Coming up next we have 1949's "Look For The Silver Lining", a fictionalized biopic of the life of Marilyn Miller, who was one of the most popular Broadway stars of the 1920s and 1930s.
The film's cast includes June Haver, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Charles Ruggles, Rosemary DeCamp, Lee Wilde, Lynn Wilde, Dick Simmons, S.Z. Sakall, Walter Catlett, and Will Rogers Jr.
Broadway star Marilyn Miller is getting ready for a new show. During rehearsals, she is taken ill and rushes off to her dressing room to rest.
As she rests, she is reminded of her beginnings in show business and how she came to be one of the top Broadway stars.
As a teenage girl, young Marilyn Miller is sent by her grandmother to join her parents and elder sisters, who are touring in vaudeville.
There, she makes the acquaintance of dancing star Jack Donahue, who performs with Marilyn backstage for the theater company during their Christmas party.
When her family becomes ill and must be quarantined, Jack gives Marilyn her big break. And she's a hit.
The two of them go on to work together very successfully. Jack keeps an eye on Marilyn's career and makes sure she's constantly moving upwards.
Marilyn becomes a star in her own right. She eventually meets singer/dancer Frank Carter. The two sing a duet entitled "Time On My Hands".
While they initially do not like each other, they eventually fall in love and begin a whirlwind romance.
Frank starts a new tradition for Marilyn. With every new show's opening, he sends her an elephant for luck. She comes to count on these gifts very much.
Eventually, they get married. Frank gets Marilyn to accept the role of Sally in Florenz Zigfield's production of the same name. He's particularly impressed by the song "Look For The Silver Lining", and he sings it for Marilyn.
On opening night, Frank sends a message saying he will be late. His traditional gift of an elephant for luck arrives broken.
Marilyn pieces it back together and resolves to go on, hoping that Frank will make it before the end of the show.
During the show, Marilyn sings "Look For The Silver Lining". The audience is enraptured by the performance and gives her a great ovation at the show's conclusion.
At the show's end, Marilyn returns to her dressing room to find sad news awaiting her. While trying to make it to the theater, Frank was killed in an automobile accident. As time goes by, Marilyn throws herself into work.
Eventually, love finds its way into Marilyn's life again. However, ill health is causing her great difficulty.
Back in the present, Marilyn confides in her old friend Jack Donahue that the doctor has advised her to give up everything and lead a quiet life if she wants to enjoy an sense of normalcy with her health. This just simply isn't an option for her.
Finding that the show must go on, Marilyn goes on stage and dazzles the audience once again.
As the show ends, Marilyn sings, "So always look for the silver lining, and try to find the sunny side of life."
Cast rundown:
June Haver...........................................Marilyn Miller
Ray Bolger............................................Jack Donahue
Gordon MacRae....................................Frank Carter
Charles Ruggles....................................Pop Miller
Rosemary DeCamp................................Mama Miller
The Wilde Sisters..................................Claire Miller/Ruth Miller
Dick Simmons.......................................Henry Doran
Walter Catlett........................................Himself
Will Rogers Jr........................................Will Rogers
And that's it for Look For The Silver Lining. Marilyn Miller had a tragically short life. Her health suffered because of severe sinus infections. Complications from an operation on her nasal passages caused her death at the age of thirty-seven in 1936. An estimated 2500 people came to St. Bartholomew's Cathedral in New York on the day of her funeral. She was buried next to her first husband in a mausoleum she had constructed at Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx.
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