STILL IN THE SWIM
An interview with Esther Williams

By Martha Singer

On June 6 the California Design College will present their 11th Annual Graduation Fashion Show Gala. Honored will be great aquatic champion, actress, businesswoman, and fashion designer Esther Williams. The event will benefit the Actors Fund and The Mannequins.

Esther Williams revolutionized the entire swimwear industry. During the 1940s and '50s, her innovations in fabrics and swimsuit structure enabled swimmers to reach their potential...and in the process a whole new fashion industry was created. In 26 films she entertained the public with her fantastic water shows, and to this day she is the idol of synchronized swimmers everywhere. Her autobiography, The Million-Dollar Mermaid , was on best-seller lists for months.

Westside Life recently spent an afternoon with this extraordinary woman at her cozy Beverly Hills home. She and her husband, Edward Bell, truly made me feel welcome. It was a delight to be around such a warm, straightforward and gracious couple (while, incidentally, partaking in the best glass of wine I've ever had).

Ms. Williams sat with me for hours sharing of herself, her career, and her business ventures. The windows behind her afforded a nearly 180-degree view of the city. It was almost surreal. I arrived in the late afternoon under blue skies and left to the twinkling stars and city lights.

Westside Life: After fifty years you're finally receiving much-deserved credit for changing water athletics and the swimwear fashion industry. How do you feel about all of this?

It's wonderful! I have been thinking a lot about the award and what it means. I've been going over the evolution of "Esther Williams the musical swimming star" and the swimsuit industry itself. I want these graduating students to know they should just go out there and do it.

When were you first put under contract with MGM?

I signed my contract the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The war created an opening for a new type of musical, which led to the swimsuit becoming one of the most popular forms of fashion the world over.

I can't get over my timing; I had nothing to do with it. It was divine intervention. I was a tan eighteen-year-old with the body of a competitive swimmer. I had won the National Championships and qualified for the 1940 Olympics. And Technicolor had just been invented.

It must have been devastating when the Olympics were canceled due to the war.

It was indescribable. I fought for years with the Olympic Committee. They believed synchronized swimming was not a sport. "It's not a sport," they told me, "it's Esther Williams." She remembers replying, "You say that like it's a bad word." They finally made it a demonstration sport in 1984.

You designed all the swimsuits and many of the dresses for every movie you were in. And you got the mills to produce fabrics that would hold up to the chemicals in the water and the movements the swimmers would have to make. You began a whole new fashion industry.

Irene, the designer I started with, didn't swim. And Helen Rose, who took Irene's place after she died, didn't swim either. I realized right away I would have to take an active role in designing the swimsuits I was to wear.

I had to try out every fabric in the water to see if it swam. We made four of every suit that I wore on the screen. One never got wet; it was saved for the publicity shots. The three others I went through swimming. It was hard to explain to a designer who's on a budget that you need four, when she thinks one will do. They didn't understand the chemistry of the swimming pool.

How did you get them to let you design your own suits?

The fabrics couldn't hold up to the chemicals, and had no give. Many of them became see-through when wet—not something the censors would appreciate.

I realized I would have to make friends of the designers I worked with to get my needs fulfilled. They were going to make Bathing Beauty, and the swimsuit they gave me to wear was made out of lingerie satin. It was not going to do; it would have fallen apart after two or three wears in the water. So I said to Irene, "you and I have to go to a factory and get them to make some better fabrics." She said they were working on Laxtex—a combination of elastic and rubber. It sounded like the right combination. The government had recently released the use of rubber. Timing is everything.

No one knew you were designing except the people you worked with. Why?

I never asked for screen credit, or even thought of it. We were not so credit-happy then. Now it takes as long to watch the credits as it does the movie.

You were a woman entrepreneur before it was fashionable. Why did you go into business, you were a movie star?

I ended up in the bathing suit business because it made sense. I knew the films couldn't last forever. There came the day when I had to go up to L.B. Mayer and tell him I wanted to do an ad for Cole of California. Fred Cole was adventurous enough to let me design a line of swimsuits. They had a wonderful ad they wanted to put in Harper's Bazzar and Vogue. It was a drawing of me done by Varga. I was climbing out of the pool in a bright red suit. My hair was in a pageboy like I wore it in the movies. And it said, "This suit, like Esther, has everything."

