Misplaced Pages

#873126

81-794: InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile is a member of Historic Hotels of America , the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation . Before the stock market crash of 1929, the United States was experiencing a building boom. One of these projects was the future home of the Medinah Athletic Club in Chicago, commissioned by the Shriners Organization and designed by architect Walter W. Ahlschlager . The Chicago Shriners Club purchased

162-399: A "capturable" image for use in the fleet. Three weeks after Williams signed her contract, George Sidney directed her first screen test. According to Williams's autobiography, the studio used this test to get Lana Turner back in line with the terms of her contract and as punishment for Turner's having eloped with Artie Shaw . Williams screen tested with the leading man, Clark Gable , for

243-408: A 115 ft dive off a tower during a climactic musical number for the film Million Dollar Mermaid and was in a body cast for seven months. She subsequently recovered, although she continued to suffer headaches as a result of the accident. Her many hours spent submerged in a studio tank resulted in ruptured eardrums numerous times. She also nearly drowned after not being able to find the trapdoor in

324-669: A 650-room hotel at a cost of $ 1 million, renaming it the Hotel Continental . Esther Williams swam in the pool in the building's athletic club, renamed the Town Club of Chicago. Three years later, in 1947, Mack sold the hotel to Sheraton Hotels . It was renamed the Sheraton Hotel and later the Sheraton-Chicago Hotel . In 1961 Sheraton expanded the hotel, adding a 26-story second tower just north of

405-627: A D in her algebra course, preventing her from getting a scholarship to the University of Southern California . She enrolled in Los Angeles City College to retake the course. In 1939, Williams expressed interest in pursuing a degree in physical education in order to teach it one day. To earn money for tuition, Williams worked as a stock girl at the I. Magnin department store, where she also modeled clothing for customers and appeared in newspaper advertisements. While Williams

486-443: A Romance was the 8th highest-grossing film of 1945. Williams had to help Johnson swim, and she placed her hand under his back to keep him afloat. The studio's publicity department tried to put the two together in public as much as possible in the hopes of encouraging a romance, even though Williams was involved with Gage at the time. When asked why they didn't date, Johnson replied, "because I'm afraid she can't get her webbed feet into

567-480: A different scene in the order of constructing a building, with Contribution on the south wall, Wisdom represented on the west wall and Consecration on the north. (According to an article in the Chicago Tribune from Sept 16, 1928 entitled “Building art inspires panels”: “The friezes were designed by George Unger, in collaboration with Walter Ahlschlager, and carved by Léon Hermant . The figures are costumed in

648-765: A doctor's supervision, and it had changed his life. Grant's therapist, Mortimer Hartman, described LSD as "a psychic energizer which empties the subconscious and intensifies emotion and memory a hundred times". Grant said that, with the help of LSD, he had "found that [he] had a tough inner core of strength", and that when he was young, he "was very dependent upon older men and women. Now, people [came] to [him] for help." Williams stated that she wanted to be one of those people. As she said in Million Dollar Mermaid , "At that point, I really didn't know who I was. Was I that glamorous femme fatale? ... Was I just another broken-down divorcée whose husband left her with all

729-646: A gold lamé swimsuit. The scenes would always end with the men giving in and kissing her after that stunt. Her hospital tours continued into the 1950s. A (forged) signed, waterproof portrait of Williams was circulated among men in the United States Navy for a "capture the Esther" competition . This competition continues to this day in the Royal Australian Navy, which holds in its archives an "original" forged signed portrait while maintaining

810-411: A line of retro women's swimwear . Williams said, "Women worldwide are fighting a thing called gravity ... I say to women when I talk to them, 'You girls of 18 have until about 25, 30 at the most, and then you have to report to me. My suits are quality fabric. ' " She went on: "I put you in a suit that contains you and you will swim in. I don't want you to be in two Dixie cups and a fish line." She

891-481: A major role in the promotion of swimming, making it attractive to the public, contributing to the growth of the sport as a public recreation for health, exercise, water safety – and just plain fun." Her stepson Lorenzo Lamas tweeted she was "The best swim teacher and soul mom." Actress Annabeth Gish tweeted a tribute, writing that Esther Williams was an "elegant, gracious movie star, legend and neighbor". Film historian Leonard Maltin called her "a major, major star,

