After winning three National swimming championships, she was discovered by an M.G.M. talent scout, signed to a studio contract and made her film debut in an "Andy Hardy" movie.

Soon, the studio began starring her a in series of expensive, and sometimes dangerous, swimming extravaganzas, such as Thrill of a Romance, This Time for Keeps, and Neptune's Daughter. These musicals were major box-office hits, and she would become one of the studio's most popular stars.

ESTHER WILLIAMS, Michael B. Druxman's one-woman stage play, joins Williams after she has retired from the screen and is contemplating writing her autobiography. She talks about her career, including her challenging relationship with studio head Louis B. Mayer, as well as her difficult marriages, including one to actor Fernando Lamas.