Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

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Passed
1h 44min
Comedy, Drama
20 Mar 1944 (Sweden)
Movie

6.8 (1,271)

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Small-town Indiana girl Lily Mars dreams to be a stage actress. She begs visiting Broadway producer John Thornway for a role but he dismisses her as an amateur. She follows him to New York and worms her way into his show, and his heart.

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Stars:

Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video

Still of Mártha Eggerth in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

Still of Judy Garland and Van Heflin (I) in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

Still of Van Heflin (I), Mártha Eggerth and Leonid Kinskey in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

Still of Van Heflin (I) and Mártha Eggerth in Presenting Lily Mars (1943)

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21 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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	Judy Garland	...	Lily Mars
	Van Heflin	...	John Thornway
	Fay Bainter	...	Mrs. Thornway
	Richard Carlson	...	Owen Vail
	Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Mars
	Mártha Eggerth	...	Isobel Rekay (as Marta Eggerth)
	Connie Gilchrist	...	Frankie
	Leonid Kinskey	...	Leo
	Patricia Barker	...	Poppy
	Janet Chapman	...	Violet
	Annie Ross	...	Rosie (as Annabelle Logan)
	Douglas Croft	...	Davey
	Ray McDonald	...	Charlie Potter
	Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra	...	Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (as Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra)
	Bob Crosby Orchestra	...	Bob Crosby and His Orchestra (as Bob Crosby and His Orchestra)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Abigail Adams	...	Woman (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Foncilla Adams	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
	Bobby Barber	...	Busboy (uncredited)
	Ray Bauduc	...	Drummer - Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Mary Bayless	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Barbara Bedford	...	Assistant Boardinghouse Manager (uncredited)
	Betty Blythe	...	Dowager (uncredited)
	Eric Braunsteiner	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
	James Carlisle	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
	Judy Carol	...	Singer on 'St. Louis Blues' (uncredited)
	Pete Carpenter	...	Clarinetist in Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Bill Cartledge	...	Dixie Brill - Jockey (uncredited)
	Lynne Carver	...	Bonnie - Showgirl (uncredited)
	Wally Cassell	...	Man (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Robert Cauterio	...	Captain of Waiters (uncredited)
	Jack Chefe	...	Captain of Waiters (uncredited)
	Milton Chisholm	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
	Frank Coghlan Jr.	...	Elevator Boy (uncredited)
	Bob Crosby	...	Bob Crosby (uncredited)
	Cliff Danielson	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
	Bryn Davis	...	Fat Woman (uncredited)
	Helen Dickson	...	Mrs. Schofield (uncredited)
	Bill Dill	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Tommy Dorsey	...	Tommy Dorsey (uncredited)
	Dan Dowling	...	Club Patron (uncredited)
	Mary Elliott	...	Woman (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Virginia Engels	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
	Tom Ferrandini	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Sam Finn	...	Club Patron (uncredited)
	George Ford	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
	Rudy Germane	...	Club Patron (uncredited)
	Herschel Graham	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Virginia Gumm	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
	Max Herman	...	Trumpeter in Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Marcella Holmes	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
	Vicky Lane	...	Gwen - Showgirl (uncredited)
	Carl M. Leviness	...	Tired Man (uncredited)
	Max Linder	...	Club Patron (uncredited)
	Wilbur Mack	...	Club Patron (uncredited)
	Marilyn Maxwell	...	Prissy - Showgirl (uncredited)
	Claire McDowell	...	Dowager (uncredited)
	Charles Meakin	...	Mayor (uncredited)
	Mary Alice Moore	...	Script Girl (uncredited)
	Alberto Morin	...	Man (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Buddy Morrow	...	Musician (uncredited)
	Al Murphy	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Lee Murray	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
	Remington Olmsted	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
	Lew Payton	...	Andrew - Mrs. Thornway's Butler (uncredited)
	Wanda Perry	...	Girl at Party (uncredited)
	Ben Pollack	...	Saxophonist in Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Frances Rafferty	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
	Edward Rickard	...	Club Patron (uncredited)
	Gil Rodin	...	Saxophonist in Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Harry Rosenthal	...	Pianist (uncredited)
	Gus Schilling	...	Scotty - Stage Manager (uncredited)
	Almira Sessions	...	Boardinghouse Manager (uncredited)
	Mabel Smaney	...	Fat Woman (uncredited)
	Bruce Squires	...	Trombonist in Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
	Henry Sylvester	...	Professor Eggleston (uncredited)
	William Tannen	...	Eugene Shepherd (uncredited)
	Dorothy Vernon	...	Audience Member (uncredited)
	Jack Vlaskin	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
	Charles Walters	...	Lily's Dance Partner in Finale (uncredited)
	Pat West	...	Bartender in Bar (uncredited)
	Lee Wilde	...	Singer with Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited)
	Lyn Wilde	...	Singer with Bob Crosby's Orchestra (uncredited)
	Lillian Yarbo	...	Rosa - Isobel's Maid (uncredited)
	Katherine Yorke	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
	Joe Yule	...	Mike - Stage Doorman (uncredited)

