Top 10 Films: Esther Williams
- Lindsay Blenkarn
- Aug 11, 2025
- 14 min read
Updated: Mar 9
Esther Williams was Hollywood's "Million Dollar Mermaid" and possibly the most unique star ever to grace the silver screen. Although she grew to become a likable actress and successful singer, Esther Williams will forever be remembered as the starlet who turned swimming into an art form. To this day, no other actress has ever attempted the water ballets and stunts Esther performed on a regular basis (often risking life and limb in the process). She is even universally credited as single-handedly popularizing synchronized swimming, which has been recognized as an Olympic sport since 1984.
Exhibiting a grace and control underwater that seemed to border on superhuman, it should come as no surprise that Esther intended on becoming an Olympic swimmer. In fact, she was one of the few women capable of performing a butterfly breast stroke at the time and even qualified for the Olympic team. But, when the onset of World War II canceled the 1940 Olympic Games, Esther's dreams of Olympic gold were shattered. But, fans of her films are forever grateful that she agreed to accept the unique consolation prize of becoming the most unlikely of Hollywood stars. For there truly is only one Esther Williams. But, which Esther Williams films have remained the most popular in 2025?? Well, in honor of Esther, I have put together this handy list...
10. This Time for Keeps (1947)
Shot on location on Mackinac Island in Michigan, This Time for Keeps is the first movie of Esther’s career to heavily feature the song “Easy To Love" but, it would not be the last. The singer of the song in this particular film is Esther's co-star, Johnnie Johnston. Johnston plays the role of Dick Johnson, the son of a famous opera singer (played by real-life opera singer Lauritz Melchior) who has just returned home from WWII. Dick’s father expects his son to follow through with the plans he had made before the war: to become an opera singer and marry his socialite fiancée, Frances. However, Dick finds that his old life no longer appeals to him. Instead, Dick can’t stop thinking about Leonora "Nora" Cambaretti (Esther Williams), the aquacade star who performed at the army hospital while he was wounded. So, when Dick discovers that she’s performing in town, he decides to reunite with her. But to get to Nora, he has to go through her protective friend, Ferdi (Jimmy Durante). Even after Dick and Nora hit it off, Dick still has to deal with his old obligations, even if it means hurting somebody he cares about.
Behind the scenes, the making of This Time for Keeps wasn't entirely smooth sailing. At one point, a flannel bathing suit nearly drug Esther to the bottom of the pool after a dive (this being the reason that swimsuits aren't normally made out of flannel). The film also marked the third time Esther had worked with director Richard Thorpe and the two shared a mutual dislike of each other. Esther later theorized that Thorpe simply hated cheerful people.
However, any difficulties that arose off-screen are imperceptible in the film. All that's left behind is a charming musical with some terrific water ballets and a great comedic (yet surprisingly layered) performance by the one and only Jimmy Durante.
9. On an Island with You (1948)
Along with reuniting Esther Williams with her This Time for Keeps co-star, Jimmy Durante, On an Island with You provides Esther with a bevy of talented co-stars, including Ricardo Montalban, Peter Lawford, and Cyd Charisse. In the film, Esther plays movie star Rosalind Reynolds, who’s traveled to Hawaii to shoot a new movie with her fiancé, Ricardo (Montalban). Once she arrives, she notices that the movie’s technical adviser, Navy Lieutenant Larry Kingsley (Lawford), seems to have a bit of a crush on her. But, what Ros doesn’t realize is that she’s actually met Larry before. And Larry is determined to do anything he can to make sure she remembers their past time together.
What makes this movie particularly unique is that some of the movie’s best scenes don’t even feature Esther at all. Lawford and Montalban actually perform an entire underwater ballet completely by themselves! Although Esther is clearly still the star, the film serves as a nice showcase for Ricardo Montalban, who dances two numbers with Cyd Charisse, as well as a small swimming number with Esther. One of the major highlights of this film is the beautiful and epic Pagan Mask number—one of the scenes from the movie within the movie. It was originally intended for Cyd Charisse to dance the number, but she broke her leg during filming and her stand-in, Patricia Denise, finished the number for her. Considering the skill shown in this number, it’s really a pity Denise didn't become better known as a Hollywood dancer.
(Random trivia note: Disney fans watching On an Island with You may recognize the distinctive voice of a very young Kathryn Beaumont, who makes a memorable appearance in this film. She would later become better known as the voices of both Alice in Disney's Alice in Wonderland and Wendy Darling in Peter Pan).
