Lillian Roth (1910 -1980) was a well-known singer and actress during the thirties and forties; she made a few Hollywood films during the early thirties, but became better known as a Broadway performer. In 1954 she published her autobiography," I'll Cry Tomorrow", in which she dealt frankly with the alcoholism which had badly affected her life and career. The book was a best-seller and led to her making a comeback on Broadway. This film version followed only a year later. It presents us with a somewhat edited, simplified picture of Roth's career, omitting her Hollywood years and reducing the number of her marriages from five to three.
In the early part of the film, Lillian is eight years old and is being groomed by her pushy mother Katie for a stage career. The action then jumps forward by about twenty years. Roth is now an established star, but Katie is still constantly trying to interfere in her life. Katie has taken a particular dislike to Lillian's boyfriend, David, fearing that if Lillian marries him she will give up her career in show business. There is, however, to be no marriage. David is suddenly taken ill and dies, and Lillian turns to drink to try and cope with her grief.
She continues performing, despite her worsening drink problem. She makes a brief, unhappy marriage to an airman, Wally, but cannot remember her wedding as she was drunk at the time. Her second marriage only makes matters worse. Her new husband, Tony, is also a heavy drinker, although he can hold his liquor better than she can, and encourages her drinking. When she tries to give up alcohol and to persuade him to do the same, her becomes physically abusive to her, and their marriage collapses. Eventually she decides to straighten her life out and joins Alcoholics Anonymous, where she meets her third husband, Burt, here portrayed as the great love of her life and the man who saves her from herself. (Nobody could have known in 1955 that this marriage would turn out to be as unsuccessful as Lillian's others and that a few years later Burt would walk out on her, taking much of her money with him).
According to her biographers Robert LaGuardia and Gene Arceri, Susan Hayward struggled to obtain the sort of dramatic parts in which she could shine and had numerous battles with her studio and with producers who were content to carry on casting her in undemanding roles. (One explanation I have heard is that in the fifties most of the best roles were in black-and-white movies but the studio preferred to cast her in colour films which they felt showed her red hair off to its best advantage). She was desperate to secure the part of Lillian Roth for herself and eventually succeeded.
Hayward's determination paid off, because she gives one of her finest performances here. She was an actress who could give the impression of not really trying very hard when she was forced to take on something which did not interest her, "The Conqueror", made a year after "I'll Cry Tomorrow" and in which she was horribly miscast, being a notorious example. When given something which really challenged her, however, she could come good. She received a "Best Actress" Oscar nomination for her heartfelt portrayal of the tortured Lillian, but lost out to Anna Magnani in "The Rose Tattoo". (She would eventually win an Oscar for "I Want to Live!" from three years later). Because the film concentrated more on Lillian's singing than her acting, there are several musical numbers, and Hayward did all her own singing, even though she had never sung in a film before and even though it was common practice in the fifties to use professional singers to dub the voices of well-known actors. She copes, however, very well with the demands made upon her, singing in a deep, throaty voice; I never would have thought it possible to invest with such depth and passion a song as cheerfully bland as "When the Red, Red Robin" (which was Lillian Roth's signature tune).
Not all of the cast are as good, although there is a decent contribution from Jo Van Fleet as the domineering Katie and little Carole Ann Campbell is delightful as the young Lillian. (Katie is a stage mother comparable to Rosalind Russell's character in "Gypsy", with the difference that Russell largely played her character for laughs whereas Van Fleet is more serious). The action can at times be too slow, especially in the second half when the film seems to turn into one long extended commercial for Alcoholics Anonymous. Susan Hayward's drive and passion, however, are enough to carry the film with her. 7/10
In the early part of the film, Lillian is eight years old and is being groomed by her pushy mother Katie for a stage career. The action then jumps forward by about twenty years. Roth is now an established star, but Katie is still constantly trying to interfere in her life. Katie has taken a particular dislike to Lillian's boyfriend, David, fearing that if Lillian marries him she will give up her career in show business. There is, however, to be no marriage. David is suddenly taken ill and dies, and Lillian turns to drink to try and cope with her grief.
She continues performing, despite her worsening drink problem. She makes a brief, unhappy marriage to an airman, Wally, but cannot remember her wedding as she was drunk at the time. Her second marriage only makes matters worse. Her new husband, Tony, is also a heavy drinker, although he can hold his liquor better than she can, and encourages her drinking. When she tries to give up alcohol and to persuade him to do the same, her becomes physically abusive to her, and their marriage collapses. Eventually she decides to straighten her life out and joins Alcoholics Anonymous, where she meets her third husband, Burt, here portrayed as the great love of her life and the man who saves her from herself. (Nobody could have known in 1955 that this marriage would turn out to be as unsuccessful as Lillian's others and that a few years later Burt would walk out on her, taking much of her money with him).
According to her biographers Robert LaGuardia and Gene Arceri, Susan Hayward struggled to obtain the sort of dramatic parts in which she could shine and had numerous battles with her studio and with producers who were content to carry on casting her in undemanding roles. (One explanation I have heard is that in the fifties most of the best roles were in black-and-white movies but the studio preferred to cast her in colour films which they felt showed her red hair off to its best advantage). She was desperate to secure the part of Lillian Roth for herself and eventually succeeded.
Hayward's determination paid off, because she gives one of her finest performances here. She was an actress who could give the impression of not really trying very hard when she was forced to take on something which did not interest her, "The Conqueror", made a year after "I'll Cry Tomorrow" and in which she was horribly miscast, being a notorious example. When given something which really challenged her, however, she could come good. She received a "Best Actress" Oscar nomination for her heartfelt portrayal of the tortured Lillian, but lost out to Anna Magnani in "The Rose Tattoo". (She would eventually win an Oscar for "I Want to Live!" from three years later). Because the film concentrated more on Lillian's singing than her acting, there are several musical numbers, and Hayward did all her own singing, even though she had never sung in a film before and even though it was common practice in the fifties to use professional singers to dub the voices of well-known actors. She copes, however, very well with the demands made upon her, singing in a deep, throaty voice; I never would have thought it possible to invest with such depth and passion a song as cheerfully bland as "When the Red, Red Robin" (which was Lillian Roth's signature tune).
Not all of the cast are as good, although there is a decent contribution from Jo Van Fleet as the domineering Katie and little Carole Ann Campbell is delightful as the young Lillian. (Katie is a stage mother comparable to Rosalind Russell's character in "Gypsy", with the difference that Russell largely played her character for laughs whereas Van Fleet is more serious). The action can at times be too slow, especially in the second half when the film seems to turn into one long extended commercial for Alcoholics Anonymous. Susan Hayward's drive and passion, however, are enough to carry the film with her. 7/10