Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

MartinHafer In the 1930s and 40s, Hollywood made a ton of bio-pics. In most cases, the actual peoples' lives were only the barest of outlines for the films--with SIGNIFICANT padding (in other words, outright lying) to make the films more marketable. While the films were generally pretty enjoyable, they also were pure bunk--so when watching any biography from this period, take what you see and hear with a grain of salt. I say all this here because "Lillian Russell" is just one of those films--filled with fiction and is only a biography in name only.While in some ways this film is accurate about the great stage actress Lillian Russell, here are a few ways where the film is total bull: The film shows Lillian's parents as a loving couple. They actually separated when Lillian was 18 and she and her mother moved across country--leaving dad behind.Lillian's first marriage in the film is the biggest problem in the film. Her creepy husband (Don Ameche) dies--leaving her a sad, sad widow who then sings HIS song as a tribute to him. In reality, it turned out this total louse was ALREADY MARRIED!!!! When Lillian discovered he was a bigamist, she divorced him! Some love story!!! He also was her second husband--and she'd been cheating on her poor old first husband! Lillian was married four times...but not in this movie! She only married once and there is an implied marriage at the end. Her beautiful baby is important in the film. The fact that it died as an infant was never mentioned!Lillian herself was a feminist and suffragette--writing articles and speaking out for the cause. None of this is in the film and only her mother's political aspirations are discussed--odd considering the film is supposed to be about Lillian.The film, despite having a completely dull and inaccurate plot, was a big-budget film--with AMAZING sets and lots of stars. It was odd, however, that despite having many big-name actors in the film that they were often used very poorly. Don Ameche, probably Fox's #1 male star at the time, plays a simpering loser--who also behaves VERY creepy 80 minutes into the film (where he basically says she can NEVER, NEVER leave him--even if she wants to!). Clearly it was NOT a role suited to such an illustrious star and might have been better for Boris Karloff! Henry Fonda basically plays a love-sick loser....and a creepy one who has stalked her from afar. Warren William is in the film...and that's all that can be said about his part. Pretty much the same can be said for Leo Carillo. Edward Arnold isn't bad as Diamond Jim Brady, however, and Helen Westley is GREAT as grandma. And as for the star, Alice Faye, this is one of her best films and the makeup and costuming folks have made her radiant. Clearly the women in this film outshine the men--as if the men, for a change, are more window dressing than people.The overall verdict is that although the film looks great and has some decent moments, it's a dull, bloated and incredibly inaccurate film. By the way, there is a VERY funny glitch at the 89 minute mark. Lillian picks up her crying baby. The closeup of the kid is of a completely different kid--with the hair changing from brown to blond before your very eyes--and with a completely different face!! Didn't they think anyone would notice.FYI--This film was wildly inaccurate that there is a special feature on the DVD entitled "A Woman Like No Other: The Real Lillian Russell"! It is worth seeing. It also shows that Lillian's life was FAR more interesting than the 20th Century-Fox film!

bkoganbing Darryl Zanuck had high hopes for Lillian Russell, biographical picture of the turn of the last century stage star who was an American icon in the gaslight era. Even to hiring Irving Cummings as director. Cummings was a former stage actor who knew the great Ms. Russell back in her day. Alice Faye says he was of enormous help in capturing her character.Unfortunately the film is not helped by a ponderous script that loses the character of Lillian Russell by trying to cram too much in. Though the main men in her life are dealt with, a lot of facts were taken liberty with including a couple of husbands that were dropped.In her time Lillian was the most admired woman in America. She was a hefty woman in an era when that was the taste. Talk about full figured gal, take a look at a picture of Lillian if you can find one on the web. Jane Russell had absolutely nothing on her, in fact that is the only department where Alice Faye is deficient in her role.Of course when Alice Faye sings that's when the film is really something to watch. Starting with In Old Chicago, Darryl Zanuck had the inspiration of casting her in these period costume dramas whereas previously Alice had been Fox's answer to MGM's Jean Harlow. These became her best work and most loved by her legion of fans.Some new songs were brought in with some old standards. Alice's best moment is singing After The Ball twice during the film, a song very much identified with Lillian Russell. She also sings Come Down Ma' Evening Star which was the only song that Lillian Russell made an early gramophone recording of.Henry Fonda hated the film. Hated it because he was lost in a whole crowd of male admirers of Faye that also included Don Ameche, Warren William, Leo Carrillo, Nigel Bruce. Fonda and Ameche played two of her husbands that didn't get left out of the script. Warren William was millionaire/gambler Jesse Lewisohn, Leo Carrillo was the fabled 19th century theatrical impresario Tony Pastor where Russell got her start, Nigel Bruce was W.S. Gilbert with whom Russell had a most unsatisfactory relationship when she went to star in one of the Gilbert&Sullivan operettas. And Edward Arnold who was born to play the role of Diamond Jim Brady and who had made it his own in a biographical film a few years ago, does the role again. I do believe Zanuck would not have done the film if he couldn't have gotten him.Fonda in his memoirs felt he would get really top drawer parts after The Grapes of Wrath which he signed a studio contract with 20th Century Fox to get. Lillian Russell was not his idea of an upwardly mobile direction for his career. Though he did say he had nothing but good memories of working with Alice Faye.Besides Russell and her men the film has Eddie Foy, Jr. once again playing his famous father and you have a once in a lifetime chance to see Weber&Fields probably the greatest vaudeville comics of their time doing one of their routines. If Lillian Russell has no other value, it's great that their art was captured on film for future generations.So while the story leaves a lot to be desired, Lillian Russell is a great tribute to a star and her era as portrayed by another great star of another era, Alice Faye.

beyondtheforest It is such a rare treat to see a biographical film which treats its subject with respect and class. Lillian Russell was kind of a wild woman; she would be an easy target for the right. However, instead of pandering to the right or left, this film presents her as completely charming, human, and lovable. There is something admirable about a film which is not afraid to show only the good in people, and forget the rest.Alice Faye is a treasure. The songs are first-class. The supporting cast is terrific; Henry Fonda is in particular easy on the eyes. Faye gets ample screen time, for once, and is lovingly photographed and gowned in every scene.The Fox DVD looks and sounds perfect.

Kalaman I mostly agree what the others have said about "Lillian Russell", dullest biographical film ever made but Alice Faye is beautiful. "Lillian Russell" is lush, sweet but overly sentimental biography of the famous stage singer through her affairs with Edward Salomon (Don Ameche) and Alexander Moore (Henry Fonda). I'm a big Alice Faye fan and though "Lillian Russell" is throughly unexciting, I kept watching it because of Faye's presence. Her singing was a big plus.