Glossy, colorful, and entertaining, "Million Dollar Mermaid" purports to relate the story of Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman, but functions primarily as a star vehicle for MGM's reigning mermaid, Esther Williams. Disabled as a child, Annette wore braces until she took up swimming, which strengthened her legs, and she went on to become a professional swimmer and entertainer during the early 20th century. An MGM production, Mervyn LeRoy's film glosses over any impediments or unpleasantries and focuses on Kellerman's triumphs and romances. From Australia to London to Boston to New York, Kellerman's career rises with the help of an ambitious promoter, James Sullivan, played by Victor Mature. Sullivan manages to ignite her success with a 26-mile swim along the Thames and a hyped faux scandal involving a one-piece bathing suit on a Boston beach. The expected bumps eventually separate the pair, a new suitor appears in the guise of Hippodrome owner Alfred Harper, and an unexpected mishap challenges the performer's future; but nothing occurs that is serious enough to derail viewers from the fantasy world of the movies, and the film is entirely predictable.
Tthe focus is squarely on showmanship, and the glitzy extravaganzas that are purportedly staged at New York's Hippodrome are typical Busby Berkeley stagings that would never fit inside any theater. Fountains send jets of water into the air, a dozen swimmers dive from swings, a crown of sparklers emerges from the water atop William's head. The Berkeley sequences, which are familiar to anyone who has seen "That's Entertainment," are the film's highlights, and the movie is worth seeing just for them. Beyond Williams and Mature, the cast also includes Walter Pidgeon, David Brian, and Jesse White; while all are adequate, the film does not rest on acting laurels, but rather on a visual feast of period costumes by Walter Plunkett and Helen Rose, Busby Berkeley's geometric production numbers, and George Folsey's Oscar-nominated color cinematography.
While Victor Mature may not be everybody's idea of a romantic lead and Kellerman's biography has certainly been rewritten, the film has few other flaws that impede the entertainment, if viewers are not expecting more. Although the ending is sappy and probably fictional, the climactic production numbers are outstanding, and the film is a must see for Busby Berkeley enthusiasts. Of course, fans of Esther Williams will definitely want to see the film that inspired the title of her autobiography, Million Dollar Mermaid.
Tthe focus is squarely on showmanship, and the glitzy extravaganzas that are purportedly staged at New York's Hippodrome are typical Busby Berkeley stagings that would never fit inside any theater. Fountains send jets of water into the air, a dozen swimmers dive from swings, a crown of sparklers emerges from the water atop William's head. The Berkeley sequences, which are familiar to anyone who has seen "That's Entertainment," are the film's highlights, and the movie is worth seeing just for them. Beyond Williams and Mature, the cast also includes Walter Pidgeon, David Brian, and Jesse White; while all are adequate, the film does not rest on acting laurels, but rather on a visual feast of period costumes by Walter Plunkett and Helen Rose, Busby Berkeley's geometric production numbers, and George Folsey's Oscar-nominated color cinematography.
While Victor Mature may not be everybody's idea of a romantic lead and Kellerman's biography has certainly been rewritten, the film has few other flaws that impede the entertainment, if viewers are not expecting more. Although the ending is sappy and probably fictional, the climactic production numbers are outstanding, and the film is a must see for Busby Berkeley enthusiasts. Of course, fans of Esther Williams will definitely want to see the film that inspired the title of her autobiography, Million Dollar Mermaid.