SECTION 10

#1732782416874

972-532: A man who enrolls in a women's college to win back his swimming instructor fiancée, played by Williams. This was her first Technicolor musical. The studio changed the title of the film to showcase Williams. Almost all of the film's posters featured Williams in a bathing suit, though the swimming sequences make up a small portion of the film. Her date to the premiere at the Astor Theater in New York City

1053-682: A marriage and a ring. I had come to realize all too quickly that Leonard Kovner was not a man I could ever really love." They divorced on September 12, 1944. She married singer/actor Ben Gage on November 25, 1945; they had three children, Benjamin Stanton (born August 6, 1949), Kimball Austin (October 30, 1950 – May 6, 2008) and Susan Tenney (born October 1, 1953). In her autobiography, she portrayed Gage as an alcoholic parasite who squandered $ 10 million of her earnings. Gage and Williams separated in 1952, and divorced in April 1959. During

1134-792: A nest egg and a tax deferral . She was, however, still able to collect on the $ 50,000 signing bonus from when she first signed her contract. In 1956, she moved to Universal International and appeared in a non-musical dramatic film, The Unguarded Moment (1956). After that, her film career slowly wound down. She later admitted that husband Fernando Lamas preferred her not to continue in films. She would, however, make occasional appearances on television, including mystery guest appearances for What's My Line? , The Donna Reed Show , The Ed Sullivan Show , and two aqua-specials, The Esther Williams Aqua Spectacle held in London at The Empire Pool Wembley in 1956 and Esther Williams at Cypress Gardens which

1215-559: A nine-year courtship until June 1, 1908, when they eloped and set off for California. However, they ran out of money in Salt Lake City, Utah , and settled there. Esther's brother, Stanton (September 4, 1912 – March 3, 1929) was discovered by actress Marjorie Rambeau , which led to the family (including sisters Maurine and June, and brother David) moving to the Los Angeles area to be near the studios. Louis Williams purchased

1296-523: A pair of evening sandals." Williams tried a more serious role in The Hoodlum Saint (1946), with William Powell and Angela Lansbury . Audiences expected Powell's Nick Charles persona and rejected the idea of a romance between Williams and Powell onscreen due to their age difference. She also appeared in Easy to Wed , a remake of 1936's Libeled Lady , with Johnson and Lucille Ball . It

1377-524: A series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving. Every year from 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film among the 20 highest-grossing films of the year. In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid , which went on to become her nickname while she

1458-511: A show from the studio. It never occurred. The building remained empty until 1959/1960, when the “Steve Allen Show” was brought to the studios and televised live on Sunday evenings. It was at Aquacade that Williams first attracted attention from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts. MGM's head, Louis B. Mayer , had been looking for a female sports star for the studio to compete with Fox 's figure skating star, Sonja Henie . Williams signed her contract with MGM in 1941. In her contract were two clauses:

1539-420: A small piece of land in the southwest area of town and had a small house built there. Esther was born in the living room, which was also where the family slept until Louis Williams was able to add bedrooms. In 1929, Stanton Williams died after his colon burst. He was 16 years old. In 1935, Bula Myrtle Williams invited 16-year-old Buddy McClure to live with her family. McClure had recently lost his mother and Bula

1620-683: A successful restaurant chain known as Trails." She lent her name to a line of swimming pools, retro swimwear , and instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Esther Jane Williams was born on August 8, 1921, in Inglewood, California , the fifth and youngest child of Louis Stanton Williams (January 19, 1886  – June 10, 1968) and Bula Myrtle (née Gilpin; October 8, 1885 – December 29, 1971). The two lived on neighboring farms in Kansas and carried on

1701-439: A total of 792 rooms. A new entrance and a four-story lobby were built, combining elements of both architectural styles. Its grand staircase, which ascends to the banquet space above, is lined with banisters bearing intricate cast bronze ornamentation. An illuminated rotunda is capable of changing colors and creating the illusion of twinkling stars against a night sky. In April 2005, Strategic Hotels & Resorts , acquired 85% of

SECTION 20

#1732782416874

1782-597: A tremendous box office attraction." For her contribution to the motion-picture industry, Williams has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. She left her hand and footprints in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 1, 1944. Williams was mentioned in the "Court Charades" sketch in the 1970 Monty Python's Flying Circus episode "The Spanish Inquisition" where Eric Idle mentions her to which Graham Chapman responds "How can you find

