Rating: 
Summary: Spectacular look at a one-of-a-kind star's life
Review: Who would guess that, beneath her cheerful--if wet--smile, Esther Williams was struggling to keep her family together, ward off amorous co-stars and producers, and stay alive as she undertook never-before-attempted stunts for her movies, Dangerous When Wet and Million Dollar Mermaid. I was captivated by her tell-all, hold-nothing-back story and her smooth writing style. We also learn that she was smarter than she looked! Esther gets full marks for honesty--unlike many other Hollywood stars who write their memoirs. Don't miss this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Williams is All Wet
Review: I never had any feelings about Esther Williams one way or another before reading this book (thank goodness I took it out of the library and didn't pay for it!). But now I actively dislike the woman.Did we really need to know that Jeff Chandler was a transvestite? Didn't the thought, "gee, maybe I should just keep my trap shut about this?" ever cross Williams' mind? And did she realize that her unsympathetic, sarcastic and unfeeling reaction to Chandler's confession would paint her in the most unflattering light? Utter garbage--not very well written, shrewish gossip. If that's the sort of thing you like, knock yerself out.
Rating:
Summary: Eighteen Hours of true delight.
Review: Having had the pleasure of meeting Esther Williams four times and her husband,Edward Bell,I spent an out-of-the-world eighteen hours reading her book. Many of the events she tells about I had read and heard her tell while on TV. This book fills in all the blank spaces between the words and events. Her life has been one fascinating story of her lovers and her strength to overcome.
Rating: 
Summary: Juicy but ultimately disappointing
Review: I eagerly anticipated the release of this biography as I am a longstanding fan of the Golden Era of MGM Musicals. For gossip fans, Ms. Williams' book has it all -- juicy tidbits about her sexual history and the habits and flaws of such Hollywood titans as Louis B. Mayer, Joan Crawford, Victor Mature, Johnny Weismuller, etc. Such discussion was particularly enlightening given Ms. Williams' utterly wholesome screen persona. Although the book has a wealth of such star "secrets," it is ultimately disappointing. While Ms. Williams describes her life, she fails to reveal the reasons for her choices. Ultimately, she comes across as a vapid doormat -- used and abused by her parents, her adopted brother, her first agent, her swimming coach, her alcoholic husband Ben Gage. Most amazingly, she provides almost no explanation for her 22 year marriage to Fernando Lamas -- a marriage during which she was a self-proclaimed second class citizen who was forbidden to make her three prior children a part of her life with Lamas. This 22 year marriage, which comes after chapters detailing Ms. Williams' "take-charge moxie" (she details, with glee, her "tough talk" with, among others, her first agent, Louis B. Mayer, Sam Katz, the head of the Navy, etc.), does not make sense and Ms. Williams' self-serving explanations fail to provide any real insight into her personality.
Rating:
Summary: Goes for shock in order to sell books
Review: One wonders of Ms Williams is so desperate for cash that she has to tell something that she knows will hurt the family of Jeff Chandler. Between that and her allowing Fernando Lamas to keep her from her children leaves me terribly disillusioned. I used to think she was terrific. Now, I think people could just read Globe or one of the other sleezy newsmagazines and get the same results.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for movie lovers of the 40s and 50s.
Review: Ms. Williams does not skimp on details of her relationships with not only men and co-stars, but her business and professional dealings with her coaches, directors and producers. This book took me back to my childhood (and 5-cent Milk Duds) living for her movies. The information given about the logistics of her particular movies is fascinating. Her penchant for marrying the wrong men and neglecting her children is told with honest self-appraisal. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: A great look at the Studio era in Hollywood.
Review: Esther Williams bio takes a long hard look at a by-gone era - the 1940's & 50's in Hollywood. It's full of tidbits on several of her leading men as well as her ex-husbands. I just wish it had even more meat and potatoes rather than just the appetizers and the salad. It's a great read for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Read it and share it with a friend who also lived through this period in Hollywood's heyday.
