People are voting emotionally.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The idea of putting swimming star Esther Williams in a biography of champion Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman must have seemed like a can't-miss concept for a splashy matinée item which would pay-off no matter what the outcome. Unfortunately, the concept itself is underused, as Williams performs in a handful of extravagant water routines but does very little dramatic acting. Producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. and the requisite MGM brass do not appear to have any inspiration that goes beyond the standard glitz and glamour (the script being somewhat expendable). That's too bad, for Kellerman's life story had aspects of both high drama and nostalgic value (being the first woman to wear a one-piece swimsuit on America's shores!). Mervyn LeRoy's direction is quite capable, and Williams is amiable, however Busby Berkeley's lavish, gaudy production numbers are what most people end up remembering. **1/2 from ****

Entertaining biopic of Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer turned vaudeville and early Hollywood star. Esther Williams is a natural fit for the role and does a fine job. Of course, it's an old-school Hollywood biopic so there's more fiction than fact in their telling of Kellerman's story. That sort of thing never really bothers me but it does some so be advised ahead of time this isn't a documentary. Esther is lovely as ever and has some excellent aquatic numbers choreographed by the great Busby Berkeley. A couple of these numbers are classics that every Esther fan will want to see. The rest of the cast, including Walter Pidgeon, Victor Mature, and Jesse White, is solid. The only problems are that the movie is overlong and the romance with Mature is less than exciting. But it's Esther Williams swimming in Technicolor and that definitely needs to be the headline.

Even though (at the beginning of the story) pretty Esther Williams had to compete with the endearing charm of a cute, boxing kangaroo named Sydney - Soon enough, Million Dollar Mermaid (MDM, for short) became Esther's, and only Esther's, picture. And that's the way it continued to stay, right through to its final, closing credits.Being a typical glamour production from a 1950's Hollywood, MDM was clearly only a partially accurate account of the life of early-20th Century swimming sensation, Annette Kellerman, who was a native Australian (born in 1886).Of the half-dozen, or so, Esther Williams' vehicles which I've now seen. MDM was certainly one of the rare ones that used just about any old excuse it could to get our glamorous star into a form-fitting bathing suit and splashing around in the water.But, whether she was wet or dry, Esther could always be counted on the have a dazzlingly fresh, Pepsodent smile to flash at all of her adoring fans.It was famed, veteran choreographer, Busby Berkeley (definitely long past his prime) who was responsible for staging the elaborate aqua-musical numbers in MDM.As the story goes - In the final fantasy sequence, Williams was required to dive off a 115 foot tower into the water below. Having no stand-in to take on such a dangerous stunt as this, Esther, of course, did it herself.And, as a result, Williams ended up sustaining a fairly serious spinal injury which made it necessary that she wear a body cast for 7 months.Oh, well - There's no business like show business - Right? Born in 1921, Esther Williams' career as MGM's prize Aqua-star petered out by the end of the 1950s. In real-life - Williams lived to a ripe, old age of 91.

While my comment above is hardly a glowing endorsement, I liked this movie far more than I thought I ever wood. The movie is a biography of Annette Kellerman, who was a champion swimmer at the turn of the century and created quite a scandal when she began swimming in comfortable bathing suits--something "decent" women didn't do back in her day! From swimming champ to long distance swimmer to movie star, the film follows her career. Ms. Williams does a fine job as does co-star Victor Mature. I think the reason I liked this movie so much was because since it was a bio-pic, much of the usual over-the-top swimming choreography was missing or at least subdued. A decent movie with plenty to hold your interest.