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.
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Edit
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 | |
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Plot Summary
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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. Written by Leon Wolters <wolters@strw.LeidenUniv.nl>
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 |Taglines:
Sing Out the News! It's a Honey of a Show! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
20 March 1944 (Sweden) See more »Also Known As:
Bemutatjuk Lily Mars-t See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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See more »
(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
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In the theatrical trailer, Judy Garland is seen in brief clips from some of her previous films: Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), The Wizard of Oz (1939) (in a rare alternate take of "Over the Rainbow"), Babes in Arms (1939), and Ziegfeld Girl (1941). See more »Quotes
Lily Mars: Poor Charles. He's so young... so very young... and it hurts me to hurt him, but... what can I do?See more »
Crazy Credits
Under the single "The End" title, Davey Mars is seen to steal one more doorknob for his collection. See more »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
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
See more »
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Too bad that JUDY GARLAND was at her most attractive, photographed with great skill and looking fabulous--while coping with a script that had to be an insult to anyone's intelligence--even way back in 1943!
VAN HEFLIN proves that he had a certain comic flair (although a little exaggerated) and was certainly worthy of a better role than the one he copes with here. Supporting players Spring Byington and Fay Bainter lend solid support--but it's all just too weak in the story department for anyone to overcome the ridiculous script.
Judy manages to get through the material in good shape--showing comic skill in many scenes and emotional maturity in others. The ending is rather predictable and is followed by a show biz finale that seems to be tacked on to give the film a plush fade-out in which Garland has a change to dazzle us with her musical talent. Which she does.
But, all in all, lacks the charm and credibility it should have had to make it truly worth watching. Among the supporting players, Connie Gilchrist and Richard Carlson do some nice work. Carlson is surprisingly gifted at comedy and should have attempted more such roles.
Worth noting: the doorknob business is the only original touch in the whole show!