How did Mayer respond?

I told him I wanted to do this and I don't want "Esther Williams starring in Bathing Beauty" and all the other credits down in the corner of the ad. He threatened to put me on suspension. I showed him the ad and he said it sure looked good. He thought he should get some money. I told him he was getting enough for all the other product ads I had done and never saw a penny for. Before this I had just thought the endorsements went with the territory.

Did Cole use the new fabrics?

Yes, I got the mill to make a special fabric that had a four-way stretch. It was the beginning of Lycra.

You worked through four pregnancies and, sadly, lost one from working too hard. How far into the pregnancies did you work?

Until I got sick—which was usually four months. I went to Busby Berkely during Dangerous When Wet. I had discovered I was pregnant; it was my fourth time, and I didn't want to lose another baby. I told him we have to do all the swimming numbers at the beginning; we usually did them at the end. He asked me why, and I said because I'm going to have a baby. He replied, "Esther, I told you not to bother me with your domestic problems."

Ms. William's designed this dress with a break away skirt so it became a swimsuit. It must have been hard when you lost your original designer.

When Irene died, I also lost one of my best friends. We had been pioneers together in the evolution of the swimsuit. I ended up with other designers and the girls who sketched. I remember Mrs. Shroat, the woman who knew more about my body than my husband. She fitted me in my suit according to a muslin figure that she had pulled, tugged and pinned to have my exact measurements.

Why did you finally decide to leave MGM after all those years?

My decision came from them pushing for me to do a remake of The Woman. They were going to call it The Opposite Sex. When they told me I was going to play a Broadway star of swimming musicals, I told them there are none. How far from reality can you get? The original picture was so good; the remake sounded like it would be a disaster.

How do you feel about the career you've had?

What I had done in my 26 movies at MGM was create a look that was changing the consumer version of swimsuits for women. I was thrilled to inspire other swimmers and happy to bring some happiness during the war.

And you opened a pool business?

I did, but somebody had come to me with the idea and I said let's do it. Timing is everything. There was a gas shortage at the time so people couldn't swim because they couldn't get to a body of water. We figured they should have it in their backyard and it's got to be affordable. We were the first to make heavy-duty vinyl portable pools. When they came up with all these new products after the war, it was exactly what I needed to go into business. I couldn't do it without the materials. The business grew, and I have the money coming in just like an annuity.

I understand you're going to be involved in a new endeavor. Can you tell us a little about it?

I will be designing the costumes for a new underwater extravaganza in Las Vegas. It's a fantasy story, and I am thrilled and looking forward to this brand new challenge. I am so delighted I have found someone who has the talent I have been looking for.

You actually started water exercises, and have a line of aquatic workout equipment.

Yes, years ago I was at a spa and started showing a group of women how to exercise in the water. The density of the water makes it more beneficial and you can't hurt yourself. It's a great way to lose weight and stay in shape.

You did it all, before any woman had really tried to juggle like that. You were a movie star, designer, businesswoman, and mother. How did you handle it all?

It didn't stop me. I didn't care if anyone had ever done it before or not. I just did it because I wanted to.

For information or reservations for the California Design College's 11th Annual Graduation Fashion Show Gala call (213) 251-3636

ABOUT THE ACTORS' FUND

The Actors' Fund of America, founded in 1882, is the only national human-service organization helping all entertainment professionals in theatre, television, film, radio, music, opera, and dance. Their broad spectrum of programs, designed to address the needs of the entertainment community, includes comprehensive social services, employment and training, and supportive housing.

ABOUT THE MANNEQUIN'S

The Mannequins is a non-profit organization offering various services to people in the modeling business. Their children's services include such programs as the Children's Club, Theatre for Children, Foster Children's Resource Center, Operation School Bell, and a Family Service Agency. Included in the adult programs are the Hollywood Senior Center, the Over 50 Club, and VCLA-ALSC.