Vintage 1950 Esther Williams Large Coloring Book Merrill Movie Star Actress Swim
24 pictures have been beautifully colored in and signed by the person who colored them. The book is in vintage condition and the edges have signs of wear and niches. The pages are vivid and ready for display. Please look through the pictures to see the condition of the coloring book
The book measures 10.375"x15"and has 48 uncolored pages.
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller.[1] Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving.
Every year from 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film among the 20 highest-grossing films of the year.[2][3][4][5][6] In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid, which went on to become her nickname while she was at MGM.[7] Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed network television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida.
Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Before retiring from acting, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and a successful restaurant chain known as Trails."[8] She lent her name to a line of swimming pools, retro swimwear, and instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
1942 Andy Hardy's Double Life Sheila Brooks
Personalities Sheila Brooks (Screen test footage) Short subject
Inflation Mrs. Smith Short film
1943 A Guy Named Joe Ellen Bright
1944 Bathing Beauty Caroline Brooks
1945 Thrill of a Romance Cynthia Glenn
Ziegfeld Follies Herself ('A Water Ballet')
1946 The Hoodlum Saint Kay Lorrison
Easy to Wed Connie Allenbury Chandler
Till the Clouds Roll By Herself Uncredited
1947 Fiesta Maria Morales
This Time for Keeps Leonora 'Nora' Cambaretti
1948 On an Island with You Rosalind Reynolds
1949 Take Me Out to the Ball Game K.C. Higgins
Neptune's Daughter Eve Barrett
1950 Duchess of Idaho Christine Riverton Duncan
Pagan Love Song Mimi Bennett
1951 Texas Carnival Debbie Telford
Callaway Went Thataway Herself Uncredited
1952 Skirts Ahoy! Whitney Young
Million Dollar Mermaid Annette Kellerman
1953 Dangerous When Wet Katie Higgins
Easy to Love Julie Hallerton
1954 Athena
–
Screenwriter
Uncredited
1955 Jupiter's Darling Amytis
1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration Herself Short subject
1956 The Unguarded Moment Lois Conway
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood, City of Stars[citation needed] Herself Short subject
1958 Raw Wind in Eden Laura
1961 The Big Show Hillary Allen
1963 Magic Fountain[103] Hyacinth Tower
1994 That's Entertainment! III Herself
Television Year Title Role Notes
1955 What's My Line[104] Guest Celebrity Episode: "16 January 1955"
1957 Lux Video Theatre[105] Vicki Episode: "The Armed Venus"
1960 The Donna Reed Show[106] Molly Episode: "The Career Woman"
1960 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre[107] Sarah Harmon Episode: "The Black Wagon"
1961 The Bob Hope Show[108] Episode: "The Bob Hope Buick Sports Awards Show"