Million Dollar Mermaid ('52) Esther Williams and 50 similar items

Vintage original 11x14 in. US lobby card from the classic 1950's swimming-themed musical biopic drama, MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID, released in 1952 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. he story is a biopic of the world-famous Australian swimming champ and entertainer, Annette Kellerman (Esther Williams). After overcoming polio, Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent. The cast includes Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon, David Brian, Donna Corcoran, Jesse White, Maria Tallchief, Howard Freeman, Charles Watts, Wilton Graff, Frank Ferguson, James Bell, and James Flavin. The image depicts an interior scene in a hospital room as Jimmy Sullivan (Victor Mature) tenderly slips a ring on the finger of Annette Kellerman (Esther Williams) as she recovers from a spine injury. It is unrestored in fine- condition with one or two pinholes in or near each corner; a small tear on the center of the bottom border; a small stain in the lower right corner; a light 13 in. diagonal crease with a smaller crease inside of it that starts beneath the top left corner and is fortunately very unobtrusive; and some small scattered creases, simply from handling over time. Million Dollar Mermaid is considered the crown jewel of Esther Williams' career, largely because, for once, MGM's writers were not called upon to find novel, far-fetched ways to get their star wet. Being the biography of a famous swimming star, the plot allowed Williams to organically spend nearly the entire running time in the water. It was also considered by many to be one of the best examples of Technicolor cinematography. "Million Dollar Mermaid" became Esther Williams' nickname at MGM after the success of this film and also became the title of her autobiography that was published in 1999. In an interview Esther Williams said that she met and spoke with Annette Kellerman before filming began, while attempting to get Kellerman's approval of Williams in the lead role. After the meeting Kellerman gave her complete approval and said she was pleased with the casting choice, though she good-naturedly complained that Williams was much prettier than her. The film that Kellerman is making when she has an accident is titled Neptune's Daughter (1914). In 1949, Williams would make a film with the same title. She nearly broke her neck diving off the 50-foot tower during the celebrated fountain sequence. In her memoir, Williams reports that no one considered whether or not the crown of her solid gold unitard would tolerate the pressure of her high dive until she was atop the tower for the filming of the scene. She decided to chance it in order to achieve the shot, and injured three vertebrae- she was in a body cast for seven months.