''I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955) is a biopic that tells the story of

Lillian Roth Lillian Roth (December 13, 1910 – May 12, 1980) was an American singer and actress. Her life story was told in the 1955 film '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', in which she was portrayed by Susan Hayward, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and struggles with alcoholism after the death of her fiancé. It stars

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

, Margo, and

Jo Van Fleet Catherine Josephine Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Bi ...

. The screenplay was adapted by

Helen Deutsch Helen Deutsch (21 March 1906 – 15 March 1992) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and songwriter. Biography Deutsch was born in New York City and graduated from Barnard College. She began her career by managing the Provincetown Player ...

and

Jay Richard Kennedy Jay Richard Kennedy (July 23, 1911 - October 14, 1991) was an author, screenwriter, composer, publisher, FBI spy, record executive, and Harry Belafonte's business manager. In his 60s, he worked for Frank Sinatra. In his 70s, he left entertain ...

from the 1954 autobiography by Lillian Roth, Mike Connolly and

Gerold Frank Gerold Frank (August 2, 1907 – September 17, 1998) was an American writer and ghostwriter. He wrote several celebrity memoirs and was considered a pioneer of the "as told to" form of (auto)biography. His two best-known books, however, are ''Th ...

. It was directed by Daniel Mann. The film won the

Academy Award for Best Costume Design The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for achievement in film costume design. The award was first given in 1949, for films made in 1948 ...

for Helen Rose, and had three other Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Susan Hayward. It was entered into the

1956 Cannes Film Festival The 9th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1956. The Palme d'Or went to ''The Silent World'' by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. The festival opened with '' Marie-Antoinette reine de France'', directed by Jean Delannoy and ...

Plot

Eight-year-old

(Carole Ann Campbell) constantly is pushed by her domineering stage mother Katie (

Jo Van Fleet Catherine Josephine Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Bi ...

) to audition and act, even though she is merely a child. One day, Katie secures an opportunity in Chicago, which leads to Lillian, now older (

), to having a successful musical career. Even though 20 years have passed, Katie still is managing Lillian, as well as running her life and career choices. Although her mother does not tell her, Lillian finds out that her childhood friend David (

Ray Danton Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan; September 19, 1931 – February 11, 1992) was a radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies '' The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' (196 ...

) tried to get in contact with her. She visits him in the hospital, and they soon fall in love. Because David is an entertainment company lawyer, he is able to secure Lillian shows at some big venues, including one at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia * Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, M ...

. However, there is latent tension between David and Katie because he feels that Katie is projecting her own ambitions onto Lillian and overworking her, and Katie feels a new man in Lillian's life only serves to distract from her high-profile career. When Lillian informs her mother she intends to marry David, Katie is disappointed and sees a repeat of her own life happening—giving up a career to have a husband and children. Suddenly, David falls ill and dies during the opening night of her show, and she is despondent at having lost the love of her life. Rebelling against her mother's domineering ways, Lillian turns to drinking. One night, in a drunken stupor, she goes out with an aviator, Wallie ( Don Taylor), and marries him that night but does not remember it. They remain married, but the marriage is loveless from the beginning. The only thing the two have in common is drinking, and both drink to forget the present. Lillian's career suffers as a result of her persistent alcoholism, and she spends all her money without booking new shows. The two divorce after Wallie says he is "sick of being Mr. Lillian Roth." Two years later, Lillian meets fellow alcoholic Tony Bardeman (

) at a dinner party, and she falls for him. However, Lillian goes through

alcohol withdrawal Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a set of symptoms that can occur following a reduction in alcohol use after a period of excessive use. Symptoms typically include anxiety, shakiness, sweating, vomiting, fast heart rate, and a mild fever. M ...

when she stops drinking to please her mother, and instead she turns to being a secret drinker. Her drinking gets worse when Tony goes home to California, but when he returns, Lillian begs him to stay with her. They decide to stop drinking together, but once they are married, Tony starts to drink, and Lillian is outraged. When she tries to stop him from drinking and leave, he beats her. She escapes Tony's clutches and goes to New York City to live with her mother, but contemplates suicide after a fight with her mother. Lillian goes to an

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...

shelter, and suffers bouts of

delirium tremens Delirium tremens (DTs) is a rapid onset of confusion usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol. When it occurs, it is often three days into the withdrawal symptoms and lasts for two to three days. Physical effects may include shaking, shiver ...

as she goes through withdrawals. She begins to fall for her sponsor Burt McGuire (

), but the crippling effects of childhood

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sy ...

make him wary of pursuing anything romantic. As she continues her recovery, she is invited to appear on the ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' television program to share her story of alcoholism and recovery.

Cast

as Tony Bardeman *

as Burt McGuire *

Jo Van Fleet Catherine Josephine Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Bi ...

as Katie Silverman Roth, Lillian's mother * Don Taylor as Wallie *

as David Tredman * Margo as Selma *

Virginia Gregg Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

as Ellen * Don 'Red' Barry as Jerry * David Kasday as David as a child * Carole Ann Campbell as Lillian (a child) * Peter Leeds as Richard Elstead *

Tol Avery Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery (August 28, 1915 – August 27, 1973) was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974. Biography Early in his career, Avery appeared as "Dennison ...

as Drunk party guest, Joe * Anthony Jochim as Paul (butler) * Jack Daley as Cab driver *

Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...

as Himself, as host of ''This Is Your Life'' (uncredited)

Box office

According to MGM records, the film made $5,873,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,854,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $2,933,000.

Reviews

sings for the first time on the screen, and will win much applause for her throaty voice in such songs as '' Sing, You Sinners'', ''

When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along) "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)" is a popular song written, both words and music, by Harry Woods in 1926. The song became the signature song for singer and actress Lillian Roth, who performed it often during the height o ...

'', and ''

I'm Sitting on Top of the World "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" is a popular song with music written by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. It was published in 1925. It is now in the public domain. The song was most likely first recorded by Art Gillha ...

''. She is supported by

as the man whose death first upsets her; by

Jo Van Fleet Catherine Josephine Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Bi ...

as her domineering mother who realises what she has done too late; Richard Conte, Eddie Albert and Don Taylor."''Picture Show'', June 23, 1956

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * *
Sound samples of the film score
{{Daniel Mann 1955 films 1955 drama films 1950s biographical drama films American biographical drama films American black-and-white films Biographical films about actors Cultural depictions of actors Cultural depictions of American women Films about alcoholism Films based on autobiographies Films directed by Daniel Mann Films scored by Alex North Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Box office

Reviews

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links