Presenting Lily Mars

Presenting Lily Mars
Presenting Lily Mars
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Norman Taurog
Written by	Jack Mintz (comedy construction)
Screenplay by	Richard Connell; Gladys Lehman
Based on	Presenting Lily Mars; 1937 novel; by Booth Tarkington
Produced by	Joe Pasternak
Starring	Judy Garland; Van Heflin
Cinematography	Joseph Ruttenberg
Edited by	Albert Akst
Music by	George Stoll
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 29, 1943;
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,045,000
Box office	$3,255,000

Presenting Lily Mars is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog, produced by Joe Pasternak, starring Judy Garland and Van Heflin, and based on the novel by Booth Tarkington. The film is often cited as Garland's first film playing an adult type role (although For Me and My Gal, released the previous year, is also often credited thus). Tommy Dorsey and Bob Crosby appear with their orchestras in this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production.

Garland was given the Hollywood "glamor treatment" for this role, as seen in this promotional image for the film.

Plot[]

Lily Mars (Judy Garland) is a small-town girl with big-city ambitions. She contrives to audition for a Broadway producer whose father was the local physician and who her father also happened to tune his family’s piano. However, the producer wants nothing to do with her. She then heads to Broadway hoping to convince him to cast her, but after a series of disappointments, the best she can manage is an understudy job.^[2]

Cast[]

Judy Garland as Lily Mars
Van Heflin as John Thornway
Fay Bainter as Mrs. Thornway
Richard Carlson as Owen Vail
Spring Byington as Mrs. Mars
Marta Eggerth as Isobel Rekay
Connie Gilchrist as Frankie
Leonid Kinskey as Leo
Patricia Barker as Poppy
as Violet
Annie Ross as Rosie
Douglas Croft as Davey
Ray McDonald as Charlie Potter
Charles Walters as Lily's Dance Partner in Finale^[3]
Lillian Yarbo as Rosa, Isobel's maid (uncredited)

Bob Crosby and Garland

Soundtrack[]

The soundtrack includes:

"Every Little Movement (Has a Meaning All Its Own)"
"When I Look At You"
"Tom, Tom The Piper's Son"
"Three O'Clock in the Morning" and
"Broadway Rhythm" featuring Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.

The finale, "Where There's Music", originally included parts of "St. Louis Blues", "In The Shade of the Old Apple Tree", and "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", which were deleted from the final version.

Reception[]

According to MGM records the film earned USD$2,216,000 in the US and Canada and $1,039,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,211,000.^[1]^[4]

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Presenting Lily Mars (1943), AllMovie.
^ Presenting Lily Mars, IMBD.com
^ "Top Grossers of the Season", Variety, 5 January 1944 p 54

External links[]

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[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] Presenting Lily Mars (1943), AllMovie.

[3] Presenting Lily Mars, IMBD.com

[4] "Top Grossers of the Season", Variety, 5 January 1944 p 54

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