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Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Million Dollar Mermaid's Wedding Photos


Our exclusive feature of the month - Esther Williams wedding photos! Oh you lucky people you. It isn't every movie blog that would hire a photographer to travel back in time to get some exclusive photos for their readers, but that's exactly what we did ( if you'd like to imagine that ). Our chief photographer Peabody Snappit took a trip in the Wayback Machine and captured these lovely images of the wedding of Esther Williams and her first husband...and second...and third...and fourth. 


Actually, he couldn't find any pictures of her first husband, Leonard Kovner, so Van Johnson was kind enough to step into his place for a few ( reluctant ) snapshots. We don't know how Lucy got wind of the event. 



Esther Williams and second husband Ben Gage, a fun-loving ex-big band singer. They were married between 1945 and 1959 and had three children together. In that first photo he bears a striking resemblance to our grandfather, but I can't even doggy-paddle so we surely are not related to Esther Williams. MGM's big boss Louis B. Mayer thought of Gage as "an idiot, a moron, an asshole". He must of lived up to that description too because he left Esther up to her neck in debt when they separated. 


Esther Williams and Fernando Lamas ( 1969-1982 ). Argentine-born Lamas had previously been married to the rapturous red-head, Arlene Dahl. Esther first met Lamas when they were filming "Dangerous When Wet" but the orange blossoms didn't bloom until 1969. They were married until his death of cancer in 1982.



And lastly, but certainly not leastly...Edward Bell. This lucky fellow knew Esther for 14 years before he popped the question. It was quite a merger too, Mr. Bell played quite a role in making Esther William's swimsuit business what it is today....a million dollar splash! 

2 comments:

  1. Yes, today we have lost this beautiful lady. Only yesterday I was watching one of her films...The Big Circus ( one of her last pictures ). She will be sorely missed.

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