8. Easy to Love (1953)
The 2nd Esther Williams movie to feature the titular song, Easy to Love, also, happens to contain some of Esther’s favorite water ballets and is truly a movie only she could do. Esther plays the role of Julie Hallerton, the main attraction at Florida’s (real-life but, now defunct theme park) Cypress Gardens. Julie has long pined after her workaholic boss, Ray (Van Johnson), but Ray has never shown even the slightest interest. Eventually, Julie finds herself pursued by two other men, as well as a possible career opportunity. She can't wait for Ray forever so, she begins to consider whether it might finally be time for her to move on. Both personally and professionally.
Although she was actually pregnant throughout filming, Esther was forced to learn water skiing for Easy to Love in order to feature in Cypress Garden’s famous water ski spectaculars. In the end, the only stunt Esther did not end up performing herself was the incredible 80-foot dive from a helicopter-held trapeze. She refused out of fear for her child’s safety and convinced choreographer Busby Berkeley to use a double—to which he begrudgingly relented. As well as showing off Esther’s swimming and newfound water skiing talents, Easy to Love also showcases how much Esther had grown as an actress by this point. Her easygoing quality and comedic timing are pitch perfect. By the time she completely throws vanity out the window to perform the film’s over-the-top clown number, you begin to realize that no other actress has ever been more fearless than Esther Williams—as if if there was any doubt!
7. Thrill of a Romance (1945)
This breezy romance stars Esther Williams as Cynthia, a swimming instructor who rushes into marriage with charming businessman Bob Delbar. Shortly after the ceremony, Bob gets an urgent call from his office and he leaves Cynthia to spend their romantic honeymoon by herself. But, Cynthia isn’t alone for long. Decorated war hero Major Tommy Milvaine (Van Johnson) is staying in the same hotel. When this soldier sets his eyes on the lonely Cynthia, this new bride may be in danger of being swept off her feet all over again.
This fun little musical features a unique mix of musical styles, half-opera (courtesy of baritone Lauritz Melchior) and half-big band (courtesy of Tommy Dorsey). It’s also helped along by some very impressive young talents, particularly Helene Stanley as Dorsey’s piano-playing daughter and Jerry Scott as the young singing bellhop, Lyonel. (And another unexpected Disney connection here: Helene Stanley would grow up to work as a Disney live-action reference model for the iconic characters of Cinderella in Cinderella, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, and Anita Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians). Although Esther Williams and Van Johnson had both appeared in the film A Guy Named Joe a few years earlier, Thrill of a Romance marks the very first time the two co-starred as romantic leads. Considering Esther and Van would end up doing 3 more films together after this one, it might be surprising to hear that Van Johnson was actually not a very strong swimmer. For his water scenes in this movie, Esther often had to keep her hand (or feet) behind Johnson’s back to keep him above water.
6. Easy to Wed (1946)
A musical remake of the film, Libeled Lady, Easy to Wed once again pairs Esther opposite frequent co-star Van Johnson. Taking on the role Myrna Loy originated, Esther plays Connie Allenbury, a wealthy socialite who sues a popular newspaper for libel after they accuse her of dating married men. The writer of the article in question, Warren Haggerty (Keenan Wynn), makes an attempt to save the paper from bankruptcy by enlisting the help of former employee (and known womanizer), Bill Chandler (Van Johnson). In order to nullify the libel suit, the two concoct a scheme to trick Connie into doing exactly what she's been accused of. The convoluted plan involves Bill temporarily marrying Warren’s fiancée, Gladys (Lucille Ball), and then attempting to woo Connie. If he succeeds, Gladys will appear to catch Connie "stealing" her husband. Of course, a photographer will conveniently be on hand to take pictures of the "scandal" taking place and Connie will be forced to drop the suit. But, the plan starts to go awry when Bill begins to actually fall for Connie, while Gladys begins to actually fall for Bill.
Easy to Wed marks a significant achievement in Esther’s career, as it was the first time MGM had ever allowed her to actually sing in one of her films. Luckily, Esther proved herself be more than worthy of that honor, especially considering she was given the extra challenge of singing songs written entirely in Spanish and Portuguese. As a matter of fact, all of the songs in this film—with the exception of Lucille Ball’s one solo number—are sung either in Spanish or Portuguese! In order to get their pronunciations correct, Esther Williams and Van Johnson were even coached by iconic Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda.
5. Dangerous When Wet (1953)
Dangerous When Wet marks an important milestone in the life and career of Esther Williams. It's the first and only movie in which Esther starred opposite her future husband, Fernando Lamas. (Fernando also happens to be one of the only professional grade swimmers with whom Esther ever co-starred).
