Presenting Lily Mars

It's established pretty quickly in Norman Taurog's Presenting Lily Mars that the titular leading lady (Judy Garland) so wants to become an actress. Her persistence is so strong, she starts annoying director John Thornway (Van Helfin) to give her a chance. But will she succeed?

Much like A Star is Born the following decade, Presenting Lily Mars has Garland as the promising talent just waiting to be discovered. Of course suspicion of disbelief is in effect for both films since everyone by now knows of Garland's abilities as an entertainer. (C'est la vie, perhaps.)

And of course with this being a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios production, Presenting Lily Mars relies a bit more on the musical numbers than, well, anything else. (Hey, a little escapism doesn't hurt every now and again.) Though when the film does decide to focus on the plot, it's either hit or miss.

However, there is some good comedy within certain moments of Presenting Lily Mars. Both Helfin and Richard Carlson dish out their fair share of reaction shots. (Marta Eggerth meanwhile has a glare that could cut clean through you.) And Garland gets in on the comedy as well.

All in all though, Presenting Lily Mars isn't anything too remarkable. Yes, the actors have good chemistry but once you read the plotline, you can tell what path it'll be going down. It does provide some entertainment but not much.

My Rating: ***1/2

Boys Town

Early on in Norman Taurog's Boys Town, Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy) is inspired to open a home for wayward boys. It's not an immediate success but fortunately donations start to pour in.

Enter Whitey Marsh (Mickey Rooney), a small-time hoodlum who acts like he's James Cagney. Father Flanagan has hope that he can reform Whitey. But Whitey proves that he's a tough nut to crack.

The contrast between Father Flanagan and Whitey is an interesting one to watch. Flanagan is patient while Whitey is short-tempered. Kind against volatile. Caring against careless. It's the sort of yin yang that was often seen in films from the era (and something that should come back into practice for today's films).

And the performances from Tracy and Rooney make Boys Town what it is. Tracy (who won an Oscar for his work) provides the right amount of sentimentality for the role. Rooney, meanwhile, gives an ornery performance which gradually softens as the film wears on. They're not the best performances of all time but they make the film work.

Back in 1938 this might have been immensely popular but nowadays, Boys Town doesn't pack the same punch. If it weren't for the performances from Tracy and Rooney, there's a strong possibility it would have been buried amid the many titles of that year. That said, it's still worth a look.

My Rating: ****