1863-725: The Henrietta Award at the 1952 Golden Globes , for World Film Favorite – Female. Easy to Love (1953), also with Van Johnson, was filmed on location in Cypress Gardens , where a swimming pool in the shape of the state of Florida had been built specifically for the film. Williams was pregnant during shooting, but still performed all her own waterskiing stunts. In Dangerous When Wet (also 1953), Williams worked with three important male co-stars – Tom and Jerry and her future husband Fernando Lamas . During casting, Lamas told Williams he did not want to star in

1944-532: The United States that have maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity. As of 2015, the program included over 260 members in 44 of the 50 states and Puerto Rico , the U.S. Virgin Islands , and Washington, D.C. . By 2024, the program expanded to include 281 hotels. To be included in the program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, designated by the U.S. Secretary of

2025-488: The United States Coast Guard , and Williams never saw him again. Williams was enthusiastic about swimming in her youth. Her older sister, Maurine, took her to Manhattan Beach and to the local pool. She took a job counting towels at the pool to pay the five-cent entry fee, and while there, had swimming lessons from the male lifeguards. From them, she learned the "male only" swimming strokes, including

2106-687: The WAVES program received thin, cotton, shapeless swimsuits as part of their uniforms. Williams modeled a Cole swimsuit for the Secretary of the Navy and explained that the new swimsuits helped support women's figures. The United States Navy ordered 50,000 suits immediately. Filming Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) was, according to Williams in her autobiography, an experience of "pure misery." A period musical starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra ,

2187-763: The butterfly , with which she would later break records. Her medley team set the record for the 300-yard relay at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in 1939, and was also national AAU champion in the 100 meter freestyle, with a record-breaking time of 1 minute 9.0 seconds. By age 16, Williams had won three US national championships in breaststroke and freestyle swimming. Williams graduated from Washington High School (now known as Washington Preparatory High School) in Los Angeles in 1939, where she served as class vice president, and later president. However, Williams never trained in swimming while there. During her senior year of high school, Williams received

2268-461: The 547-room Forum Hotel (the budget-priced division of Inter-Continental), while the historic 1929 South Tower would be restored as the 346-room Inter-Continental Chicago . A former Medinah Club member read of the renovation and donated the first anniversary edition of the club's magazine, The Scimitar . The magazine contained photographs of the club, which were used to aid in the building's restoration. Photographs were enlarged and used to recreate

2349-615: The Grand Ballroom for social gatherings or to access the Women's Plunge, Lounge and Tea Room, called the Renaissance Ballroom. Female guests also had access to an outdoor loggia overlooking Michigan Avenue, which was decorated with the intention of evoking a Venetian terrace. The club filed for bankruptcy in 1934, and following a lengthy battle, in 1944 the building was sold to developer John J. Mack, who converted it to

2430-543: The Hall of Lions, workers at first utilized a process called cornhusk blasting to strip away the many layers of paint from the marble walls, because traditional sandblasting would have destroyed the intricate details of any etchings beneath. When, however, it was determined that a single marble column would require a ton of ground corn cobs, restorers decided to scrub away the paint by hand. The two carvings of lions which were discovered underneath have become an emblem used throughout

2511-1229: The Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places ; and recognized as having historic significance. The program generates funds for the National Trust through commissions on bookings done through their website, and from membership fees. Current and former members of the HHA program, by state, include: Former members: Former members: 2022 HHA still Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Formerly listed: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Former members: Charter members of Historic Hotels of America no longer with

InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-465: The Moorish imagery, the building is topped by a gold-painted dome. In the tower beneath the great dome, the club featured a miniature golf course on the twenty-third floor, complete with water hazards and a wandering brook; also a shooting range, billiards hall, running track, gymnasium, archery range, bowling alley, two-story boxing arena, and a junior Olympic size swimming pool - all this in addition to

2673-622: The Swedish book Esther Williams — Skenbiografin ( Esther Williams: The Fake Biography ) written by Jane Magnusson, in which the author shares with readers her own fascination for art swimming as a genre and, here, in particular, Williams as—to the author—both a bewildering and mesmerizing front figure and icon in this field. Williams was a registered Republican . Williams married four times. She met her first husband, Leonard Kovner, while attending Los Angeles City College . She later wrote in her autobiography The Million Dollar Mermaid that "he

