Million Dollar Mermaid

Plot

Who else but Esther Williams could star in a romantic drama (with musical numbers) bearing a title like this? In Million Dollar Mermaid, Williams plays Annette Kellerman, a real-life Australian swimming star who took up the sport as a child to strengthen her legs, which were severely weakened by a birth defect. The treatment proves effective, and as she grows to adulthood, Annette shows that she has the talent to be a champion swimmer, though she prefers to follow her dream of becoming a ballet dancer. When Annette's father Frederick (Walter Pidgeon) accepts a position in London teaching music, Annette opts to go with him, and along the way she meets James Sullivan (Victor Mature) and Doc Cronnol (Jesse White), the joint-owners of a boxing kangaroo they intend to exhibit in London. James is already aware of Annette's abilities as a competitive swimmer, and he offers to be her manager and help her earn a living from her aquatic skills. At first Annette isn't interested, but when Frederick's job falls through and she can't find work as a dancer, Annette reluctantly agrees to work with James. He arranges a publicity stunt in which Annette swims 30 miles down the Thames River, which attracts the avid attention of the British press and wins her some work as a dancer. Convinced that the big money is in America, James persuades Annette to travel with him to the U.S., where she creates a scandal in Boston by staging another long swim in a one-piece bathing suit, considered shockingly-revealing at the turn of the Century. The stunt nearly lands Annette in jail, but she escapes the long arm of the law and becomes the star of a water ballet revue. Annette had fallen in love with James, but after an argument, he resigns as her manager and Annette takes up with Alfred Harper (David Brian), the male lead in her show. Annette and Alfred agree to marry while working on a movie together, but James returns on the last day of shooting, determined to win back the heart of the woman he loves. Legendary choreographer Busby Berkeley staged the film's elaborate water-ballet sequences. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Review

Million Dollar Mermaid is an uneven Esther Williams vehicle; those who are immune to the aquatic star's charms will find little here to change their minds, but those tuned in to the star's wave will be delighted. Not delighted with the script, mind you, which is filled with clichéd situations and trite dialogue -- as well as a male lead that changes his stripes so quickly mid-film that he seems to have a split personality. Don't blame Victor Mature; although he's fairly bland and unimpressive throughout, this change of heart is strictly a contrivance necessary to pad out the film's dialogue scenes. Interestingly, Mermaid's script does come right out with a disparaging comment that was often batted about concerning Williams -- that wet she was a star, but on dry land she was just another pretty girl. Although some might question the latter part of that statement, Mermaid provides plenty of evidence to support the former - from her impressive high dives to a string of spectacular water ballets that rank at the very top in the Williams oeuvre. Whatever one thinks of the film, it's hard not to be impressed with these water-laden spectacles, especially the "smoke" ballet. Simply stunning, these sequences make up for the serious deficiencies of the script and the indifferent dramatic performances of the leads. Mermaid's ballets played a large part in creating the Williams legend, and they stand out regally from their dull surroundings. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Esther Williams - Annette Kellerman
• Victor Mature - James Sullivan
• Walter Pidgeon - Frederick Kellerman
• David Brian - Alfred Harper
• Donna Corcoran - Annette Kellermann (younger)

Jesse White - Doc Cronnol; Maria Tallchief - Pavlova; Howard Freeman - Aldrich; Charles Watts - Policeman; Wilton Graff - Garvey; Frank Ferguson - Prosecutor; James Bell - Judge; Willis B. Bouchey - Director; James Aubrey - Pawnbroker; Wilson Benge - Caretaker; Benny Burt - Bum; Mack Chandler - Robbie the Prop Man; Edward Clark - Elderly Man; Adrienne D'Ambricourt - Marie, the Housekeeper; Leslie Denison - Purser; Thomas P. Dillon - Process Server; Vernon P. Downing - Newspaper Man; Al Ferguson - London Bobby; Pat Flaherty - Policeman; James Flavin - Conductor; Creighton Hale - Husband; Harry Hines - Watchman; Queenie Leonard - Mrs. Graves; Louise Lorimer - Nurse; Clive Morgan - Judge; Pat O'Moore - Master of Ceremonies; Gordon Richards - Casey; Rod Rogers - Marcellino the Clown; Elizabeth Slifer - Soprano; Busby Berkeley; Paul H. Frees - Band Leader; George Wallace - Bud Williams; Rosemarie Bowe; Clarence Hennecke - Newsboy; Gail Bonney; Bobby Hale; Charles Heard - Official; T. Arthur Hughes; James L. Kelly; Louis Manley - Fire-eater; Kay Wiley; Paul Bradley - Defense Attorney

Credit

Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Jack Martin Smith - Art Director, Busby Berkeley - Choreography, Mervyn LeRoy - Director, John McSweeney, Jr. - Editor, Adolph Deutsch - Composer (Music Score), Adolph Deutsch - Musical Direction/Supervision, George Folsey - Cinematographer, Arthur Hornblow, Jr. - Producer, Richard A. Pefferle - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Everett Freeman - Screenwriter

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