Directed by

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Norman Taurog

Written by

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Richard Connell	...	(screen play by) &
Booth Tarkington	...	(based uopn the novel by)
Gladys Lehman	...	(screen play by)

Frances Marion	...

Jack Mintz	...	(contributor to comedy construction)

Produced by

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Joe Pasternak

...

producer (produced by) (as Joseph Pasternak)

Music by

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George Stoll

...

(uncredited)

Cinematography by

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Joseph Ruttenberg

...

director of photography

Editing by

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Albert Akst

Art Direction by

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Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by

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Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by

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Howard Shoup

...

(gowns) (as Shoup)

Makeup Department

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William Tuttle

...

makeup artist: Judy Garland (uncredited)

Production Management

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Sergei Petschnikoff

...

unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Roy Del Ruth	...	director: additional scenes (uncredited)
Dolph Zimmer	...	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Harry McAfee	...	associate art director
Richard Pefferle	...	associate set decorator

Sound Department

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Douglas Shearer	...	recording director
Norwood A. Fenton	...	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Warren Newcombe

...

special effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Eugene Joseff

...

costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Additional Crew

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Ernst Matray	...	dance director
Charles Walters	...	choreographer: finale (uncredited)

Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1943) (United States) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
Regal Films (1943) (Canada) (theatrical) (as Regal Films, Ltd.)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1943) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1943) (Australia) (theatrical)
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (1943) (Mexico) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1943) (Argentina) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1944) (Portugal) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (Finland) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A/B (1946) (Sweden) (theatrical)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (United States) (VHS)
The Criterion Channel (2022) (United States) (tv) (streaming)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary	Talented small-town girl Lily Mars hounds producer John Thornway for a part in his new play, but he doesn't want anything to do with stage-struck amateurs. But when Lily follows him to New York, he gets to know her better and his opinion of her changes for the better. Then, when the leading lady of the play walks out, Lily gets her big break on Broadway. Written by Leon Wolters Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	damsel-in-distress deception desperation song singing See All (52) »
Taglines	Judy's a Glamour Girl Now! See more »
Genres	Comedy Drama Musical Romance
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Australia:PG Australia:G (TV rating) Finland:S France:Tous publics Sweden:Btl United Kingdom:U United States:Passed (National Board of Review) United States:Approved

Additional Details

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Also Known As	Lily Mars vedette (France) Bühne frei für Lily Mars (Germany) Lily Mars vedette (Belgium, French title) Lily Mars vedette (Belgium, Flemish title) Lilly, A Teimosa (Brazil) See more »
Runtime	104 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Black and White
Aspect Ratio	1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Filming Locations	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA See more »

Did You Know?

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Trivia	In the elaborate musical finale, Judy Garland is dancing with an uncredited Charles Walters, who would eventually become one of MGM's top directors and direct Judy herself in both Easter Parade (1948) and Summer Stock (1950). See more »
Movie Connections	Featured in Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic (1994). See more »
Soundtracks	Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son See more »
Crazy Credits	Under the single "The End" title, Davey Mars is seen to steal one more doorknob for his collection. See more »
Quotes	Mrs. Thornway: John, he died several years ago. John Thornway: Oh, he did? I'm sorry to hear that. Mrs. Thornway: He left a wife and five children. Nobody knows how they manage, but they do. Everybody in Midhaven worries about the Marses... except the Marses. See more »

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