2754-559: The animals represented bigotry in the ancient drawings, they are shown here in leash as symbolic belief that bigotry has no place in the Masonic order.”) The figures in all three scenes are said to be modeled after the faces of club members at the time of its design. Three Sumerian warriors were also carved into the facade at the twelfth-floor setback, directly above the Michigan Avenue entrance, and remain visible today. Extending

2835-544: The ballrooms, meeting rooms, and 440 guest rooms which were available for the exclusive use of the club's 3,500 members and their guests. At the time, the pool was one of the highest indoor pools in the world, and its fourteen-floor location was heralded as a grand feat of engineering. Today it is commonly referred to as the Johnny Weissmuller pool, after the famous Olympic athlete and actor who trained in it. The rows of seats which remain on its western wall recall

2916-558: The bills and three kids?" Shortly after reading the article, she contacted Grant. He called his doctor and made an appointment for her. Williams said LSD seemed like instant psychoanalysis . Esther Williams died in her sleep on June 6, 2013, from natural causes , in her Los Angeles home. She was 91. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. On her death, CNN quoted her International Swimming Hall of Fame biography, saying, "Her movie career played

2997-477: The building, as well as coins and other historic data. Construction of the building's 42 floors and 440 guest rooms was completed in 1929, and its facilities were made available for the exclusive use of the club's members and guests. The Medinah Athletic Club building was intended to combine elements of many architectural styles. At the eighth floor, its Indiana limestone facade was decorated by three large relief carvings in ancient Assyrian style. Each frieze depicted

3078-404: The building. In the west panel, facing Michigan Avenue, a ruler is shown with his counselors and an architect is shown bringing in a model of the building planned. The north panel shows the consecration of the building after it has been built. A priest is sacrificing a white bull whose blood will be mixed with crushed grapes and poured into the earth. A monkey trainer and his animals are shown. Since

3159-484: The carpeting, the furniture, the stenciling in the ceilings, the colors of the rooms, and the draperies. The balcony of the Grand Ballroom, which had long since been removed, was rebuilt to match its original design. The murals were restored by Lido Lippi , who had previously worked on the restoration of the Sistine Chapel . Lippi also replicated eight other paintings, which had been stolen many years prior. In

3240-545: The ceiling of a tank. The walls and ceiling were painted black and the trapdoor blended in. Williams was pulled out only because a member of the crew realized the door was not opening. After 15 years of appearing in films, Williams was threatened with contract suspension from MGM after refusing the lead role in The Opposite Sex (eventually released in 1956), a musical remake of 1939's The Women . The role of Mary would have been rewritten to be an aquacade star (and

3321-538: The club. The ceremony to lay the cornerstone of the Medinah Athletic Club was held on November 5, 1928, and to commemorate the occasion, a copper time capsule was placed within the cornerstone. The capsule, which currently remains sealed within the hotel's limestone exterior, contains records of the organization, photographs of members, and a copy of the Chicago Tribune announcing the proposal of

InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-494: The days when swimming was a popular spectator sport. Its blue Spanish majolica tiles and terra-cotta fountain of Neptune on its east wall remain virtually unchanged today. The elegant Grand Ballroom, a two-story, 100-foot (30 m) elliptical space, was decorated with ornaments in Egyptian, Assyrian, and Greek styles and was surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped mezzanine. In its center hung a 12,000-pound Baccarat crystal chandelier,

3483-534: The defendant 'Not Esther Williams'?" Scarlett Johansson 's character DeeAnna Moran in the 2016 Coen Brothers film Hail, Caesar! shares several similarities with Williams, most notably being an aquamusical star who becomes pregnant during production. Esther Williams donated her personal film archive, including twenty home movies, to the Academy Film Archive . The Academy Film Archive has subsequently preserved several of these home movies. For

3564-429: The entire West Coast. She disclosed in her autobiography that she had an affair with actor Victor Mature while they were working on Million Dollar Mermaid , citing that at the time her marriage was in trouble and, feeling lonely, she turned to Mature for love and affection, and he gave her all she wanted. The affair stopped while Williams was recovering from her fall during the shooting of Million Dollar Mermaid. She

3645-474: The existing building. During this era, the hotel featured an outlet of the popular Polynesian themed Kon-Tiki Ports restaurant chain. A facade of lava rock adorned the northern wall along Grand Avenue, where today only a small section remains visible, tucked at the end of the balcony of Zest's outdoor café. MAT Associates purchased the hotel from Sheraton in 1978, and brought in Radisson Hotels to manage