In the film, Esther plays Katie Higgins, the eldest daughter of an extremely athletic family. When a fast-talking salesman witnesses the family’s skill in the water, he convinces them to enter a competition to swim the English Channel—with his company’s product, Liquapep, acting as their sponsor. But, once the family arrives in England for training, Katie meets Andre (Fernando Lamas), a handsome and wealthy Frenchman. Although Katie is intrigued by the debonair Andre, this new relationship also threatens to distract her from her family's crucial Channel race.
Esther gives an absolutely charming performance in this enjoyable aqua-musical, never more so than when Katie gets pleasantly tipsy at Andre’s chateau. But, it’s in the film’s climatic Channel race that Esther really shines. She registers Katie’s exhaustion so acutely, you'll feel like you're actually witnessing her muscles shutting down. But, the film’s most famous moment comes courtesy of an extended dream sequence featuring the iconic cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry. In this sequence, Esther appears to swim in a cartoon ocean and the scene perfectly highlights one of Esther’s most underrated talents: the ability to convincingly act underwater. The scene is also sure to fascinate swimmers as Esther manages the difficult feat of performing an Australian crawl beneath the surface of the water.
4. Bathing Beauty (1944)
Originally titled The Co-Ed and clearly written as a Red Skelton vehicle, after seeing Esther in the finished film, the studio quickly changed the title to Bathing Beauty. Best described as a kind of variety showcase, this is the movie that turned Esther Williams into an instant star. However, the actual star of the film is still Red Skelton, who plays the part of successful songwriter Steve Elliott. After meeting his beautiful bride-to-be, Caroline (Esther), in California, Steve impulsively gives up songwriting and retires. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all that he had, actually, already agreed to score NYC producer George Adams’ (Basil Rathbone) aquacade show. But, it certainly bothers George! Desperate to get his songwriter back, George flies to California to convince Steve to put off his retirement. When that doesn’t work, he vindictively hires a girl to pose as Steve’s "jilted wife” in order to break up Steve and Caroline’s upcoming wedding. The charade works only too well and sends Caroline running back to her old job at an all-girls university. Steve immediately follows her and, in the hopes of winning her back, finds a loophole in the university’s charter that allows him to enroll as a student. But, the dean of the school—as well as Caroline, herself—is looking for any excuse to throw Steve out again. All in the name of the school’s reputation, of course!
Although a massive hit at the box office when it was first released, Bathing Beauty is probably the most dated of Esther’s films. However, if you’re a fan of jazz or big band music, this is the movie for you. The film features extended musical numbers by some of the most talented musicians of the period, including Xavier Cugat (who became a regular presence in many of Esther’s films) and the amazing organist, Ethel Smith. But of course, the thing that really makes this film worthwhile is its iconic water ballet finale, marking the very first of its kind onscreen.
3. Neptune's Daughter (1949)
Filmed partly in the famed Weeki Wachee Springs—an iconic Florida attraction known for its resident mermaids—Neptune’s Daughter re-teams Esther Williams with her Bathing Beauty co-star, Red Skelton. But this time, it's Esther who’s the main attraction. She stars as Eve Barrett, a former swimmer who’s become the face (and designer) of a popular bathing suit company. Though, Eve actually spends most of her time looking after her boy-crazy sister, Betty (Betty Garrett). When Eve hears that Betty has started dating a visiting South American polo player named Jose O’Rourke (Ricardo Montalban), she immediately gets in touch with the womanizing foreigner to give him a piece of her mind. The problem is, Betty isn’t actually dating Jose! After meeting the polo team’s masseur, Jack Sprat (Red Skelton), Betty mistook the redheaded Jack for Jose O'Rourke—and Jack didn't really go out of his way to correct her mistake. This means that the real Jose has no idea what Eve is talking about when she accuses him of leading her sister on. But, if playing along means spending more time with the beautiful swimsuit designer, Jose is more than willing.
Betty Garrett is perfectly cast as Eve’s vivacious little sister, and she and Red Skelton almost walk away with the movie with their combined comedic skills. But, the real highlight of the film is when Esther, Montalban, Garrett, and Skelton perform the classic, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. The song deservedly won Best Original Song at the Oscars and has since become a popular holiday standard (though the 2nd comedic half of the song featuring Garret and Skelton remains tragically less well-known). Interestingly, despite its Oscar category, the famous song was actually not written for Neptune's Daughter at all. In fact, the song had been written years earlier by songwriter Frank Loesser simply as a fun song for him and his wife to sing at the end of a party they were throwing. Guests loved the song so much, he and his wife ended up performing it as a closing number at the holiday parties of various friends for years. Apparently, when Loesser finally sold the song to MGM, his wife was absolutely furious at him for selling "their song".
2. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
Unlike many of the films in Esther Williams' filmography, the plot of Take Me Out to the Ball Game, actually, has very little to do with swimming or water ballets. Set in the 1900s, this adorable Frank Sinatra/Gene Kelly musical stars Kelly and Sinatra as Eddie O’Brien and Dennis Ryan, professional baseball players and part-time vaudevillians. When baseball season starts, O’Brien and Ryan are shocked to discover that their team (the Wolves) is under new management. The entire team vows to hate the new manager, K.C. Higgins, but that sentiment gets more complex when they discover that the "K" in K.C. stands for Katherine (Esther Williams). A girl becoming the manager of a team called the Wolves? Wackiness, understandably, ensues.
As if you couldn’t already tell, Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a fun, tongue-in-cheek musical with a healthy sense of humor. It also happens to be the very last full-length film that legendary director Busby Berkeley directed on his own. Behind the scenes, Esther Williams did not get along very well with co-star/choreographer Gene Kelly, who seemed to get some degree of pleasure out of putting her down. Esther, herself, theorized that he was actually uncomfortable with the height difference between them. (Esther was a little over 5’8, while Gene Kelly was only 5'7). But, personally, I believe it’s more likely that Kelly resented her lack of dance training, along with the fact that his first choice (Judy Garland) had been unavailable for filming. On the other hand, Esther Williams and Frank Sinatra got along famously and their easy chemistry certainly shows onscreen. Despite the behind-the-scenes feuding, this patriotic and upbeat movie is a joy to watch and Esther manages to hold her own opposite Kelly and Sinatra, proving that even when kept mostly out of the water, she was still dynamite.
1. Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
Based on the life of Australian aquatic star Annette Kellerman, Million Dollar Mermaid is in many ways the ultimate showcase of Esther Williams' unique talents. It features one of her greatest performances in and out of the water and is certainly the most ambitious film she ever appeared in. A rare musical drama in Esther’s career, it tells the incredible story of how Annette Kellerman (Esther) went from a little girl with crippled legs to the greatest swimming star in the world.
But, don’t expect to hear an Aussie accent coming from Esther. Most likely, the studio deemed an accent would be more distracting than it was worth—not an uncommon decision in studio era films. But, if this bothers you, it's a very small hiccup in a movie with a lot of good aspects: gorgeous cinematography, a solid plot, and mind-blowing choreography by the one and only Busby Berkeley (his trademark kaleidoscope-like overhead shots will be easily recognizable). However, one particular Berkeley-choreographed stunt nearly got Esther killed. One of the film's large-scale water ballets required Esther to dive from a 50 foot tower wearing a metal crown. The sheer impact of the water actually caused the crown to break Esther’s neck, putting her in a body cast for 6 months before shooting could resume. Yet, despite this trauma, Esther Williams would often still refer to Million Dollar Mermaid as one of her favorite films. If that’s not a recommendation, I'm not sure what is!
Honorable Mention: Pagan Love Song (1950)
This virtual love letter to island life is bound to make you want to jump on the next boat to the nearest tropical island. Though set in Tahiti, Pagan Love Song was actually filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Based on the novel, Tahitian Landfall by William S. Stone, the film stars Esther Williams as Mimi, an American expatriate living in Tahiti but desperate to move back to the States. She's been living on the island since she was a small child, so she’s become bored with the relaxed Tahitian lifestyle. That all begins to change when an American named Hap Endicott (Howard Keel) comes to live on the island. Suddenly, Mimi’s life gets a lot more interesting as she teaches the naïve newcomer the ins and outs of Tahitian culture.
Although Esther is (inexplicably) dubbed by Betty Wand in this tropical musical, co-star Howard Keel gets plenty of opportunities to show off his impressive baritone voice in a number of cute songs. A major highlight of this movie is its ethereal dream sequence; Esther has never looked more like a graceful mermaid. However, behind the scenes this beautiful sequence was the closest Esther Williams ever came to drowning. Experiencing something like what scuba divers call “the rapture of the deep” (i.e. a sort of euphoric drunken feeling) while filming underwater, Esther was only broken from her trance when a crew member happened to ask her to move closer to a light. Another challenging aspect of the film’s production was that the cast and crew could only get their mail once a month. Needless to say, the island of Kauai was much more rural in the 1950s than it is today. This proved to be an inconvenient problem when Esther Williams discovered that she was pregnant while filming and was trying to get word back to her husband in the States. She ended up having to borrow a ham radio to manage it. Despite these problems, Pagan Love Song turned out to be a beautiful, cheerful movie that would probably be a good choice for families with young kids looking for cute movie night options.
To see this list on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/B7dIS$hf5SJzdyqwmGvPxH
Which Esther Williams Movie Is Your Favorite?
This Time For Keeps
Dangerous When Wet
Million Dollar Mermaid
On An Island With You
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