While studying for exams yester-eve, I got
note of the death of one of my childhood idols, Esther Williams. I was saddened, to say that. You see, in about
third grade I developed this fascination of Hollywood of the 30s to early 60s. The
Technicolor dreams conveyed on screen seemed to be such an escape from the gaucho
pant-laden days of the early 2000s. But
back to Esther, though. When watching her movies, I rarely had considered the greater
meaning of Williams, as not only a woman in Hollywood but in athletics to some
capacity.
Esther
Williams was of a humble upbringing, her summer jobs being the only way to
support her swims, which later turned into a marketable passion. In 1939,
Williams competed at the national championships, set to attend the 1940
Olympics, when World War II broke out, leaving the games cancelled. Like much
of the Hollywood folk of the time (and, for the most part, today) Williams was
of interest to MGM due largely to her looks, but they also admired her athletic
stature, which had garnered much success by way of Sonja Henie in years passed.
Looking
back on many of the films she starred in, I begin to realize how outrageous and
lacking they were. This isn’t to say they weren’t good (in some sense) or entertaining,
but all substantial storyline was seemingly absent, leaving nothing but
recorded imagery of a lavish pool to show. I began to acknowledge Williams’
frustration with her roles – or rather, her role. Largely, she was kept
underwater, in heavy costumery that once led to a back injury. Not only was she
not swimming in the capacity with which she had the threshold for, her acting
was corralled to the lightly comedic lines that could be said casually while,
say, applying a swim cap or smiling while swimming around a rhinestone coral
reef.
Quite simply, she was better than that. On
screen she was charming, frank and genuine. And I think what struck me most
upon my initial introduction to her work was that she was so dedicated to her
duty, be it her competitive swimming or her movie roles. She had such composure,
enduring much physical risk (she got stuck in a giant clam shell for an extended
amount of time), all while retaining that warm smile. And of one my favorite appearences of her on show, What's My Line?
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