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Lillian Russell (1940)
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Overview
User Rating:
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Director:
Writer:
William Anthony McGuire (screenplay)
Release Date:
24 May 1940 (USA)
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Plot:
Life story of the musical star from her discovery in 1890 by bandleader Tony Pastor till her retirement...
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| Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
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User Reviews:
Dull biography only perks up when Alice Faye sings...
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Cast
(in credits order) (verified as complete) | Alice Faye | ... | Helen Leonard / Lillian Russell |
 | Don Ameche | ... | Edward Solomon |
 | Henry Fonda | ... | Alexander Moore |
 | Edward Arnold | ... | Diamond Jim Brady |
| Warren William | ... | The Famous J.L. - Jesse Lewisohn |
| Leo Carrillo | ... | Tony Pastor |
| Helen Westley | ... | Grandma Leonard |
| Dorothy Peterson | ... | Cynthia Leonard |
| Ernest Truex | ... | Charles Leonard |
| Nigel Bruce | ... | William S. Gilbert |
| Lynn Bari | ... | Edna McCauley |
| Claud Allister | ... | Arthur Sullivan (as Claude Allister) |
| Joe Weber | ... | Himself (as Weber) |
| Lew Fields | ... | Himself (as Fields) |
| Eddie Foy Jr. | ... | Eddie Foy Sr. |
| Una O'Connor | ... | Marie |
| Joseph Cawthorn | ... | Leopold Damrosch |
| Diane Fisher | ... | Dorothy |
| Elyse Knox | ... | Lillian Russell's Sister |
| Joan Valerie | ... | Lillian Russell's Sister |
| Alice Armand | ... | Lillian Russell's Sister |
| William B. Davidson | ... | President Cleveland (as William Davidson) |
| Hal K. Dawson | ... | Chauffeur |
| Charles Halton | ... | Doctor Dobbins |
| Robert Emmett Keane | ... | Jeweler |
| Harry Hayden | ... | Mr. Sloane - Newspaper Editor |
| Frank Darien | ... | Coachman |
| Frank Sully | ... | Hank |
| Ottola Nesmith | ... | Miss Smyth |
| Ferike Boros | ... | Mrs. Rose |
| Frank M. Thomas | ... | Theater Official (as Frank Thomas) |
| Robert Homans | ... | Stage Doorman |
| William Haade | ... | Soldier |
| Irving Bacon | ... | Jim - Soldier |
| Paul E. Burns | ... | Soldier (as Paul Burns) |
| Cecil Cunningham | ... | Mrs. Hobbs |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| A.S. 'Pop' Byron | ... | Policeman (uncredited) |
| Richard Carle | ... | Bradley (uncredited) |
| Leyland Hodgson | ... | Hotel Clerk (uncredited) |
| Thaddeus Jones | ... | Mose (uncredited) |
| Dennis Kaye | ... | Newly Born Baby (uncredited) |
| Tom London | ... | Frank (uncredited) |
| Paul McVey | ... | Stage Manager (uncredited) |
| Dave Morris | ... | Drunk (uncredited) |
| James C. Morton | ... | Bartender (uncredited) |
| Steve O'Brien | ... | Boy (uncredited) |
| Alexander Pollard | ... | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Robert Ryan | ... | Owen (uncredited) |
| Floyd Shackelford | ... | Valet (uncredited) |
 | Robert Shaw | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Stella Shirpsor | ... | Baby (uncredited) |
| Milburn Stone | ... | Jack - Reporter (uncredited) |
| Charles Tannen | ... | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Lillian West | ... | Nurse (uncredited) |
| Philip Winter | ... | Mr. Martin - Tenor (uncredited) |
| Lillian Yarbo | ... | Maid (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Irving Cummings | |||
Writing credits | ||
| William Anthony McGuire | (screenplay) | |
Produced by | |||
| Gene Markey | .... | associate producer | |
| Darryl F. Zanuck | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| David Buttolph | (uncredited) | ||
| Cyril J. Mockridge | (uncredited) | ||
| Alfred Newman | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Leon Shamroy | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Walter Thompson | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Richard Day | |||
| Joseph C. Wright | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Thomas Little | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Travis Banton | (gowns) | ||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| D. Ross Lederman | .... | second unit director (uncredited) | |
| Booth McCracken | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Roger Heman Sr. | .... | sound (as Roger Heman) | |
| Arthur von Kirbach | .... | sound | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Eugene Joseff | .... | costume jeweller (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Alfred Newman | .... | musical director | |
| Edward B. Powell | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Herbert W. Spencer | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Seymour Felix | .... | dances stager | |
| Madame Rosa Binner | .... | diamond corset (uncredited) | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
Additional Details
Also Known As:
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
127 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
After the huge success of The Great Ziegfeld (1936) MGM wanted to make a movie of Lillian Russell starring Jeanette MacDonald, but that project fell through. Twentieth Century Fox then decided to make a movie about Russell.See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda (1978) (TV)See more »
Soundtrack:
Comin' Thro' the RyeSee more »
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.See more (14 total) »
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lillian Russell (1940)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| What Lillian Russell *really* looked like | meredithsloan |
| Not historically factual, but ... | dmnemaine |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | IMDb Biography section |
| IMDb USA section |
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I don't know how much this fictionalized bio of Lillian Russell owes to the truth, but the truth is she led an awfully dull life to judge by the weak script developments. Yes, even for a gal who mingled with Diamond Jim Brady and married a well-known composer, she's awfully dull stuff to take, which is why so much footage was cut out of the final print.
Needless to say, when ALICE FAYE, costumed effectively in all those turn-of-the-century clothes and singing old-time songs in that breathy low-pitched voice of hers, gets to strut her stuff the story warms up a bit. But most of it is just so dull you want to fast forward and skip the bio completely.
No help is HENRY FONDA as a newspaper man who patiently waits his turn to have his fling with romancing the musical comedy star. And even the reliable DON AMECHE is at sea here. Not their fault. The script is the problem and it shows until the bitter end. EDWARD ARNOLD, in a comfortable role as Diamond Jim Brady, is the only bright spot in the supporting cast. HELEN WESTLEY, WARREN WILLIAM, LEO CARRILLO and NIGEL BRUCE are likewise not seen to advantage.
Maybe Technicolor would have brightened things. Hard to say, but I still think a livelier story and better backstage plot would have helped considerably. As it is, only ALICE FAYE's loyal fans will warm up to this one.