Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

Small-town Indiana girl Lily Mars dreams to be a stage actress. She begs visiting Broadway producer John Thornway for a role but he dismisses her as an amateur. She follows him to New York and worms her way into his show, and his heart.

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Booth Tarkington (novel), Richard Connell (screenplay)

Stars:

Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judy Garland	...	Lily Mars
Van Heflin	...	John Thornway
Fay Bainter	...	Mrs. Thornway
Richard Carlson	...	Owen Vail
Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Mars
Mártha Eggerth	...	Isobel Rekay (as Marta Eggerth)
Connie Gilchrist	...	Frankie
Leonid Kinskey	...	Leo
Patricia Barker	...	Poppy
Janet Chapman	...	Violet
Annie Ross	...	Rosie (as Annabelle Logan)
Douglas Croft	...	Davey
Ray McDonald	...	Charlie Potter
Tommy Dorsey	...	Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra	...	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

Storyline

Talented small-town girl Lily Mars hounds producer John Thornway for a part in his new play, but he doesn't want anything to do with stage-struck amateurs. But when Lily follows him to New York, he gets to know her better and his opinion of her changes for the better. Then, when the leading lady of the play walks out, Lily gets her big break on Broadway.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to william shakespeare | manhattan new york city | times square manhattan new york city | empire state building manhattan new york city | male female relationship | 

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Taglines:

Judy's a Glamour Girl Now!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1944 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Lily Mars vedette

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on March 11, 1946 with Van Heflin reprising his film role.

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Quotes

John Thornway: There's a Lily Mars in every town and they're all alike - so full of hope and so hopeless. Now, I'll tell you what you do, Mother. Let her down easy, but do it so she'll stay down.
Mrs. Thornway: But she won't, she'll bounce right up again. You don't know Lily.

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Crazy Credits

Under the single "The End" title, Davey Mars is seen to steal one more doorknob for his collection.

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Connections

Referenced in Summer Stock: Get Happy! (2008)

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Soundtracks

Broadway Rhythm
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Danced by Judy Garland and Charles Walters
Sung by Judy Garland with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra and the MGM Studio Chorus in the finale

User Reviews

Judy the Great

The film itself is a lopsided affair with some heart and decent performances. It also features the Bob Crosby and Tommy Dorsey orchestras in a couple of notable musical sequences. Although this is Judy Garland's show, MGM strangely showcases operatic star Martha Eggerth a little too much and her presence mostly drags the film into headache territory. Thank God Garland makes up for it with a couple of terrific numbers of her own that show off her flair for comedy as well as singing and dancing.

The story doesn't hit target centre overall but it's not terrible and things do move at a nice pace, and Van Heflin turns in his usual capable performance. Garland simply outshines the material and it's a shame the writers missed so many opportunities for a more balanced and meaningful story.

Not a great film, or maybe even one of Garland's best, but she's great in it and her fans won't be disappointed.