3726-434: The film Callaway Went Thataway (1951). In Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), Williams portrayed Annette Kellermann , a real-life Australian swimming and diving star. Williams co-starred with Victor Mature , who played Kellermann's husband and manager, James Sullivan. The two engaged in a passionate affair during filming. Williams often called this her favorite film and named her autobiography after it. Williams also won

3807-614: The film Somewhere I'll Find You . However, when Turner divorced Shaw after four months of marriage, she rejoined the film. Following several short subject films, Williams appeared as Sheila Brooks in Andy Hardy's Double Life . Sheila was a student with whom Andy falls in love. Next was a small part in the film A Guy Named Joe , starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne . It was here she first worked with Van Johnson , with whom she would partner in five films. Bathing Beauty , previously titled Mr. Coed , starred Red Skelton as

3888-421: The film with her because he only wanted to be involved in "important pictures". His part had to be rewritten to persuade him to take part in the film. In 1953, Williams had been on maternity leave for three months while pregnant with her daughter Susan, and assumed she would go straight to work on the film Athena when she returned. However, production started without her, and the studio cast Jane Powell in

3969-500: The film's stuntmen were sent to the hospital after being gored by bulls. Director Dick Thorpe hadn't wanted the bulls killed (as they usually were at the end of a bullfight) because he believed them to be too expensive to replace. After filming was completed on Fiesta , Williams appeared in the romance This Time for Keeps (1947) with singer Johnnie Johnston . In 1948, Williams signed a contract with swimwear company Cole of California to appear as their spokesperson, and Williams and

4050-524: The filming of Pagan Love Song in Hawaii, Williams learned she was pregnant with her third child, and notified the studio in California. Gage had met a man at the hotel who owned a ham radio and persuaded the man to let them use it to call California . What they failed to realize at the time, though, was that anyone could be listening in on their conversation, and news of her pregnancy was broadcast to

4131-402: The first being that she receive a guest pass to The Beverly Hills Hotel where she could swim in the pool every day, and the second that she would not appear on camera for nine months to allow for acting, singing, dancing, and diction lessons. Williams wrote in her autobiography, "If it took nine months for a baby to be born, I figured my 'birth' from Esther Williams the swimmer to Esther Williams

SECTION 50

#1732782416874

4212-458: The funniest jokes while at the hospitals. Williams also invited GIs to dance with her on stage and take part in mock screen tests. The men would receive a card telling them their lines, and they would act out the scene in front of the other soldiers. These tests were always romantic scenes to which the men were required to refuse multiple times. When the men said the final, "No", Williams would pull at her tear-away skirt and sweater leaving nothing but

4293-615: The hosts of the retrospective That's Entertainment! III . In a 2007 interview with Diane Sawyer , Williams admitted that she had recently suffered a stroke. "I opened my eyes and I could see, but I couldn't remember anything from the past", she said. In June 2008, Williams was able to attend Cyd Charisse 's funeral, albeit in a wheelchair. In April 2010, Williams appeared at the first Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival in Hollywood , California, alongside two-time co-star Betty Garrett . Their film, Neptune's Daughter (1949),

4374-535: The hotel, which was renamed the Radisson Chicago Hotel . MAT Associates terminated Radisson's contract in 1983 and returned the property to its original name, Hotel Continental . MAT closed the hotel in November 1986 for a renovation. In August 1987, plans were announced for the property to be managed by Inter-Continental Hotels and split into two hotels. The 1961 North Tower would reopen first as

4455-600: The hotel. The Forum Hotel opened first, in 1989, while the historic Inter-Continental Chicago opened its doors to the public in March 1990. Although operated as separate properties, the two shared back-of-the-house facilities and the division proved short-lived. Only four years later, in April 1994, the Forum Hotel was merged into the Inter-Continental Chicago in a $ 10 million renovation, bringing it to

4536-402: The hotel. It was never built due to the 2008 economic crisis. [REDACTED] Media related to InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile at Wikimedia Commons Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels in

4617-474: The largest in North America. The somewhat more masculine King Arthur Court was built to function as the men's smoking lounge, and featured heavy timbering, stained glass, and a mural depicting the stories of King Arthur and Parsifal. At this men's club, facilities for women were considerably less grand. They were allowed only in designated areas, and were provided a separate entrance and elevator to visit

