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Not since David Niven wrote the bestselling THE MOON'S A BALLOON has one of Hollywood's great stars written with real wit and candour about what it was like to work in the movie factories. In this glamorous world actors were pampered and coddled, yet expected to work without complaint for long, hard hours; made into an object of desire for millions of people and live in a world of almost total unreality, while still being expected to go about the business of finding a partner and raising a family, and avoiding personal scandal at all costs. Now, for the thousands of fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood comes Esther William's wonderfully witty, fresh and frank autobiography, all about an 18 year old girl who reluctantly answers the call of MGM and finds herself launched in a career that will last almost twenty years. During her career, she helped to create a genre of film that seems almost unimaginable today, yet which still holds its original freshness and fascination. Whether speaking of her own marriages, divorces, and love affairs or telling tales about the legends of the studio era, Williams is acutely perceptive and always uncompromisingly honest.
The author offers her perspective on life during Hollywood's Golden Age, chronicling her youthful idealism, her training to be a star, and her own tempestuous personal life.
Fred the Mermaid has taken the bait and chosen to date Artur, Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. And just in time. The existence of the Undersea Folk is no longer a secret, and someone needs to keep them from floundering in the media spotlight. Fred has all the right skills for that job, but has a hard time when her real father surfaces and tries to overthrow Artur’s regime.
Part memoir, part essay collection, Megan Dunn’s ingenious, moving, hilariously personal Things I Learned at Art School tells the story of her early life and coming-of-age in New Zealand in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. From her parents’ divorce to her Smurf collection, from the mean girls at school to the mermaid movie Splash!, from her work in strip clubs and massage parlours (and one steak restaurant) to the art school of the title, this is a dazzling, killer read from a contemporary voice of comic brilliance. Chapters include: The Ballad of Western Barbie; A Comprehensive List of All the Girls Who Teased Me at Western Heights High School, What They Looked Like and Why They Did It; On Being a Redhead; Life Begins at Forty: That Time My Uncle Killed Himself; Good Girls Write Memoirs, Bad Girls Don’t Have Time; Videos I Watched with My Father; Things I Learned at Art School; CV of a Fat Waitress; Nine Months in a Massage Parlour Called Belle de Jour; Various Uses for a Low Self-esteem; Art in the Waiting Room and Submerging Artist. Praise for Tinderbox: “Tinderbox is deadpan hilarious and Megan Dunn is a comic genius.” - Susanna Andrew, Metro “Megan Dunn's wry, whip-smart memoir about Fahrenheit 451, literary ambition & the last days of Borders Bookstores is funny & insightful as hell. Like Kathy Acker meets Sue Townsend. The read of the summer! ... already one of my favourite New Zealand books.” - Hera Lindsay Bird “Witty, highly entertaining.” - Philip Matthews, Stuff "Tinderbox is such a shape-shifter, such a sui generis work, that to call it a memoir does it a disservice ... [Dunn’s] voice is hard to resist – sardonic, brazen, sagacious – recalling, in places, Nora Ephron, John Jeremiah Sullivan, and Maggie Nelson.” - James Cook, Review 31
Whether dressed for performances in the pool or attending posh parties, Esther was a model of perfection for MGM's wardrobe department. Her beauty and talent was showcased in more than 25 films during the 1940s and 50s, beginning with 1942's Andy Hardy's Double Life with Micky Rooney, and continuing with the many aqua-musicals such as Million Dollar Mermaid, Dangerous When Wet and Jupiter's Darling. This special paper doll tribute is filled with outfits from Esther's movie career and her own line of swimwear.
In the early twentieth century, a young Australian woman became one of the highest paid and most adored Hollywood and vaudeville stars of the day. Her name was Annette Kellerman. Born into a musical family in suburban Sydney in 1886, Annette's first love was performing. Yet when she took up swimming to overcome a childhood illness, she quickly found herself breaking records and beating the boys and loving it. When the Depression hit, Annette and her father headed for England to seek their fortune. It was to be the start of a dazzling international career. After winning over Londoners with her death-defying swims in the Thames and the English Channel, she was soon wowing them at the Palladium with her trademark vaudeville act: a performance that included diving into a giant glass tank where she captivated the crowds with her graceful and athletic underwater ballet. Hollywood beckoned and Annette quickly became the darling of the silent film era, starring in the first-ever million-dollar film, Daughter of the Gods. She was soon a household name; dubbed The Perfect Woman', crowds queued for blocks to see her on the screen, men flocked to catch a glimpse her provocative costumes or lack thereof-and women thronged to hear her views on health and fitness. Annette's life was often controversial but always exhilarating, and was immortalised in the 1950s Esther Williams classic The Million Dollar Mermaid. Yet she was to end her days alone and penniless on Queensland's Gold Coast, selling her old fur coat to pay the bills. Strong minded and fiercely brave, Annette Kellerman high-dived onto the international stage, challenging preconceptions of how women should look, act and think, and capturing the hearts of a generation. Here, for the first time ever, is her extraordinary story.
Sport and film have historically been key components of national cultures and societies. This is the first collection dedicated to examining the intersection of these popular cultural forces within specific national contexts. Covering films of all types, from Hollywood blockbusters to regional documentaries and newsreels, the book considers how filmic depictions of sport have configured and informed distinctive national cultures, societies and identities. Featuring case studies from 11 national contexts across 6 continents – including North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania – it reveals the common and contrasting approaches that have emerged within sport cinema in differing national contexts. This is fascinating and important reading for all students and researchers working in film, media, cultural studies or sport, and for broader enthusiasts of both sport and film.
