Lillian Russell, la venus de oro

... this time with music, from 20th Century Fox and director irving Cummings. Helen Leonard (Alice Faye) hopes for a career in the opera, but is told her voice isn't good enough. However, since she's so stunningly beautiful, she should still get musical training for the traditional theater, because that's how that works. Theatrical producer Tony Pastor (Leo Carrillo) discovers her and, changing her name to Lillian Russell, he makes her a stage star. Her talent wins her fans the world over, as well as the admiration of many powerful men, such as Diamond Jim Brady (Edward Arnold) and songwriter Edward Solomon (Don Ameche), but her heart truly belongs to hometown reporter Alexander (Henry Fonda).

People spend a lot of time in this movie telling Alice Faye as Lillian Russell how beautiful she is. A lot of time, repeatedly warning her that her beauty is so magnificent that her life will be difficult because of it. Faye is told how gorgeous she is so many times that it starts to seem like a self-esteem exercise rather than a narrative. And I don't find Faye that pretty, to be honest, so it makes the repetition that much more noticeable. Ameche plays a grouch, and Fonda has to do his wide-eyed sincerity good-guy shtick, while Arnold hams it up repeating a role he had played in an earlier film, and Warren William is completely wasted. Fonda was said to have regretted this movie the most of any he did under contract to Fox.

The musical aspects are also lackluster, with no major musical numbers, just pieces of songs here and there, and a couple of minor full performances. Like many of these biopics, it's also an excuse for some nostalgia wallowing, this time with Eddie Foy Jr. Playing his father doing an old stage bit, and vaudeville comedy duo dinosaurs Weber & Fields doing some hoary bits. The movie earned one Oscar nomination, for Best Art Direction (Richard Day, Joseph C. Wright).

I don't know how much this fictionalized bio of Lillian Russell owes to the truth, but the truth is she led an awfully dull life to judge by the weak script developments. Yes, even for a gal who mingled with Diamond Jim Brady and married a well-known composer, she's awfully dull stuff to take, which is why so much footage was cut out of the final print.

Needless to say, when ALICE FAYE, costumed effectively in all those turn-of-the-century clothes and singing old-time songs in that breathy low-pitched voice of hers, gets to strut her stuff the story warms up a bit. But most of it is just so dull you want to fast forward and skip the bio completely.

No help is HENRY FONDA as a newspaper man who patiently waits his turn to have his fling with romancing the musical comedy star. And even the reliable DON AMECHE is at sea here. Not their fault. The script is the problem and it shows until the bitter end. EDWARD ARNOLD, in a comfortable role as Diamond Jim Brady, is the only bright spot in the supporting cast. HELEN WESTLEY, WARREN WILLIAM, LEO CARRILLO and NIGEL BRUCE are likewise not seen to advantage.

Maybe Technicolor would have brightened things. Hard to say, but I still think a livelier story and better backstage plot would have helped considerably. As it is, only ALICE FAYE's loyal fans will warm up to this one.

--sings some of the old songs, has beautiful costumes and hair styles(wigs?), and Don Ameche, Henry Fonda, Edward Arnold and Lynn Bari as co-stars. The facts of the story may be wrong, but who cares? What biographical movie is about facts? On a cold day in a warm house(or vice versa), just sit down and listen to Alice sing and enjoy an old-fashioned film. 7/10

I mostly agree what the others have said about "Lillian Russell", dullest biographical film ever made but Alice Faye is beautiful. "Lillian Russell" is lush, sweet but overly sentimental biography of the famous stage singer through her affairs with Edward Salomon (Don Ameche) and Alexander Moore (Henry Fonda). I'm a big Alice Faye fan and though "Lillian Russell" is throughly unexciting, I kept watching it because of Faye's presence. Her singing was a big plus.

In the 1930s and 40s, Hollywood made a ton of bio-pics. In most cases, the actual peoples' lives were only the barest of outlines for the films--with SIGNIFICANT padding (in other words, outright lying) to make the films more marketable. While the films were generally pretty enjoyable, they also were pure bunk--so when watching any biography from this period, take what you see and hear with a grain of salt. I say all this here because "Lillian Russell" is just one of those films--filled with fiction and is only a biography in name only.

While in some ways this film is accurate about the great stage actress Lillian Russell, here are a few ways where the film is total bull:

The film shows Lillian's parents as a loving couple. They actually separated when Lillian was 18 and she and her mother moved across country--leaving dad behind.

Lillian's first marriage in the film is the biggest problem in the film. Her creepy husband (Don Ameche) dies--leaving her a sad, sad widow who then sings HIS song as a tribute to him. In reality, it turned out this total louse was ALREADY MARRIED!!!! When Lillian discovered he was a bigamist, she divorced him! Some love story!!! He also was her second husband--and she'd been cheating on her poor old first husband!

Lillian was married four times...but not in this movie! She only married once and there is an implied marriage at the end.

Her beautiful baby is important in the film. The fact that it died as an infant was never mentioned!

Lillian herself was a feminist and suffragette--writing articles and speaking out for the cause. None of this is in the film and only her mother's political aspirations are discussed--odd considering the film is supposed to be about Lillian.

The film, despite having a completely dull and inaccurate plot, was a big-budget film--with AMAZING sets and lots of stars. It was odd, however, that despite having many big-name actors in the film that they were often used very poorly. Don Ameche, probably Fox's #1 male star at the time, plays a simpering loser--who also behaves VERY creepy 80 minutes into the film (where he basically says she can NEVER, NEVER leave him--even if she wants to!). Clearly it was NOT a role suited to such an illustrious star and might have been better for Boris Karloff! Henry Fonda basically plays a love-sick loser....and a creepy one who has stalked her from afar. Warren William is in the film...and that's all that can be said about his part. Pretty much the same can be said for Leo Carillo. Edward Arnold isn't bad as Diamond Jim Brady, however, and Helen Westley is GREAT as grandma. And as for the star, Alice Faye, this is one of her best films and the makeup and costuming folks have made her radiant. Clearly the women in this film outshine the men--as if the men, for a change, are more window dressing than people.

The overall verdict is that although the film looks great and has some decent moments, it's a dull, bloated and incredibly inaccurate film. By the way, there is a VERY funny glitch at the 89 minute mark. Lillian picks up her crying baby. The closeup of the kid is of a completely different kid--with the hair changing from brown to blond before your very eyes--and with a completely different face!! Didn't they think anyone would notice.

FYI--This film was wildly inaccurate that there is a special feature on the DVD entitled "A Woman Like No Other: The Real Lillian Russell"! It is worth seeing. It also shows that Lillian's life was FAR more interesting than the 20th Century-Fox film!