Main Cast: June Haver, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Charlie Ruggles, Rosemary de Camp
Release Year: 1949
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
Plot
The short but colorful life of American musical comedy star Marilyn Miller is given the standard prettified Hollywood treatment in Look for the Silver Lining. June Haver, an accomplished dancer-singer in her own right, is well-cast as Miller, who rises from an appendage in her parents' vaudeville act to the toast of Broadway. Along the way, she suffers such personal tragedies as the wartime death of her first husband, songwriter Frank Carter (Gordon Macrae), but manages to smile through the tears and go on to even loftier showbiz heights. The film ends in 1936, the year of Miller's death; we last see her "giving her all" to her audience, while an offstage observer makes ominous comments about her future. The Phoebe and Henry Ephron/Marian Spitzer screenplay (based on a story by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby) glosses over Marilyn Miller's notorious prima donna behavior; she is shown lording it over the "little people" in only one scene, whereupon she is gently put in her place by the remonstrative Frank Carter. Charles Ruggles and Rosemary DeCamp co-star as Miller's vaudevillian parents, while Ray Bolger is his usual ebullient self as Jack Donahue; also on hand are S.Z. Sakall and Walter Catlett, recreating a scene from Miller's 1925 Broadway triumph Sally (Catlett had appeared in the original production). Look for the Silver Lining was produced by Warner Bros., the same company that released the real Marilyn Miller's three starring films back in the early days of the talkies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Ray Bolger will so firmly forever be remembered for his delightful performance as The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, but his turn in Look for the Silver Lining has been unfairly neglected. Granted, Lining is nowhere near the classic that is Wizard, and Bolger's character in Lining is not as well written. But it's a first rate musical comedy turn, especially when those fleet feet of his get a chance to fly across the floor. Bolger's dancing is great throughout, but especially so in the "Who" number, where he really pulls out the stops. His vocal and dramatic performances are also superior, the latter being especially impressive considering the lack of good dramatic material at hand. Yes, Lining shows Bolger off to fins advantage, which would be a wonderful thing if the film were about Jack Donahue rather than Marilyn Miller. But Miller is indeed the subject, and here the film comes up short. June Haver is pert and cute and attractive, and no one could say that she doesn't have a certain flair with a song and a dance. But she lacks the dynamic charisma that this part calls for. She's a firecracker called upon to play a stick of dynamite liberally soaked in nitroglycerine. Haver isn't helped by the soggy script, of course, nor is Gordon MacRae (who needless to say is in fine voice). Still, the supporting cast is good, the Technicolor is yummy and the sets and costumes quite nice to look at. Even without the stellar talent at its center that it requires, Lining is a pleasant enough little diversion. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
John Hughes - Art Director, LeRoy J. Prinz - Choreography, Marjorie Best - Costume Designer, William Travilla - Costume Designer, David Butler - Director, Irene Morra - Editor, Ray Heindorf - Composer (Music Score), Ray Heindorf - Musical Direction/Supervision, Edwin Allen - Makeup, Perc Westmore - Makeup, Bill Cooley - Makeup, J. Peverell Marley - Cinematographer, William Jacobs - Producer, Fred MacLean - Set Designer, Bert Kalmar - Screen Story, Harry Ruby - Screen Story, Henry Ephron - Screenwriter, Phoebe Ephron - Screenwriter, Marian Spitzer - Screenwriter
