Three weeks after signing her contract, George Sidney directed Williams' first screen test.
According to Williams's autobiography, the studio used this test to get Lana Turner back in line with the terms of her contract and as a punishment for when Lana Turner eloped with Artie Shaw.
Williams screen tested with the leading man, Clark Gable, for the film Somewhere I'll Find You.
However, when Turner divorced Shaw after four months of marriage, she rejoined the film.
Following several short subject films, Williams appeared as Sheila Brooks in Andy Hardy's Double Life.
Sheila was a coed with whom Andy falls in love.
Next was a small part in the film A Guy Named Joe, starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne.
It was here she first worked with Van Johnson, with whom she would partner in five films.

Bathing Beauty, previously titled Mr. Coed, starred Red Skelton as a man who enrolls in a women's college to win back his swimming instructor fiancée, played by Williams.
This was her first Technicolor musical.
The studio changed the title of the film to showcase Williams.
Almost all of the film's posters featured Williams in a bathing suit, though the swimming sequences make up a small portion of the film.
Her date to the premiere at the Astor Theater in New York City was future husband Ben Gage.
For the event, MGM publicity set up a six-story-tall billboard of Williams diving into Times Square with a large sign that said "Come on in!
The story's fine!"

Williams appeared in the film Ziegfeld Follies as herself.
This was followed by the musical Thrill of a Romance.
Van Johnson co-starred as a decorated war veteran who falls in love with Williams while on her honeymoon.
Thrill of a Romance was the 8th highest-grossing film of 1945.
Williams had to help Johnson swim, and she placed her hand under his back to keep him afloat.
The studio's publicity department tried to put the two together in public as much as possible in the hopes of encouraging a romance, even though Williams was involved with Gage at the time.
When asked why they didn't date, Johnson replied, "because I'm afraid she can't get her webbed feet into a pair of evening sandals."

Williams tried a more serious role in The Hoodlum Saint (1946), with William Powell.
Audiences expected Powell's Nick Charles persona and rejected the idea of a romance between Williams and Powell onscreen due to their age difference.
She also appeared in Easy to Wed, a remake of 1936's Libeled Lady, with Johnson and Lucille Ball.

Fiesta (originally called Fiesta Brava) starred Williams as Ricardo Montalbán's twin sister, Maria, who pretends to be her bullfighting brother in hopes of luring him back home.
Audiences, and Williams, thought the film was silly, as Williams and Montalbán had vastly different accents.
Montalbán was born in Mexico and was a native Spanish speaker while Williams had a mid-western accent picked up from her Kansas-born parents.
Production was difficult with a multitude of problems.
By 1947, Gage and Williams were married.
Gage had traveled to Mexico for the making of the film.
He got into a fight with an employee of the cast's hotel, was arrested, and subsequently thrown out of the country.
The director of photography, Sidney Wagner, and one other crew member died of cholera from eating contaminated street food.
Many of the film's stuntmen were sent to the hospital after being gored by bulls.
Director Dick Thorpe hadn't wanted the bulls killed (as they usually were at the end of a bullfight) because he believed them to be too expensive to replace.

After filming was completed on Fiesta, Williams appeared in the romance This Time for Keeps (1947) with singer Johnnie Johnston.
In 1948, Williams signed a contract with swimwear company Cole of California to appear as their spokesperson, and Williams and the other swimmers in her films wore Cole swimsuits.
Since the aqua-musicals were an entirely new genre, the studio's costume designers had little experience creating practical swimsuits.
William's plaid flannel swimsuit for This Time for Keeps was so heavy that she was dragged to t
Three weeks after signing her contract, George Sidney directed Williams' first screen test. According to Williams's autobiography, the studio used this test to get Lana Turner back in line with the terms of her contract and as a punishment for when Lana Turner eloped with Artie Shaw. Williams screen tested with the leading man, Clark Gable, for the film Somewhere I'll Find You. However, when Turner divorced Shaw after four months of marriage, she rejoined the film. Following several short subject films, Williams appeared as Sheila Brooks in Andy Hardy's Double Life. Sheila was a coed with whom Andy falls in love. Next was a small part in the film A Guy Named Joe, starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne. It was here she first worked with Van Johnson, with whom she would partner in five films.
Bathing Beauty, previously titled Mr. Coed, starred Red Skelton as a man who enrolls in a women's college to win back his swimming instructor fiancée, played by Williams. This was her first Technicolor musical. The studio changed the title of the film to showcase Williams. Almost all of the film's posters featured Williams in a bathing suit, though the swimming sequences make up a small portion of the film. Her date to the premiere at the Astor Theater in New York City was future husband Ben Gage. For the event, MGM publicity set up a six-story-tall billboard of Williams diving into Times Square with a large sign that said "Come on in! The story's fine!"
Williams appeared in the film Ziegfeld Follies as herself. This was followed by the musical Thrill of a Romance. Van Johnson co-starred as a decorated war veteran who falls in love with Williams while on her honeymoon. Thrill of a Romance was the 8th highest-grossing film of 1945. Williams had to help Johnson swim, and she placed her hand under his back to keep him afloat. The studio's publicity department tried to put the two together in public as much as possible in the hopes of encouraging a romance, even though Williams was involved with Gage at the time. When asked why they didn't date, Johnson replied, "because I'm afraid she can't get her webbed feet into a pair of evening sandals."
Williams tried a more serious role in The Hoodlum Saint (1946), with William Powell. Audiences expected Powell's Nick Charles persona and rejected the idea of a romance between Williams and Powell onscreen due to their age difference. She also appeared in Easy to Wed, a remake of 1936's Libeled Lady, with Johnson and Lucille Ball.
Fiesta (originally called Fiesta Brava) starred Williams as Ricardo Montalbán's twin sister, Maria, who pretends to be her bullfighting brother in hopes of luring him back home. Audiences, and Williams, thought the film was silly, as Williams and Montalbán had vastly different accents. Montalbán was born in Mexico and was a native Spanish speaker while Williams had a mid-western accent picked up from her Kansas-born parents. Production was difficult with a multitude of problems. By 1947, Gage and Williams were married. Gage had traveled to Mexico for the making of the film. He got into a fight with an employee of the cast's hotel, was arrested, and subsequently thrown out of the country.The director of photography, Sidney Wagner, and one other crew member died of cholera from eating contaminated street food. Many of the film's stuntmen were sent to the hospital after being gored by bulls. Director Dick Thorpe hadn't wanted the bulls killed (as they usually were at the end of a bullfight) because he believed them to be too expensive to replace.
After filming was completed on Fiesta, Williams appeared in the romance This Time for Keeps (1947) with singer Johnnie Johnston. In 1948, Williams signed a contract with swimwear company Cole of California to appear as their spokesperson, and Williams and the other swimmers in her films wore Cole swimsuits. Since the aqua-musicals were an entirely new genre, the studio's costume designers had little experience creating practical swimsuits. William's plaid flannel swimsuit for This Time for Keeps was so heavy that she was dragged to t
Esther Williams