Lilly Turner (1933) Online

This is why I watch old movies. Every once in a while you find a completely neglected, undiscovered gem. That is the case with Lilly Turner, in which Ruth Chatterton gives one of the finest performances of any of the '30s era leading ladies. Her performance is so full of nuance. She was a great actress. The story leaves nothing to be desired. At a brief 65 minutes, it hits all the bases and leaves no aspect of the (moving) story unfinished. Lilly is a woman who is married to a polygamist. She doesn't learn of this until she is already pregnant; she loses the child but receives help from a fellow carnival performer. Together they bravely make their way in a sort of underworld of crazies and carnies. It isn't until she meets a taxi driver (Brent) that she finally finds love, but the question is will he be able to accept her.

This film highlights everything I love so much about classic films: exploration of human emotions and complicated situations. There is also the aspect of being redeemed by love which I find so beautiful in the older films. Although melodramatic, it is not a completely unbelievable story. There is as much truth as fantasy in the story. The fantasy takes us out of our own lives, while momentary grains of wisdom in the dialog keep us tuned in and, in my case, amazed.

The plot involving Brent is most interesting. He has a college degree but can't find a job, so he takes up a job in a carnival. Some might laugh, but only if taken out of the context of the great depression. Interestingly enough, I graduated college a year ago and have not found work in my field. The parallels in this movie peaked my interest and held meaning to me.

I am constantly surprised by the low ratings of pre-1940s films on IMDb. It leads me to believe most people do not appreciate the real classics, or at least the undiscovered ones.

Ruth Chatterton (as Lilly Turner) impulsively marries handsome actor Gordon Westcott (as Rex Durkee). Soon, Ms. Chatterton learns Mr. Westcott is a two-timer, who can't keep a job. Additionally, Westcott beats up Chatterton's pal Frank McHugh (as Dave Dixon), who shows a fondness for alcohol. When Westcott's previous wife makes a surprise appearance, Chatterton learns he is a bigamist; but, Westcott has taken off for parts unknown. Chatterton, left pregnant, accepts Mr. McHugh's marriage proposal; and, the two try to make ends meet as carnival workers. Then, Chatterton falls for down-on-his-luck engineer George Brent (as Bob Chandler), who soon replaces carnival strongman Robert Barrat (as Fritz). Mr. Barrat has gone insane with love for Chatterton; and, she is torn between her love for Mr. Brent and her loyalty for McHugh…

Less than spectacular, but competent, star vehicle for superstar Chatterton, ably directed by William A. Wellman. During this film, Brent and Chatterton were real-life husband and wife. Brent co-starred with the most popular actresses of the time; though, he oftentimes comes across as rather ordinary, but is most appealing opposite Chatterton. McHugh gives an excellent supporting performance as Chatterton's alcoholic friend. Guy Kibbee and Marjorie Gateson are also highly watchable, as the amorous McGills.

****** Lilly Turner (5/13/33) William A. Wellman ~ Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee

Lilly Turner plays like a distant and more wholesome relative of Tod Browning's Freaks. Ruth Chatterton, excellent as always, stars as a sideshow employee married to a lush (Frank McHugh) but in love with straight arrow George Brent. To complicate matters, an addled strongman (Robert Barrat) is in love with her, and escapes from the State Hospital in order to pursue her. The film is atmospherically shot by James Van Trees, and there's solid support by Guy Kibbee as the charlatan in chief of the shabby road show. Strongly recommended for fans of pre-Code cinema.

Once I'd seen Ruth Chatterton in "Dodsworth," I wanted to see her as much as possible. In a movie different from that also from this one, she plays a brazenly sexual executive: That film is "Female." "Lilly Turner" has many elements of the standard women's picture. A women's picture that is, one must note, distinctly pre-Code. Also one that is directed by William Wellman.

It transcends the genre on many counts, though: Chatterton gives an excellent performance. I had to laugh when she gives her age as 22! Chatterton was 40 when this came out and 40, especially for women, was sort of the equivalent of 60 today.

Fine actress she was, whatever age she was passed off as. She gets excellent support here from peculiar collection of co-stars and supporting players. Frank McHugh is especially good as the alcoholic carnival worker who rescues her when she's dumped by a no-good new husband.

I was particularly impressed by the scenes with Robert Barrat. He was hardly an actor of Chatterton's caliber. He plays a strongman in the carnival run by Guy Kibbee. In his later scenes, the nature of which I will not give away, he is filmed in a manner highly reminiscent of German Expressionism. James Van Trees filmed the whole movie beautifully but these sequences are true knockouts. They'd be right at home in the very finest of film noir.

