@missourigal]

Is this a real person narrating or a computer voice? Because some of the words said are just wrong. Sounds like someone who knows English but then doesn't say some words correctly.

[@joycegreer9391]

Yeah, I did think it sounded like a real person narrating.

[@wendyponsford7428]

“…confessed, to her mother, what had happened”

[@rebeccao8895]

A hundred years ago attitudes about rape were quite different. Society often blamed women when they were not at fault.

[@karenhill3970]

Well nevertheless....we all have things in our family ....some negetive...my precious Mom loved loved Esther Williams !!.i do too...love Her movies ....watch them in summertime ..makes me so happy to think of mt precious Mom .....

[@karenosolin6061]

Nobody should ever come before your children. Shameful.

[@granniefromky]

Lol, ai always reveals itself with its weird mispronunciations: Lane-uh Turner, Ricardo Mont-owl-ban, and a Gold Lamé bathing suit becomes lame

[@jimfisk4474]

Good god what a life

[@lucindamoran8686]

Wow!🎉🎉🎉great video! Thanks! Saw all her movies as a kid! She was beautiful and a fantastic swimmer! What a life she had!

[@esmith712]

Love the content. Love the info. Love the narrative .HATE the numerous mispronouncing of words, especially the stars' names, etc. This flaw really hurts the otherwise very polished product. As a professional, please check on the correct descriptors, pronunciations, etc. Thank you

[@L.D.Intheditch]

Lame Swimsuit 🤣💀. Call the Fashion Police,and what not to wear.

[@ruthellenhudson9270]

La - mae.

[@fionamann1553]

Artificial intelligence... not as intelligent as it would like us to believe.

[@Alan-yn9fk]

Esther Williams was ok until she wrote her fictional autobiography. She claimed Jeff Chandler was a cross dresser to which his friends and family in droves denied the allegation. When confronted about it, Esther admitted it was made up to sell books. She damaged her career, reputation and any public appeal she may have still had and deserved to be ostracized. I only watched this video to see if this was mentioned. Seems you didn't do your homework.

[@marsh443]

Wow Alan, that's interesting where did you get your background information? She was guilty of Libel. Mr Chandler was probably already dead. So sad, no one contested on his behalf.

[@rogersmith4834]

ALAN is right--your lack of homework detracts from this kind of video. She later admitted Chandler was not a cross-dresser and she never saw him like that--but her cheap damage to him was done, leaving his survivors to deny it. AND, as others have noted, lame is spoken as lah-may, Lana is lah-na, not lay-na, and the man's name is Mon-tal-BAHN, not Mon-TAL-ban. Learn your job, or give it to me.

[@CarolShook-yg9nn]

Well that was one way to get the readers attention poor Jeff 😅

[@chrisbacos]

Two discrepancies. You mentioned Mexico but I saw a shot of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The second you mentioned Australian military officers but showed a USMC colonel sometime after the 1970s. I recognized the insignia and BDU.

[@maggotspawn6882]

Not exactly mother of the year.

[@unclesven4515]

She had a crappy mom and learned from her.

[@carolewells9215]

Joan Crawford " Mommy Dearest" was a monster mom...wickedness & cruelty adopting & using children by famous ppl continues.

[@mizfrenchtwist]

hello .......great share . thank you , for sharing🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰............

[@msbelinda1000]

I am distracted by all the mispronounced words and incorrect facts. Nonetheless interesting video clips.

[@JuhiSRK]

Her autobiography is a great read.

[@user-rq2es2io8y]

In her autobio Williams alleges that Jeff Chandler was a cross-dresser. His friends deny this. Who knows? Read MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID for a fascinating glimpse into a fascinating, and often disappointing, life.

[@JustMe-uu3bh]

oops. move over Kaitlyn?

[@annaquinn4810]

It’s mostly gossip about everyone she knew in Hollywood. From what i read after that book came out, she lost a lot of “friends”

[@JustMe-uu3bh]

@@annaquinn4810 Weinstein didn't lose any friends, and I understand he just got out of prison, just like Epstein's clients, no one is in trouble for what they did........lawyers and judges and politicians.......where's Matt Dillon when you need a real lawman?

