Full name: The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography

Authors: Esther Williams, Digby Diehl Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Biographies, Non Fiction, Memoirs Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Goodreads Amazon ISBNs: 9780156011358 0156011352

During Hollywood's heyday, big studios battled over the next box-office attraction. While Gene Kelly danced and Judy Garland sang, Esther Williams swam into the heart of America with her dazzling smile, stunning aquabatics, and whole-some appeal. Hand-picked for stardom by movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, Esther shed her wide-eyed innocence at what she affectionately calls University MGM, a unique educational institution where sex appeal and glamour were taught, a school where idols were born. Once a national swimming champion and struggling salesgirl, overnight she became one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. And though fame came quickly, Esther's personal life was often less than joyous. Through troubled marriages, cross-dressing lovers, financial bankruptcy, she shares the ups and downs of her extraordinary career in The Million Dollar Mermaid, a wildly entertaining behind-the-scenes account of one of Tinseltown's classic dream factories. Similar books: Haywire by Brooke Hayward Pieces of My Heart by Robert J. Wagner Knock Wood by Candice Bergen By Myself by Lauren Bacall Child Star by Shirley Temple After All by Mary Tyler Moore Bring on the Empty Horses by David Niven Unsinkable by Debbie Reynolds The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans Ava by Ava Gardner By Myself and Then Some by Lauren Bacall The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine A Paper Life by Tatum O'Neal My Life So Far by Jane Fonda Tallulah by Tallulah Bankhead When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Educated by Tara Westover Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls