Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)

Biopic of Australian swimming champ and entertainer Annette Kellerman. After overcoming polio, Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writer:

Everett Freeman (screenplay)

Stars:

Esther Williams, Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Esther Williams	...	Annette Kellerman
Victor Mature	...	James Sullivan
Walter Pidgeon	...	Frederick Kellerman
David Brian	...	Alfred Harper
Donna Corcoran	...	Annette - 10 years old
Jesse White	...	Doc Cronnol
Maria Tallchief	...	Pavlova
Howard Freeman	...	Aldrich
Charles Watts	...	Policeman
Wilton Graff	...	Garvey
Frank Ferguson	...	Prosecutor
James Bell	...	Judge
James Flavin	...	Conductor
Willis Bouchey	...	Director

Storyline

Million Dollar Mermaid tells the story of Australian swimming sensation Annette Kellerman, who overcame childhood polio to go on and achieve fame as a professional swimmer and film star in the early decades of the 20th century. At the same time, she scandalized the world by wearing a one-piece bathing suit on public beaches long before the style was accepted in polite company, and made waves in other ways as well. The story was a perfect vehicle decades later to showcase the star quality of Esther Williams in the 1950s, and Kellerman's moniker was picked up by Life Magazine when it named Ms. Williams the "Million Dollar Mermaid" herself.

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Plot Keywords:

swimming | star | scandal | swimmer | childhood | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by the true story of bathing beauties! (Million Dollar Mermaid)

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1953 (Japan)

Also Known As:

A Rainha do Mar

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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.

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Connections

Featured in Interactive Film Quiz (2006)

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Soundtracks

"London Bridge Is Falling Down"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played at the Christmas party

User Reviews

Pretty, but one can get some false impressions from seeing it

This film is very interesting and expensively mounted. I recommend it with a few caveats. For instance, the water ballets could not have looked the way they looked in the film because they simply did not have the electrical devices necessary in the 1910s and 1920s to create these effects. They did in the 1950s, of course.

Secondly, Annette's former flame, Mr. Sullivan, was not the guy who raised and trained Rin-Tin-Tin and got him started in Hollywood. For the life of me, I cannot understand why this was in the film. Lee Duncan, a former Army airman, was Rinty's owner and trainer, and as far as I know he had no connection to Annette. I don't know why 1950s biographical film had the tendency to do this sort of thing, but it is very common.