The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography

by Digby Diehl

Hardcover, 1999

Status

Available

Publication

Simon & Schuster (1999), 416 pages

Description

Not since David Niven wrote the bestselling THE MOON'S A BALLOON has one of Hollywood's great stars written with real wit and candour about what it was like to work in the movie factories. In this glamorous world actors were pampered and coddled, yet expected to work without complaint for long, hard hours; made into an object of desire for millions of people and live in a world of almost total unreality, while still being expected to go about the business of finding a partner and raising a family, and avoiding personal scandal at all costs.Now, for the thousands of fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood comes Esther William's wonderfully witty, fresh and frank autobiography, all about an 18 year old girl who reluctantly answers the call of MGM and finds herself launched in a career that will last almost twenty years. During her career, she helped to create a genre of film that seems almost unimaginable today, yet which still holds its original freshness and fascination. Whether speaking of her own marriages, divorces, and love affairs or telling tales about the legends of the studio era, Williams is acutely perceptive and always uncompromisingly honest.… (more)

Rating

½ (40 ratings; 4)

User reviews

LibraryThing member OpheliaAwakens
There are not enough books about swimming! This one is good. Esther's story is told with a sense of humor. If you didn't respect the things she did in her movies before, you will after reading about some of the things she had to go through to make them.

I loved reading about her childhood and her
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swimming career as well.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
A well-written autobiography of Esther Williams. Titillating tidbits of old Hollywood.
LibraryThing member ChrisWeir
Autobiography by Esther Williams who was known for swimming extravaganza movies. Really is a candid look at her life. The book chronicles her movies including stuff about her co-stars as well as problems encountered. Her start at MGM and LB Mayer throwing temper tantrums. Some of her lovers and or
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admirers, Johnny Weismueller, Lorenzo Lamas, Jeff Chandler. Her early marriages, a young Jewish dr who didn't want children, an alcoholic and also the father of her children. Was an interesting look back on when the Hollywood studios seemed to control everything.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

416 p.; 6.5 inches

ISBN

0684852845 / 9780684852843
Page: 0.3252 seconds