[@carolewells9215]

Mother of the year all time Hollywood winner Joan Crawford .

[@JustMe-uu3bh]

and runner up, Bette Davis.......

[@annsumner8570]

What ever, the mother's of the year now, don't have any babies.

[@rebeccalee1065]

Did You KNOW Joan Crawford, Personally? If Not, DON'T Judge! You're Wrong For Bringing Her Up In A Conversation That Didn't Concern Her.

[@JustMe-uu3bh]

@@rebeccalee1065 oops, someone got triggered. you never saw the movie then, right? Mommy Dearest....her daughter Christina wrote the book......and why is she "wrong" for bringing that up? who are you again? remind me, please? free country, last I checked.

[@tracylouiseletch9450]

How cool is that. I am a fan and envious

[@extraterrestrialfascisti7625]

Gamal Abdel Nasser president of Egypt was an Esther Williams fan. He would go to the US Embassy and enjoy her films while eating hotdogs.

[@lisasweeney8158]

8:42. 😂 That is such an Australian thing to do!

[@sbpierce9987]

What happened to her affair with Billy Rose? The one that broke up his marriage to Fanny Brice??

[@gerryc3112]

"Japan was the host city."???? Ummm, you do know that it's not a city, don't you?

[@mov1ngforward]

I loved her so much!!! This shocks me...

[@tomsaltsman]

In my entire 72 years, I've always heard it pronounced 'LAH-na Turner like the short 'a' in 'lawn.'

[@bethalligood2879]

This a robot reading

[@lisabrady9083]

Thanks:) a bit of help with your pronunciation: Lana: LaNaa (think of Lana Del Rae Lame: LaMae (type of fabric)

[@bdavis4099]

A friend of mine complained that crossword puzzles weren't making sense anymore. "It thinks gold material is lame! What is so lame about cloth?"

[@andreawales1938]

At 7:38, gold “lame” should read “lamé” (two syllables). Also, elsewhere “Layna” Turner should be pronounced “Lana” (short A in the first syllable) or “Lahna.”

[@sandrasweeney7445]

I liked Jupiters Darling. Have watched it several times.

[@catzenhouse]

Came across photos I took of her in a Disneyland Main Street parade in 1986 just a couple nights ago. It was all for the opening of the Michael Jackson's "Captain EO" ride so lots of stars were there in the parade including Angelica Huston and Jack Nicholson. And O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson and Denise Brown.

[@1234cheerful]

Well, that one didn't last.

[@georgiabelle5176]

Lame’…..sounds like la may😂

[@ianedwards4400]

Yes, I have always loved Esther Williams. When we were kids, the family during Xmas, New Year and Easter would always choose an Esther Williams film to heighten our enjoyment. Many of her 40's films that we weren't fortunate to see were reissued during the 50's, and screenings of these films were regular. Some weeks cinemas would have an Esther Williams marathon - that is, one film of Esther for different days in the week. My top fave of Esther's films will always be Easy to love, followed by The Duchess of Idaho and Million Dollar Mermaid. Yes, being an Esther fan, I did read about her torrid affair with Jeff Chandler. They starred in one film together: Raw wind in Eden, that also co-starred Rosanna Podesta. Esther broke with Jeff Chandler when she accidentally discovered that he was a cross-dresser. From gowns, to swimsuits to lingerie, he wore them all and always got sexually excited, resulting in you know what. I too am a great fan of Jeff Chandler and, while it is hard to digest this fact about him, I keep asking myself, why would Esther invent such a story otherwise.

[@joycegreer9391]

I loved Jupiter's Darling!

[@rupertofhentzau920]

This AI needs to learn how to pronounce certain words.

[@CarolShook-yg9nn]

She was so talented she made swimming look beautiful and effortless

[@Christina-bz3mo]

I always enjoyed her swim movies, she was so graceful....🌹🇺🇸

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

Sticking up for urself against Mayer, doesn't make u rageful

[@CAFEAULAIT362940]

I wonder if Fernando Lamas cut ties with his children for the sake of the marriage as well🤔

[@arrianranger5800]

Is this a robot reading? Mispronounciations are so glaring !

[@gogoyubari366]

Ester Williams was so pretty!

