Presenting Lily Mars

First of all, she never looked better... sort of the apotheosis of all that evil energy MGM spent in turning Frances Gumm into Judy Garland. Blondish (and not a wig), thin (but not too thin), energized and comic (working her mannerisms rather than the reverse), and she sounds great. Moreover, Hollywood and Tarkington were made for each other, and the payoff works here as well. Clever americana, with truly inspired set pieces surrounding Judy's attempts to get "discovered" by "local boy makes good" producer, Heflin.

The tacked-on, mega-production ending is a real clunker and can leave a bad aftertaste. Avoid the ending if you can pull yourself away. But for this grandiose, ill-fitting finale, an almost perfect Garland musical and as good as she gets (which is the best singing actress ever to grace the screen).

One more point in Garland's favor: she plays the perfect "straight man" in two comic scenes with her on screen younger sister. Given Garland's reputation, let alone the instincts of any actor not to be upstaged, one can't but admire her generosity. Her self-confidence and generosity in these scenes make the film that much funnier and stronger.

The film itself is a lopsided affair with some heart and decent performances. It also features the Bob Crosby and Tommy Dorsey orchestras in a couple of notable musical sequences. Although this is Judy Garland's show, MGM strangely showcases operatic star Martha Eggerth a little too much and her presence mostly drags the film into headache territory. Thank God Garland makes up for it with a couple of terrific numbers of her own that show off her flair for comedy as well as singing and dancing.

The story doesn't hit target centre overall but it's not terrible and things do move at a nice pace, and Van Heflin turns in his usual capable performance. Garland simply outshines the material and it's a shame the writers missed so many opportunities for a more balanced and meaningful story.

Not a great film, or maybe even one of Garland's best, but she's great in it and her fans won't be disappointed.

Finally caught up with this one on Turner Classic Movies, in a pristine video transfer, doing full justice to Joseph Ruttenberg's glowing black-and-white cinematography.

Opinions on this one among other IMDb-ers seem, not surprisingly, rather mixed, since the clichés that form the basis for this script are not quite sufficiently redeemed by a generally excellent supporting cast, as well as very deluxe art and set decoration, including a stunning nightclub set. (It almost makes one want to exclaim, "Who needs Technicolor?!?")

But Judy, looking really lovely, performs her heart out and more than holds her own amidst the sort of sentimental claptrap that Louis B. Mayer insisted be fashioned around her maturing femininity. It's also said that Mayer dictated that the final overblown production number should be tacked on to conclude the picture, with Charles Walters, later to be one of Garland's most congenial directors (after the bloom was off the rose of Vincente Minnelli's Svengali-like love affair with Judy), dancing up a storm with her, making one wish that he'd done quite a bit more performing in front of the camera .

Any film, by the way, that gives the wonderful Connie Gilchrist a chance to appear for even only a few minutes of its running time is simply not to be missed. What a treasure she was!

Presenting Lily Mars is one of a genre of film that sadly seems to have disappeared with the studio system. Ok now that you know my bias, here are some reasons I think this movie does stand out.

1. Although the basic plot - Lily Mars (Judy Garland) goes to New York, becomes a star, and wins the heart of her director (Van Heflin) is a pretty stock Hollywood story of the period, the writers do vary the theme her a bit more than usual. Although Lily gets her big break when the star quits, she isn't successful and has to swallow her pride and go back to playing a minor role in the show.

2. Judy Garland (enough said!)

3. The supporting cast includes some really great performances. Spring Byington as Lily's mother is truely wonderful, as is Fay Bainter (the mother of the director - John Thornway (Van Heflin)). The standout supporting performance though goes to character actress Connie Gilchrist as Frankie, a one time actress turned theater custodian.

Worth a watch for sure. One of those movies that are designed to make you feel better about the world and your dreams.

Presenting Lily Mars (MGM, 1943) is a cute film, but in my opinion it could have been better. Judy Garland is great as always, but some scenes in the film seem out of place and the romance between her and Van Heflin develops all too quickly.

I mean, one minute he's ready to beat her butt, but the next minute he falls in love with her. I believe that this production, the film editing, and the script ( even though the photography was great, the scenery was nice and the costumes were nice as well) could have been a little better. It feels as though the production was too rushed.

The supporting cast was good as well, especially little Janet Chapman as the second youngest daughter daughter Rosie. She at the age of 11, looks really cute and it's a shame that she didn't develop into a teenage comic actress. She's much better in this film than in her previous films as Warner Brothers in the late 1930's (except for Broadway Musketeers 1938, she's really good in that), when they tried to make her into a Shirley Temple/Sybil Jason hybrid. Overall, this film could better, but in the end, Judy gave it her all.