JLRMovieReviews In "Presenting Lily Mars," Judy Garland is an aspiring actress and singer, who is trying to get an audition with Van Heflin. He's a successful Broadway producer and writer who hails from her home town. When he goes home to visit mom, played by Fay Bainter, who's a friend of Judy's, they both try to set it up for Van Heflin to see what she can do. But he has always insisted on not seeing another eager amateur with no talent. Even for his own mother, no more auditions. In fact, the whole first half of the movie is about her trying to get noticed, even getting one of her younger sisters in on the act of playacting. Her mother, played by Spring Byington, encourages her. I had reviewed this before a couple of years back, when I gave the movie a rougher review, but upon seeing again, I enjoyed it more. As usual Judy is in great voice and the film has an offbeat sense of humor with a brother of hers collecting doorknobs. But what will happen? This movie may be predictable but it makes up for it by being very pleasant and having good supporting actors, and a madcap pace keeps the viewers' interest. "Lily Mars" is another good vehicle for Judy Garland, showcasing her versatility in comedic acting along with some very upbeat songs. Not much is mentioned about the movies she made in this time period between "The Wizard of Oz" and her more well-known MGM musicals like "Easter Parade" and "The Harvey Girls;" but watch "Presenting Lily Mars" and see just how great Judy Garland was whenever she was on screen, even in lesser-known films. She always lit up the screen.

bkoganbing Presenting Lily Mars may have provided Judy Garland with one of the easier roles she had while at MGM because Lily Mars is definitely a character she could identify with. A young girl with talent enough for ten, she knows she has what it takes to make it in the theater no matter how much producer Van Heflin from her home town discourages her.I really liked Judy in this one as the girl determined to make it in the theater. Because it is Judy Garland with the talent of Judy Garland you in the audience know she has the right stuff even if it takes Van Heflin nearly the whole movie to be convinced.Both Judy and Heflin hail from the same small town, Heflin's dad was the town doctor who delivered her and Heflin while he may have moved away and become a big producer on Broadway, their respective moms, Fay Bainter and Spring Byington have kept in touch. That's her entrée, but Heflin's constantly barraged with stagestruck kids, but never anyone quite like Lily Mars.No real big song hits came out of Presenting Lily Mars for Garland, though she sings all her numbers. The best in the film is a revival of that gaslight era chestnut, Every Little Movement Has A Meaning All Its Own. Judy sings it with Connie Gilchrist playing the cleaning lady in a Broadway theater where Heflin's show is being produced. Gilchrist was a star back in the days of the FloraDora Girls and she and Judy deliver the song in grand style with Connie. It's the best scene in the film as Gilchrist encourages Judy to keep at it. Composer Karl Hoschna had died a long time ago, but lyricist Otto Harbach was still alive and I'm betting he liked what he heard.European musical star Marta Eggerth is in Presenting Lily Mars as the show's star who's at first bemused, then angry and finally, understanding of Garland and Heflin. She did a couple of films with MGM and then went back to Europe for more work on the continent. I'm betting MGM didn't quite know what to do with her and her thick Hungarian accent, though Louis B. Mayer never met a soprano he didn't like.Van Heflin does well as the patient producer who puts up with a lot from Garland and Eggerth. Heflin was just coming off his Oscar for Johnny Eager the previous year and he and Garland wouldn't appear to be an ideal screen team, but they're not bad together.Presenting Lily Mars is a fine showcase for the talents of Judy Garland. And she didn't have to share the screen in another backstage film with Mickey Rooney.

Greg Couture 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!

BLG-2 Sweet story of a small-town girl who seeks fame and fortune on the stage. Judy Garland, like other ladies blessed with gorgeous voices, i.e. Celine Dion, Sarah Vaughan, Barbra Streisand, was not beautiful, but she looks pretty good here. I always liked Van Heflin, although due to the gaps in their ages and heights, when shot from certain angles he looks more paternal than like a love interest. I felt the romance developed too quickly and would have enjoyed seeing it happen more gradually. Judy's main song in this film, "When I Look at You," is a standout.