Susan Hayward stars as singer-actress Lillian Roth, whose rise to stardom was nearly destroyed by alcoholism.Susan Hayward stars as singer-actress Lillian Roth, whose rise to stardom was nearly destroyed by alcoholism.Susan Hayward stars as singer-actress Lillian Roth, whose rise to stardom was nearly destroyed by alcoholism.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 5 nominations total
- Jerry
- (as Don Barry)
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Alcoholics Anonymous Patient
- (uncredited)
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPrior to filming, Susan Hayward took the opportunity to study Lillian Roth's vocal style, tone and delivery when Miss Roth performed in Las Vegas. Moreover, the two women became friends during the production.
- GoofsAt the AA meeting, speakers give their full names. This is inconsistent with the anonymous nature of AA.
- Quotes
[alcoholic Lillian is desperate for a drink - mother drops the glass bottle on the floor, shattering it]
Lillian Roth: OH! Look what ya did! And ya DID IT ON PURPOSE! You're still trying to make me do what you want, to be what you want! I can't be anything except what I am! Look, look what did you drop that bottle for? What are you trying to do, drive me crazy? Go on, GET THE BOTTLE! GET IT NOW!
Katie Roth: All right! All right! All right, it's my fault, huh? I made you become an actress, you didn't want to, all right. I've been a bad mother, you had to support me, all right! All right! ALL RIGHT, EVERYTHING! Just this, and for once in your life you're gonna hear it! Do you know at all why I did it, do you? No you don't! Do you know what kind of a life I had, do you know what it was like to live with your father, put up with his mistakes and afterwards to be left alone with nothing? No money, no career, not young anymore, nothing to fall back on? No you don't! You don't know at all what I tried to save you from, the kind of freedom I never had! I tried to give to you by making you LILLIAN ROTH!
Lillian Roth: So you admit it! You invented Lillian Roth! All right, now look at me. I said look at me, don't turn your face away! I'm the looking glass you created to see yourself in! All right, all right see yourself now in me! Look at this ugly picture! And then GET OUTTA HERE! But keep this picture before your face for as LONG AS YOU LIVE!
Katie Roth: It's true! Oh, God help me! I owe you this. Every single word of it is true.
- ConnectionsFeatured in MGM Parade: Episode #1.10 (1955)
- SoundtracksSing You Sinners
Music by W. Franke Harling (uncredited)
Lyrics by Sam Coslow (uncredited)
Sung and Danced by Susan Hayward (as Miss Hayward) and chorus
Arranged and conducted by Charles Henderson (uncredited)
Brief reprise in a medley montage by Susan Hayward (vocal) and Eddie Albert (piano)
At any rate, there are people who think Hayward was brilliant in this film, and those who feel she overdid it. Not over-acting, but perhaps, over-feeling. I fall into the latter category. She starts in a rather high gear, and just goes higher. While she's commendably emotional, and touching, I think we lose track of the story and the character, due to the focus on unbridled histrionics. Eventually, she just seems to be devouring everything in her path - including the movie. If this fascinates you, well, it fascinated me, too, but is it a performance?
Jo Van Fleet (in the role Walters wanted Mary Astor for) doesn't exactly back away from the big gesture, herself. A good actress with a nice understanding of the material, she nonetheless pulls out the stops, giving us the long-suffering mama complete with European accent (Roth found this surprising, noting that her mother only had a Boston accent). Much younger than her part, she does a good job - but the histrionics may wear you out. Especially when she and Hayward go at it hammer and tong.
As for the singing of Susan Hayward, you probably won't be asking yourself what took her so long to decide to sing in motion pictures. She does reasonably well, but it's not the voice or style of a successful professional singer.
Towards the end, we have Eddie Albert and his real-life wife, Margo (whom you may remember had a problem when she tried to leave Shangri-La, in Lost Horizon, back in 1937). They help Susan - I mean, Lillian - get back on her feet, with the assistance of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you're still around (and why not? It's a fairly gripping picture, overall) you may be touched, and a little relieved, that the shouting, and maybe even the singing, is over for a while.
- How long is I'll Cry Tomorrow?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Plakacu sutra
- Filming locations
- 300 East 5th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(exterior of original Hard Rock Cafe in Skid Row, seen as Roth walks past and enters stairway next door)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,147,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 57 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1