[@debbiethompson14]

BAFFLING??? It's a beautiful art form, and it's now in the olympics, buddy!!! I'd like to see you do it😂😂😂😂😂

[@catbemis1513]

I loved her movies. ❤❤

[@6843450]

I love Esther Williams. Beautiful. I guess we all have our secrets huh? 😮. Still adore her

[@Silversmoke1000]

I always really enjoy your videos and your voice and tenor is very engaging but please, for the love of God, take the time to learn the pronunciation of any words that are unfamiliar to you, especially names. As an older person, it's like nails on a chalkboard, and it really is important to be correct when telling these stories. Beyond that, your videos are fun, informative and informational. I love the variety of pictures as well. Keep up the good work.

[@JustMe-uu3bh]

I do not respect women who give up their kids for anyone, let alone a man. period. I am sure her kids did not get over it even if they saw her after he died and it was then "okay" to see her kids. what kind of "mother" does that? not a loving good one, for sure.

[@robinlanier6886]

Agreed!

[@bethparker1500]

Jeff was crying about his dead wife and her room was his sanctuary, he would cry while smelling her perfume... A very much younger throphy wife of a buddy came forth, to expose any lie Esther wanted to say about jeff Chandler. Besides he was Jewish and she wasnt.

[@user-mr6vo8ks9q]

With regard for your efforts, a couple of pronunciations here: It’s not LAY-NA It’s LANNA. Not LAME But LA-MAY. Because so many listeners would be familiar with words/names from the time period, mispronunciations are distracting.

[@barbaraa.walters8798]

I loved her movies

[@sarahmasterman2737]

Could listen to your voice all day long ❤

[@micheleparker3780]

So: how did the hydraulic lift injure Williams??

[@harpersmythe658]

I was wondering that

[@user-rq2es2io8y]

in her bio she stated that the 50-foot plunge snapped her neck back and cracked her spine. She wore a brace for more than 3 months. She was lucky not to be paralyzed from the neck down, like poor Christopher Reeve. While she was healing MGM cut off her salary.

[@micheleparker3780]

@user-rq2es2io8y Oh; ok - much have miss that part - thank you 😊!

[@randomvintagefilm273]

Why did you turn off the baby Peggy comments?

[@VixGB]

A beautiful, talented woman and Dangerous When Wet is a very enjoyable film 🎥

[@finechina3626]

Would've enjoyed this more if u were able to elaborate on several points...

[@doberman1ism]

Esther Williams was seated in her beautiful brown convertible Mercedes-Benz at a stoplight in Beverly Hills and she waved to me when I looked over at her. She was still a stunning beautiful woman in the 1970s.

[@BrendaKDavis-cz7fc]

Did I fall asleep or did I miss the part about Jeff Chandler?

[@Vinniegret]

Why in the world wouldn’t they test the costumes before using them during filming? I question the accuracy of that story.

[@1234cheerful]

I read her autobiography so SPOILER ALERT!!!! Because the mispronunciations can be distracting to hear while you figure out what the word or name really was. She wrote that she found out Jeff Chandler was a cross dresser or transvestism. Walked in on him one day. He told her he had been molested as a child and that cross dressing was understood by psychiatrists (in the 1950s anyway) to be a response to that treatment. it was soothing to his nerves to dress in women's clothing from time to time. It freaked her out, and she decided she could not stay with him. She never told anyone about it until the autobiography and he had died before that. She was respectful of him in the way she described it, not as "sordid details," unless you count the molestation he suffered as a child. I think that belongs to Johnny Weismuller always trying to feel her up when she was a teenager and they were both performing in an aquatic show where they swam out from a tunnel into the main pool. 1930s of course. She was soon wise to him and he didn't get that many hands on her. Certainly in today's climate calling transvestism sordid might not fly. I do not know if he had any desire to change gender, just to wear the clothes. Oh, bonus, Don Imus the shock jock dropped a sneering comment about Chandler being a cross dresser once but only once, likely because of Jeff's description to Esther of his reason for doing it. Another commenter has posted it was about his dead wife and he just wanted to see his late wife's clothes and smell her perfume as he grieved. The above is what Esther published in her autobiography.

[@amylou22snowhite]

I really like Million Dollar Mermaid.