Be advised that some of the dialog exhibits racial and ethnic insensitivity that was acceptable at the time.

Lilly is a distant relative to Gilda ,the "safe in Hell " heroine:both are victims of a macho society.But whereas Gilda's fate is sealed as soon the movie begins -she's asked to keep company to a man by some kind of madam -,Lilly's family displays a good background and we can wonder why she does not come back to them when she discovers who her first hubby really is.what did she do that was wrong ? Lilly and Gilda have no future when both movies end:Gilda is about to be hanged and Lilly will have to live the rest of her life with a disabled husband ( the doctor's diagnosis);and just when they had an opportunity to know true love.

Both "Lilly Turner" and "safe in Hell" are unusual melodrama;the former depicts the world of a charlatan ,a doctor whose book may cure any disease on earth and give you the body you've always dreamed of.When you see the commercials on TV today ,you realize how much Wellman was ahead of his time .The German muscled man becomes crazy about Lilly just as the men of the seedy hotel where Gilda hides.And I mean crazy.

Wellman,like Borzage ,fought for the dignity of man (and woman);That was hardly surprising he made the first western where women played a prominent part for the first time :" westward the women" .

This film deals mainly with a woman named Lilly Turner, (Ruth Chatterton) who is involved with a carnival magician who deserts her because she is pregnant and then marries the carnival barker who is a drunk. Lilly becomes very interested in a young attractive engineer named Bob Chandler, (George Brent) who falls head over his heels in love with Lilly and has no idea just what her secret past has been and in some ways keeps him in the dark. Bob Chandler is hired as a strong man and lifts some 300 pounds as a performer because he has not found his break in his professional career as an engineer. Ruth Chatterton and George Brent gave an outstanding performance in this great William Wellman film, don't miss this film.

This is certainly not a great film. In fact, in some ways I felt a bit silly for watching it because the movie was so jam-packed full of over-the-top melodrama and impossible situations. BUT, it was so darn exciting to watch and entertaining. So, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. Like so many of the Pre-Code films, this film does not avoid adult topics or try to be subtle!

The film begins with the leading lady (Ruth Chatterton) being married to a man who her mother did NOT approve of but she grudgingly came to the ceremony. Not too surprisingly, the mother turns out to be correct--the man was a bum--a very evil bum. And so, Ruth is left alone and pregnant but also unwilling to go home and admit Mama was right. Her friend, a hopeless drunk but nice guy (Frank McHugh) offers to marry her to legitimize the baby and she reluctantly agrees. They certainly aren't in love and it appears as if they never even consummate the marriage. The marriage is also quite ironic, as when the baby comes it is still-born. So Ruth is trapped in a marriage with no passion and her new man is a drunk.

Ruth and Frank work together with a traveling patent medicine show and while the living isn't easy, they have enough to eat and their lives are adequate. In this troop is a strange German strong man (Robert Barrat) who is infatuated with Ruth--the problems are that she's already married and she doesn't love Barrat. But, since Barrat seems a bit "odd", he doesn't take 'no' for an answer. In fact, it turns out he's insane and is eventually taken away to the mental hospital! Wow, this is a LOT of stuff--but at this point, the movie is only at the half-way point! To replace Barrat, they hire George Brent (who just doesn't look right for the part--handsome, maybe, but certainly NOT a strong man). Soon, Ruth and George fall in love--even though they always seem to have her hubby in tow. Eventually, they plan on running off together--after all, Frank is a hopeless drunk and she never has had a real marriage with him.

HOWEVER, at the same time, Barrat breaks out of his mental hospital (which looks more like a prison) and runs amok--looking for Ruth. When Frank McHugh sees him and tries to protect Ruth, for his trouble he is tossed out a window and Barrat is finally apprehended. McHugh is mangled and his spine is broken but he's still alive. Ruth, out of pity, decides not to run away with Brent and she stays by his side as the movie ends.

Wow--talk about a lot of melodrama and plot elements!! There's really enough for two films--not a film that lasts only a little over 60 minutes! While this fast and "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to the film makes for a totally unbelievable and silly film (in places), it certainly holds your attention with all its salacious and sensationalistic story elements. Not a film for the refined connoisseur, but still an exciting and interesting film worth seeing.

For admirers of early Hollywood talkies this movie fields an impressive cast list; Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Guy Kibbee, Frank McHugh and an uncredited Mayo Methot for good measure. It is, of course, pure meller and crammed with plot and subplot that shows just how anaemic today's johnny-one-note plots are. Director Wellman keeps the whole thing bubbling so that the absurdities don't have time to take root. To nutshell it Chatterton falls for a wronggo, marries him and lives to regret it; he ankles one step ahead of the sheriff leaving her pregnant; all this is against the backdrop of a carney where they all work. With hubby out of the picture lush Frank McHugh offers marriage, she accepts and loses the child. Enter George Brent representing True Love but before they can walk off into the sunset McHugh is badly beaten (don't ask) so the plays the martyr card. End of story. interesting rather than memorable.