Rating:
Summary: A spectacular extravaganza from a Hollywood icon
Review: Nothing could prepare the reader for a book like this--it has everything--warmth, humor,biting satire, irony, heartbreak, and an insider's look at the MGM studio days. Fans of every age will read with fascination this "can't put down" saga of the making of a Hollywood star. Not only did she perform water stunts that at times were truly death-defying (some while pregnant!), but her ability to deal with the denizens of the casting couch and studio sleaze reveals a woman as smart as she was talented and beautiful. Put this at the top of your must-read list.Then, pass it on!
Rating:
Summary: A LOTTA GOSSIP, A LOTTA LIFE, A LOTTA FUN!
Review: Esther Williams, the aptly titled "Million Dollar Mermaid" of the movies of Hollywood's Golden Era, tells the story of her life in the vivid text of her outstanding autobiography. Williams writes the story of a real person, a sparkling icon/ survivor story, and paints a picture of Hollywood bursting with gossip juicy enough to make Hedda and Louella green. Yet, Williams tells her story without sounding malicious, wicked, or saintly. She writes with great candor and honesty about the hardships of her life: a difficult childhood, near-death incidents doing stunts for movie extravanganzas, nightmarish marriages, and her now-happy life with her husband Edward, and reunited with happy relationships with her children. Williams began swimming as a teen, and eventually swam in the famous Aquacade with Johnny Weissmuller, who, in between shows, would tear his trunks off and chase her in the pool. She was picked up by MGM Studios, and the fun never stops as Williams recounts and remembers some of the most famous names of entertainment with hilarious and shocking stories. She remembers Lucille Ball (who unjustly accused her of trying to steal Desi Arnaz from her), Ricardo Montalban (a cheerful Latin whom she became fast friends with), Gene Kelly (who fumed trying to create dances for a leading lady a head taller than he was), Frank Sinatra (who became a life-long friend who always let her sit with her elbow onstage during his concerts) and Clark Gable (the greatest kisser she'd ever kissed). And the stories don't stop there: She remembers Joan Crawford, hysterically begging an imaginary audience not to forget her in an empty auditorium, reducing paper tiger Louis B. Mayer to kicking and screaming on the floor of his office, and inquisitively listening to Lana Turner's bedroom exploits through a glass pressed against the wall. She also remembers amusing exploits, like being the first person to break the color barrier at the Sahara (when she passed off her black maid and her maid's boyfriend as Indian royalty!). Not that Williams was the goody-two-shoes virginal girl she so often portrayed onscreen: She had several affairs with leading men. She gives black belts in the bedroom arts to a few leading men: the powerful, hulkish Victor Mature ("the one man I never had to teach anything to, not even how to swim!"), and the masculine Jeff Chandler. (In the most hilarious and juciest story in the book, she remembers how her affair with Chandler ended when she found him in a flowered chiffon dress, wig, high heels, and makeup!) There are engrossing stories about the makings of Williams's underwater spectacles, and how the inricate photography and choreography of these films were achieved with movie magic. Williams remembers "that crazy old Busby Berkeley" and how he nearly killed her with spectacular stunts involving her diving from fifty-foot platforms, water-skiing when she was pregnant, etc. But Williams also endured three stormy marriages: Her first, to the nasty Leonard Kovner, whom she married without knowing very well. Her second marriage was to the buffonish Ben Gage (with whom she had her three beloved children, Ben, Kim, and Susie), who drank and caused her endless embarrassment (one night, she left him passed out cold in Bette Davis's bathtub!). But her third husband was probably the worst: selfish, tyrannical Latino Fernando Lamas, who proved to be a husband from hell, who made Williams work and work to please him, was completely self-absorbed, and refused to let William's children into their home, which upset her desperately. When Lamas died, she was admittedly relieved, and she finally found the right guy: Edward Bell, who helps her run her business of selling swimwear today. Through it all, Williams kept her head, and triumphed. She's had a colorful, extraordinary life, and it's all set before you in one of the most delicious biographies ever written!
Rating:
Summary: MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID IS A MILLION DOLLAR BIOGRAPHY!
Review: WOW! I'll say one thing for Esther Williams--she really knows how to get a guy's attention! Whether it's her million dollar legs on the cover of MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID, or her pages about Jeff Chandler's crossdressing, this Hollywood biography is the best I've ever seen! Esther Williams names names, places, and tells who did what when! MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID IS A MILLION DOLLAR BIOGRAPHY! Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING
|
