Themes: Alcoholism, Actor's Life, Ladder to the Top
Main Cast: Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Eddie Albert, Jo Van Fleet, Don Taylor
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 119 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Susan Hayward pulls out all the stops, and then some, in this cinemadaptation of singer Lillian Roth's autobiography I'll Cry Tomorrow. In as harshly realistic a manner as possible in the still censor-dominated Hollywood of 1955, the film recounts Roth's rise to fame, her precipitous fall and her tearful comeback. The fact that Roth loves not wisely but too well is only part of the problem (only two of her eight husbands are portrayed in the film); contributing factors to her self-destruction also included her witchlike "stage mother" (Jo Van Fleet) and the pressures of fame and fortune. The principal reason for Roth's fall from the height of fame to the depths of squalor and despair is booze -- at least until she begins to pull herself together with the help of Alcoholics-Anonymous representative Burt McGuire (Eddie Albert). The story concludes with a testimonial staged in Roth's honor on the TV series This is Your Life (the original of which still exists in kinescope form). Having been personally coached by the real Lillian Roth, Susan Hayward does an excellent job of copying the singer's unique style. Though Hayward did not win an Oscar for her performance, she did cop the "Best Actress" prize at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
I'll Cry Tomorrow is one of the best 1950s biopics, built around Susan Hayward's outstanding performance as singer Lillian Roth. The film serves as a cautionary tale against the horrors of alcoholism; though the story is slow to set up, Tomorrow dramatically pays off in its latter portion, when Roth seeks help. In its attempt to cover a substantial number of years in Roth's life, the screenplay's narrative flow ebbs at times, but this is a common problem with biographical films of the era. Among the supporting cast members, Jo Van Fleet is a highlight as Roth's mother. Her scenes with Hayward give the film its emotional core. As with much of director Daniel Mann's work, the dialogue and character interplay is sharp, and the visual aspects are simple and straightforward. The production values are solid but not extravagant; Helen Rose won an Oscar for her occasionally anachronistic costumes. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
Margo - Selma; Ray Danton - David Tredman; Virginia Gregg - Ellen; David Kasday - David, as a child; Carole Ann Campbell - Lillian (younger); Peter Leeds - Richard; Tol Avery - Fat Man; Patty Duke; Don "Red" Barry - Jerry; Mary Bear - Couple; Veda Ann Borg - Waitress; Peter Brocco - Doctor; Budd Buster - Switchman; Timothy Carey - Derelict; Jack Daley - Cab Driver; Bob Dix - Henry; Ralph Edwards - Himself; Anita Ekberg - Bit: Performer; Stanley Farrar - Director; Gail Ganley - Lillian at 15; Jack Gargan - Drug Clerk; Ben Gazzara - Bit: Card Player; Bob Hopkins - M C; Anthony Jochim - Paul, the Butler; Henry Kulky; George Lloyd - Messenger; Nora Marlowe - Nurse; Eve McVeagh - Ethel; Cheerio Meredith - Elderly lady; James Ogg - Usher; Kenneth Patterson; George Pembroke; Voltaire Perkins - Mr. Byrd; Vernon Rich - Club manager; Bob Stephenson; Ruth Storey - Marge Belney; Charles Tannen - Stage Manager; David Tredman - Ray Danton; Robert Vaughn - Bit: Photographer; Harlan Warde - Stage Manager; Guy Wilkerson - Man; Robert B. Williams - Stagehand; John Cassavetes - Bit: Card Player; Vittorio De Sica - Bit: Shoemaker; Donovan - Bit: Singer; Marc Krah; Kay English - Dress designer; Herbert Lytton - Conductor; Joe Duval - Bartender
Credit
Malcolm Brown - Art Director, Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Helen Rose - Costume Designer, Daniel Mann - Director, Harold Kress - Editor, Alex North - Composer (Music Score), Charles Henderson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Arthur E. Arling - Cinematographer, Lawrence Weingarten - Producer, Hugh Hunt - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Warren Newcombe - Special Effects, Lillian Roth - Screenwriter, Helen Deutsch - Screenwriter, Jay Richard Kennedy - Screenwriter, Lillian Roth - Book Author, Gerold Frank - Book Author, Mike Connolly - Book Author