4698-511: The lead role, rewriting much of the premise that Williams and writers Leo Pogostin and Chuck Walters had come up with. The studio moved her to Jupiter's Darling. Two more films were planned, Bermuda Encounter and Olympic Venus , about the first Olympic swimmers; however, these were never made. Many of her MGM films, such as Million Dollar Mermaid and Jupiter's Darling , contained elaborately staged synchronized swimming scenes, with considerable risk to Williams. She broke her neck filming

4779-465: The movie actress would not be much different." While top stars at the studios such as Judy Garland , Betty Grable , and Shirley Temple took part in bond tours during the war, Williams was asked to take in hospital tours. At this point, Williams had achieved pin-up status because of the number of photographs of her in bathing suits. To prepare, Williams and her publicity assistant would listen to Bob Hope and Jack Benny 's radio programs, retelling

4860-494: The organization as of 2022 include: Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade , where she took on

4941-541: The other swimmers in her films wore Cole swimsuits. Since the aqua-musicals were an entirely new genre, the studio's costume designers had little experience creating practical swimsuits. William's plaid flannel swimsuit for This Time for Keeps was so heavy that she was dragged to the bottom of the pool, and had to unzip the suit, swimming naked to the edge of the pool to avoid drowning. Cole swimsuits used latex, which meant zippers were no longer necessary. While filming Skirts Ahoy! (1952), Williams discovered that members of

SECTION 60

#1732782416874

5022-455: The ownership of InterContinental Hotels Group's Chicago & Miami hotels. Several months later Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc. proposed a new 850 ft, 55 story north tower. Designed by Lucien Lagrange Architects , the new tower would have been twice the height of the current 42-story south tower, and would have replaced the 28-story north tower built in 1961 by Sheraton. The new north tower would house new condominiums as well as an addition to

5103-514: The period of the building, which is that of an old fortress in Mesopotamia in Xerxes time, about 5th century BC. The theme of the panels as explained by Mr. Unger, was inspired by the history of construction of any building. The south panel starts the story. Here a magnificent cortege is displayed. This panel, termed Contribution, signifies the getting together of treasures for the construction of

5184-473: The property at the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Illinois Street directly north of the Tribune Tower for $ 1 million, while $ 5 million more was spent on building and equipping what was then to be the 42 story Medinah Athletic Club. The plan was for there to be 3500 members, all of whom had to be a Shriner; at the time of the announcement in 1925, 1000 Shriners had taken out founder memberships for

5265-530: The role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller . Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe , Williams made

5346-546: The same time with co-stars Ricardo Montalbán, Red Skelton and Betty Garrett , who had also been in Take Me Out to the Ball Game . In the film, Williams sings " Baby, It's Cold Outside " with Montalbán. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 22nd Academy Awards . Williams and Montalbán were originally slated to sing " (I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China ", but studio censors thought

5427-459: The show until it closed on September 29, 1940. Williams had planned to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics , which were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. Sometime in the mid to late 1950s, NBC built a large studio with a huge swimming pool on Avenue M between E 14th and E 15th St. in Brooklyn, New York. The intent was, according to local rumors, that Esther Williams was going to have

5508-542: The song was too sexual (interpreting the word "get" as "have") and instead gave them "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Neptune's Daughter became the 10th highest-grossing film of 1949. Williams made Duchess of Idaho (1950), shot on location in Sun Valley, Idaho , co-starring Van Johnson and John Lund . MGM paired her with Howard Keel for three films, Pagan Love Song (also 1950), Texas Carnival (1951 ) and later Jupiter's Darling (1955). They both had cameos in

5589-461: The two male leads' characters were players in a baseball team owned by K.C. Higgins, Williams's role. She claimed that Kelly and co-writer Stanley Donen treated her with contempt and went out of their way to make jokes at her expense. The film was well-received critically and became a major commercial success, raking in $ 3.4 million in rentals and becoming the 11th highest-earning film of the year. Williams made Neptune's Daughter (also 1949) around

5670-624: Was also the namesake of a company that manufactures swimming pools and swimming pool accessories. She came out with a line of Swim, Baby, Swim videos, which helped parents teach their children how to swim. She also appeared as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Williams met her fourth husband as a result of his calling her to coordinate her appearance. She co-wrote her autobiography, The Million Dollar Mermaid (New York: Simon & Schuster , 1999), with popular media critic and author Digby Diehl. In 1994 she made her first new big-screen appearance in 31 years as one of

5751-415: Was at MGM. Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed network television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida . Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Before retiring from acting, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and