They are the sirens of the sea, beautiful creatures that can lure a sailor to destruction. They are beings both aquatic and human. They are the Mer folk and we'd like you tell their stories. Join us for tails, or rather, tales of these mysterious, exotic and sometimes dangerous creatures. Read of tragedy, comedy and adventure, of loves both lost and found, of horrors inflicted on them or by them. The stories in this book will take you on back yard adventures and to a big city night club, to war ravaged oceans and the realms of fantasy and, since you're one of the lucky ones, on a much desired tour. Featuring the talents of: Danielle Ackley-McPhail Michael A. Black James Chambers John L. French C. J. Henderson C. Ellett Logan Roy Mauritsen Terri Osborne Darren W. Pearce and Neal Levin KT Pinto Hildy Silverman Patrick Thomas Robert E. Waters
PARTI THE STORY OF MY SWIM TO FAME AND FORTUNE CONTENTS PART I. THE STORY OF MY SWIM TO FAME AND FORTUNE CHAPTER PAGE I THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS AFRAID OF THE WATER 13 II THREE-FOURTHS ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL 20 III SWIMMING A WOMANS SPORT ... 38 PART n. EASY LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS IV PRELIMINARY DRY LAND EXERCISES . 57 V EARLY EXPERIENCES IN THE WATER . 75 VI SIMPLE STROKES TO BE MASTERED FIRST 95 PART HI. HOW EXPERT SWIMMERS ARE MADE VII MERMAIDS TO ORDER 117 Vlll PROFESSIONAL SWIMMING .... 128 IX EFFICIENT LIFE SAVING METHODS . . 148 X WHERE SHALL WE SWIM .... 176 l Hra. V. Fffi ViW, MISS KELLERMANN IN THE HIGH DIVING SCENE PROM A DAUGHTER OF THE X30DS. THE ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON TOWER BY A HUNDRED-FOOT DIVE. vi CONTENTS PART IV. FANCY SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAPTER PAGE XI WATER TRICKS AND WATER SPORTS . 193 XII LEARNING How TO DIVE .... 214 XIII EXPERT AND FANCY DIVING . . . . 244 ILLUSTRATIONS Miss Kellermann in the high diving scene from A Daughter of the Gods. The escape from the prison tower by a hundred foot dive . . Frontispiece PAGE Miss Kellermann as she appeared when winning laurels as the worlds greatest woman swimmer 16 Miss Kellermann combined the romance of mythol ogy with the mystery of the sea in the new aquatic drama 24 Miss Kellermann as she danced before the Sultan in A Daughter of the Gods 32 Beauty of form and grace of action are developed by swimming as by no other sport or exercise . . 40 Suitable tights for professional swimming and ex hibition diving 48 Ideal bathing suit for public beaches where swim ming tights are not permitted 48 Jersey swimming cape for going to and from the water 48 Head dress for the swimmer. A rubber cap beneath the silk bandanna 48The start of the breast stroke as posed on the beach 64 The second position in the breast stroke .... 64 The third position in the breast stroke .... 64 vii viii ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE The third position in the breast stroke as shown from the side 64 A long sleeved swimming jersey or sweater ... 80 Treading water 96 The back stroke 101 Side stroke, under arm movement 107 Side stroke, arm movement 108 Side stroke, combination arm and leg movements 109 First position for over arm side stroke . . . . 110 Over arm stroke Ill Feathering the water 112 It was in the training of the mermaids that Miss Kellermann developed the necessity of training the swimmer to use the arms alone 118 Swimming with legs alone 120 The baby mermaids. A pleasing feature of Miss Kellermanns new drama of the sea .... 14 To swim with the feet or the hands tied is a rapid means to develop a powerful swimmer . . . 14 The capture of A Daughter of the Gods at the end of a mile long swim through a stormy sea . . ISO Australian Crawl 135 The Catch Australian crawl 136 Leg stroke Australian crawl 137 First position, trudgeon stroke 139 Ann movement, trudgeon stroke 140 Leg movement, trudgeon stroke .... 141 ILLUSTRATIONS ix PAGE The forward dive first position 152 Rescue of quiet victim 158 Breaking a wrist hold 160 Breaking a body hold 161 Breaking a strangle hold from in front 164 Strangle hold from behind 165 Towing ashore . 170 The start of the back dive 178 Miss Kellermann in her mermaid costume used for exhibition diving, 196 The submarine 200 The neck dive, position on the springboard . . . Diving head first Diving feet first 25 The neck dive 229 The Australian splosh 233 The honey-pot or cannon ball dive 237 Woodensoldier dive 241 The aerial flight in the swallow dive 244 Swallow dive . . 247 Jackknife dive 251 Standing sitting dive 255 Side dive 259 Dolphin dive 263 Front back dive 267 PART I THE STORY OF MY SWIM TO FAME AND FORTUNE CHAPTER I THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS AFRAID OF THE WATER I WAS born in Sidney, New South Wales, Australia, in the year of our Lord 18 but look at the pictures in this book and figure it out for yourself. My father was a native Australian, and my mother Alsatian French. I am not a sea cap tains daughter nor did I come of fisher folk...