Gone With or Without fanfare

[feaito]

[Lzcutter]

Donald O'Connor's widow, Gloria, has also passed away today.

[CineMaven]

A beautiful woman. An athlete. A business woman. A unique talent in Hollywood. Her movies made me smile. Her passing brought tears to my eyes. This news was very hard to hear.

RIP.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

I am so sad about Esther tonight, and part of it is that my Mom loved her so.

[mrsl]

.
I have never before been so grateful for Technicolor. Her beauty was captured on color film, and we will have that true beauty (outside and inside), for a long, long time to come.

Rest in Peace lovely lady.
.

[CineMaven]

As sad as the news was yesterday, and all the classic film world was a buzz with the passing of Esther Williams at the age of 91...




Imagine waking up on this day 76 years ago, and hearing the devastating news about this 26-year old young actress.

[JackFavell]

I guess we should be happy she had a wonderful 91 years with us, and was able to attend the TCM festival. Those of you who actually met her at the event were very lucky.

[Lzcutter]

Leonard Maltin remembers his friend, Esther Williams:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmalti ... -williams#

[Sue Sue Applegate]

I did not get to formally meet Esther Williams, but I do feel privileged that I was able to see her introduce a film with Betty Garrett. The moment is crystallized in my memory for the awe and reverence afforded those two lovely ladies. That moment when they first entered the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt, that "Aha! There they are!" moment was such an electric second of realized anticipation for everyone in the crowd. At least it felt that way to me.

I remember Betty Garrett also said something about her husband Larry Parks, and I felt her pride in being married to someone of once equal stature who had been blacklisted. And Esther also reminded the audience about her bathing suit fashion line and how she would swim everyday to keep in shape. Making it to 91 is definitely proof that exercising everyday is a vital plan for healthy living.

Great link to Maltin's kind homage, Lynn.

[JackFavell]

I just saw the TCM Remembers for Esther. The diving shots are incredible. She was fearless. I think this is one of the best tributes they've run. It completely captured the athete, the actress, the romantic woman, the girl next door and the fun loving gal.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

She was fearless, Wendy. Amazing feats! She always regretted not participating in the Olympics during WWII, but I think her legacy of these fantastic feats surpasses any gold medals she would have received.

[JackFavell]

I don't know if she would have agreed, but we got her at her peak on film! I for one am glad she showed us all we could do sports and still be feminine, not to metion the service she did for millions of women with her glamorous and flattering swimsuits....

[Sue Sue Applegate]

No, she probably wouldn't agree. But her ability to be feminine and yet a superior athlete made it easier for all women athletes. Watching her swim onscreen made me want to be a better swimmer, and at one point I was able to swim a mile in 40 minutes back in my heyday. And her swimsuits also made us look purty darn good when we did it!

A big thank you to Esther!

[Rita Hayworth]

I just saw the TCM Remembers for Esther. The diving shots are incredible. She was fearless. I think this is one of the best tributes they've run. It completely captured the athete, the actress, the romantic woman, the girl next door and the fun loving gal.

I just saw that last night while watching some the legendary horror flicks ... no need for explain that ... but TCM captured it - literally ... on the dot!

And, a wonderful tribute as well ...

[moira finnie]

TCM Remembers: Esther Williams

[youtube][/youtube]

A TCM Release and Updated Schedule Change honoring Esther from the Turner Newsroom:

Turner Classic Movies to Remember Esther Williams With 24-Marathon of Films Beginning Thursday, June 13

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will pay tribute to legendary film star and swimmer Esther Williams with a 24-hour marathon of films beginning Thursday, June 13, at 8 p.m. (ET). Williams passed away today at the age of 91. TCM's tribute will feature 13 of Williams' films, including her film debut in Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942); her first starring vehicle, Bathing Beauty (1944); the colorful musical Neptune's Daughter (1949); the biopic of swimmer Annette Kellerman, Million Dollar Mermaid (1952); the romantic comedy Easy to Wed (1946); and the Hawaii-set musical Pagan Love Song (1950).

The following is a complete schedule of TCM's June 13-14 tribute to Esther Williams:

Thursday, June 13
8 p.m. – Bathing Beauty (1944)
10 p.m. – Neptune’s Daughter (1949)
11:45 p.m. – Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
1:45 a.m. – Dangerous When Wet (1953)
3:30 a.m. – Andy Hardy’s Double Life (1942)
5:15 a.m. – Thrill of a Romance (1945)

Friday, June 14 9:15 a.m. – The Hoodlum Saint (1946)
11 a.m. – Fiesta (1947)
1 p.m. – This Time For Keeps (1947)
3 p.m. – On An Island With You (1948)
5 p.m. – Pagan Love Song (1950)
6:30 p.m. – Texas Carnival (1951)

A longtime friend of TCM, Williams served as one of the network's first celebrity spokespeople and on-air hosts. In 1996, she sat down with Robert Osborne for the second of his extended interview specials, Private Screenings. And in 2010, Williams took part in the inaugural TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood (pictured below). She was on hand for a poolside screening of Neptune's Daughter with co-star Betty Garrett. The evening also featured a performance by the synchronized swimming team The Aqualillies.