Ben Gage was an American radio singer and announcer, occasional off-screen film singer dubbing the voice of non-singing actors, and television actor active from 1937 to 1975. Born in Chicago, Illinois, his first wife was Esther Williams.
Gage in Maverick (1958)
Sgt. Ben Gage and Esther Williams in 1946
Ben Gage and Esther Williams in 1950.
Esther Jane Williams was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving.
Williams in 1950
Williams (in swimsuit) at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in 1939
A pin-up of Williams from a 1945 issue of Yank, the Army Weekly
Williams, Van Johnson and Carleton G. Young in Thrill of a Romance (1945)