Million Dollar Mermaid

Million Dollar money starring Esther Williams as a neck element and water pigeon as Alfred Hopper. This is the story of Annette Kellerman. I met her when I was manager of the Hippodrome in New York City.

But the real beginning of her story starts years before and thousands of miles away in a town in Australia. As a child, Annette was a cripple with heavy braces on her leg. One afternoon she disappeared.

One of Frantic father finally found her. I'm all right. All I did was go in swimming. All the water's just wonderful, Daddy. I knit my baby. In heaven's name would ever persist you. You might have drowned.

Over that cat-round, Daddy. I've learned to swim. Darling, you know what the doctor said. That your legs would never be strong enough for what other children do. Well, they're very strong. You know, Captain, you can walk without my face.

No, no, no, you're full. We hurt you. You mustn't be envious of the others. Well, I'm not, Daddy. Not to touch and swim. And how can anything hurt you when it makes you feel so good?

Please let me come back and swim again. You really want to? More than anything. Then we'll come back here and swim every day. Oh, thank you, Daddy. Thank you. As the years hurried by, the iron braces were discarded and forgotten.

And that became an expert swimmer and a gleaming array of silver-loving cups stretched across the shelf in the study of her father's conservatory music. And then, as a young woman, she won the most cherished award of all.

And with a champion of new self-wales. It's wonderful, darling. I'm very proud of you. Holy, why does it always have to be a cup? What we really need is a new tea service. And then, if you're wondering why I wasn't there to watch you this afternoon, I...