Ruth Chatterton was one of a handful of Paramount stars poached by Warners - she was becoming more despondent at the films Paramount was asking her to do and when she saw how much money the studio was spending promoting Marlene Dietrich she let it be known that she was thinking of signing with Warners. Which was considered bad form as she still had two movies left!! The Warner movies weren't much better although their reputation has been much enhanced over the years and MGM who were very interested in her lost interest!! William Wellman saw something there - he used her in "Frisco Jenny" and "Lilly Turner". As a play "Lilly Turner" had opened on Broadway in 1932 and ran for 24 performances - which should have rang alarm bells!! Ruth Chatterton just cemented her reputation as an actress who, no matter what was thrown at her, could turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.

Here she initially plays a starry eyed newly wed who should have listened to her mother as she finds herself facing life and motherhood alone when her husband skips out!! Worse, she finds out she was never married when police arrive at the door to charge him with bigamy!! Far from the bright lights of New York he had promised her, they had been working in a seedy carnival and the sadder but wiser Lilly is quickly married to the drunken but kindly Dave (Frank McHugh in a very sensitive role). The film takes a dramatic turn as Fritz, the "loose cannon" strong man goes completely bonkers when his beseeching advances are rejected by Lilly. (Robert Barratt, usually playing cool, calm and collected types pulls out all stops with this one - he has the time of his life).

This leaves the way clear for George Brent (still married to Ruth at the time but soon to be divorced) - he plays affable Bob, a taxi driver but because of his strength in calming Fritz is very soon roped in to take his place as the carny strong man. Both he and Lilly fall for each other but there is surprising opposition in the person of Marjorie Gateson as the carnival manager's (Guy Kibbee) wife - she doesn't see why Lilly should be the lucky recipient of Bob's affections.

It's not a great Warner's movie but Chatterton gives her scenes emotion and depth.

Lilly Turner (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Ruth Chatterton plays the title role, a woman who gets married but then loses her husband when it turns out he is already married to another woman. She loses her baby and then joins a traveling medicine show where she meets another man (George Brent) but her pass might catch up with her. Here's another Pre-Code from William A. Wellman but the screenplay doesn't do anyone justice. The performances are all very good with Chatterton really stealing the show as the tough as nails woman. Brent also turns in a fine performance as does Frank McHugh, Robert Barrat and Ruth Donnelly. The screenplay is full of cliché material from the wrong men falling for Lilly up to the ending, which anyone will see coming from a mile away. The bigamy plot twist might have been shocking for the day but it too is pretty watered down even for the era.

This one's a real lu-lu, the tale of a hard-luck gal that depression era audiences ate up on the screen. Going from a bigamous marriage to one of convenience while traveling with a carnival, she gets a seedy reputation that obviously occurred through fate and deals with a psychopathic weight lifter obviously sexually obsessed with her. Then along comes George Brent as her possible savior from all of this melodrama. Happiness Ahead for Chatterton? Hell, no!

Chatterton is every inch the pre-code shady dame, originally part of a fairly respectable carnival, later totally monotone as she describes her former ugliness and what turned her into a lovely young woman. It should be mentioned too that Chatterton was far from the 20 something she claims to be here. Frank McHugh is the drunken second husband who ends up with a shocking fate. Robert Barrat is repulsive as the animalistic brute, a character that nightmares are made of.

Before Bette Davis made it big at Warner Bros., they had RUTH CHATTERTON suffering as the wronged heroine in melodramas that were supposed to bring fans of the actress to the theaters to watch the actress suffer for her sins. They also had KAY FRANCIS sharing the same sort of vehicles.

This one is a mess. As The N.Y. Times pointed out: "A drab, uninspired story," that has Chatterton, a lady with a past, falling for strongman GEORGE BRENT, who works in a medicine carnival with her and her husband, FRANK McHUGH. The plot has so many elements that it could have been made into a much longer film, but all of it has been squeezed into little more than an hour. She also has an ex-husband (ROBERT BARRAT) in the local insane asylum who went to pieces after their break-up. His escape from the asylum causes further plot complications, especially since he's intent on tossing her current husband (McHugh) out the window during a violent confrontation.

It's incredibly melodramatic but sluggishly directed despite all the sub-plots, with the over-aged Chatterton making the central character about as unbelievable as the plot contrivances.

Definitely a film you can afford to miss.