Esther Williams

Widowhood had done nothing to curb my smart mouth. So much for diplomacy. ”

I took a job at the pool in order to earn the five cents a day it cost to swim. I counted wet towels. As a bonus, I was allowed to swim during lunchtime. ”

The newspapers loved pinup pictures of pretty young swimmers, and as a national champion, I got more than my share of space in the sports pages. ”

Somehow I kept my head above water. I relied on the discipline, character, and strength that I had started to develop as that little girl in her first swimming pool. ”

Even though I had a lucrative contract with MGM, I had a husband who was drinking and gambling our money away faster than I could make it. ”

Clark Gable was the first to have called me a mermaid. ”

I took my daily swim at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool despite the presence of onlookers. ”

Once I married Fernando, I became invisible. ”

It appeared as if I had invited the audience into the water with me, and it conveyed the sensation that being in there was absolutely delicious. ”

Marriage to Fernando offered shelter and security, but the shackle was the price I'd pay. ”