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
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	April 29, 1943 (1943-04-29)
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 1933 novel by Booth Tarkington. The film is often cited as Garland's first film playing an adult role. However, the issue is complicated by the delay in this film's release caused by reshooting the finale, and Garland's brutal work schedule—she was filming Girl Crazy and For Me and My Gal at the same time. Also, in Little Nellie Kelly, released in 1940, she plays her character's mother, dying in childbirth. Tommy Dorsey and Bob Crosby appear with their orchestras in this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production.

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 whose family piano her father also happened to tune. 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.

Cast

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

• 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
• Janet Chapman as Violet
• Annabelle Logan as Rosie
• Douglas Croft as Davey
• Ray McDonald as Charlie Potter
• Lew Payton as Thornway's Butler
• Charles Walters as Lily's Dance Partner in Finale (uncredited)
• Lillian Yarbo as Rosa, Isobel's maid (uncredited)

Soundtrack

Bob Crosby and Garland in trailer for this film

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.

An April 30, 1943, New York Times review bylined T. S. praises Judy Garland's “blithe talents” but concludes: “For all its sweetness, "Presenting Lily Mars" is uninviting fare; it is glorified monotony. Perhaps M-G-M should let Miss Garland grow up and stay that way.”

External links

• Presenting Lily Mars at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Presenting Lily Mars at IMDb
• Presenting Lily Mars at AllMovie
• Presenting Lily Mars at the TCM Movie Database
• The Judy Room "Presenting Lily Mars" Section.