5832-587: Was born in Mexico and was a native Spanish speaker while Williams had a mid-western accent picked up from her Kansas-born parents. Production was difficult with a multitude of problems. By 1947, Gage and Williams were married. Gage had traveled to Mexico for the making of the film. He got into a fight with an employee of the cast's hotel, was arrested, and subsequently thrown out of the country. The director of photography, Sidney Wagner, and one other crew member died of cholera from eating contaminated street food. Many of

5913-416: Was eventually filled by June Allyson as "Kay", a nightclub singer). Williams redecorated her dressing room to accommodate returning star Grace Kelly , packed her terry cloth robes and swimsuits and drove off the studio lot. As a result of leaving her contract, Williams lost almost $ 3 million in deferred contract payments, which had been taken from her paychecks over the previous 14 years and put aside as both

5994-434: Was future husband Ben Gage . For the event, MGM publicity set up a six-story-tall billboard of Williams diving into Times Square with a large sign that said "Come on in! The story's fine!" Williams appeared in the film Ziegfeld Follies as herself. This was followed by the musical Thrill of a Romance . Van Johnson co-starred as a decorated war veteran who falls in love with Williams while on her honeymoon. Thrill of

6075-1137: Was romantically linked with Jeff Chandler . She claims in her autobiography that Chandler was a cross-dresser and that she broke off the relationship. According to the Los Angeles Times , many friends and colleagues of Chandler's rebutted Williams' claims. Jane Russell commented, "I've never heard of such a thing. Cross-dressing is the last thing I would expect of Jeff. He was a sweet guy, definitely all man." She married her former lover, Argentine actor/director, Fernando Lamas on December 31, 1969. She later claimed that for 13 years she lived in total submission to him. She had to stop being "Esther Williams" and could not have her children live with her. In return, he would be faithful. Nonetheless, they remained married until Lamas's death from pancreatic cancer on October 8, 1982. She resided in Beverly Hills with actor husband Edward Bell, whom she married on October 24, 1994. In September 1959, Cary Grant told Look magazine that he had taken LSD under

6156-534: Was screened at the pool of the Roosevelt Hotel , along with a performance of the Williams-inspired synchronized swimming troupe, The Waterlilies. South Beach Miami's 2010 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim, a showcase of designer swimwear, included a Williams suit, complete with a beach summer theme and sand palette with aqua accents. In 2000, an account of Williams's life and career appeared in

6237-501: Was smart, handsome, dependable ... and dull. I respected his intelligence, and his dedication to a future career in medicine . He loved me, or so he said, and even asked me to marry him." They were married in the San Francisco suburb of Los Altos on June 27, 1940. On their split she said "I found, much to my relief, that all I needed for my emotional and personal security was my own resolve and determination. I didn't need

6318-584: Was still grieving over the death of her son, Stanton. Esther recounted in her autobiography that one night, when the rest of the family was visiting relatives in Alhambra , McClure raped her. She was terrified to tell anyone about the incident and waited two years before finally revealing the truth to her parents. Williams' mother seemed unsure about her story, claiming McClure was "sensitive" and felt sympathetic toward him when he admitted his guilt. However, Bula Williams then banished him from her home. McClure joined

6399-642: Was telecast on August 8, 1960. More than half of all television sets in use in the United States were tuned in to watch the Cypress Gardens special. In 1966, Williams was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Williams retired from acting in the early 1960s and later turned down the role of Belle Rosen, a character with a crucial swimming scene, in The Poseidon Adventure . (The role eventually went to Shelley Winters .) She continued to lend her name to

6480-409: Was the first singing part in a film for Williams, who had Harriet Lee as her singing teacher . Fiesta (originally called Fiesta Brava ) starred Williams as Ricardo Montalbán 's twin sister, Maria, who pretends to be her bullfighting brother in hopes of luring him back home. Audiences, and Williams, thought the film was silly, as Williams and Montalbán had vastly different accents. Montalbán

6561-564: Was working at I. Magnin, she was contacted by Billy Rose 's assistant and asked to audition as a replacement for Eleanor Holm in his Aquacade show. Williams impressed Rose and she got the role. The Aquacade was part of the Golden Gate International Exposition , and Williams was partnered with Olympic swimmer and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller , who, Williams wrote in her autobiography, repeatedly tried to seduce her. Despite this, Williams remained with

#873126