Look for the Silver Lining is a 1949 musical directed by David Butler. The film stars June Haver, Ray Bolger, and Gordon MacRae. Look for the Silver Lining is a romanticized biopic of Broadway singer and dancer Marilyn Miller.
Director: David Butler
Production Company: Warner Bros.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: June Haver, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Charlie Ruggles, Rosemary DeCamp, Lee and Lyn Wilde, Dick Simmons
US Box Office: $7,722,500 ($160,700,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Musical, Drama, Comedy
Release Date: June 23, 1949 (premiere); July 30, 1949 (general release)
Plot Summary: In the early 1910s, teenage Marilyn Miller (June Haver) joins her family’s vaudeville stage act. In 1914 Jack Donahue (Ray Bolger), one of Miller’s friends who is a tap dancer, recommends her to Broadway producers while she is performing in London. Miller becomes a Broadway star, where she meets singer Frank Carter (Gordon MacRae). Marilyn and Frank initially dislike each other, but quickly fall in love.
Production: In the mid-1940s, Warner Bros. producer William Jacobs began developing on a musical biopic film based on the life of Broadway singer and dancer Marilyn Miller. Lynn Root, who wrote the Broadway musical Cabin in the Sky (1940), was originally hired to write the script for Look for the Silver Lining in 1945. Root was later replaced with Phoebe and Henry Ephron and Marian Spitzer who wrote their screenplay based on a story by Bert Kalmer and Harry Ruby. In order to serve as a tribute to Miller, the film’s screenplay ignored the more scandalous and sordid details about her life (such as her alcohol addiction), in favor of a more romanticized portrayal. Jacobs originally planned to have Irving Rapper direct Look for the Silver Lining, but he was later replaced by David Butler. Butler frequently directed musical and comedy films for Warner Bros. By the time filming began in 1948, MGM had already released their own film featuring Marilyn Miller. That film was Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), a musical biopic loosely based on the life of Broadway and Hollywood composer Jerome Kern. Miller appeared as a supporting character in Till the Clouds Roll By where she was played by Judy Garland.
Ginger Rogers was approached to play Marilyn Miller in 1944, though she ended up turning the part down. In 1945 Joan Leslie, one of Warner Bros.’ musical stars, was cast to play Miller. However, by the time production finally started in 1948 Leslie had been replaced with June Haver. Haver recently starred in the musical films Wake Up and Dream (1946) and I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (1947). Dancer and comedian Jack Donahue was played by Ray Bolger. Bolger, like his character Donahue, originally started his career as a dancer in vaudeville and on Broadway. Bolger recently starred in the musical The Harvey Girls (1946) and in modern times is best known for playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Gordon MacRae was cast Frank Carter, Marilyn Miller’s first husband. Look for the Silver Lining was MacRae’s second film (and his first musical), though he had been a Broadway star and radio performer..
David Butler began filming Look for the Silver Lining in March of 1948, and wrapped up in June. The film was shot almost entirely on set at Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California. June Haver had to spend an extra hour in special makeup sessions everyday before shooting in order to heighten her resemblance to Miller.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Marilyn Miller’s mother was played by actress Rosemary DeCamp. This was not the first time that she played the mother of a real-life Broadway figure. DeCamp previously played the mother of George M. Cohan (James Cagney) in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the mother of George Gershwin (Robert Alda) in Rhapsody in Blue (1945). Stage and film actor Walter Catlett plays himself in Look for the Silver Lining. Catlett is one of the actors performing alongside Marilyn Miller in her Sally play in the film. In real-life Catlett was one of the original cast members of Sally (1920) along with Miller. Actor and humorist Will Rogers was played by his lookalike son Will Rogers Jr. in Look for the Silver Lining.
David Butler directed Ray Bolger in two more films: Where’s Charley? (1952) and April in Paris (1952). Butler directed Gordon MacRae in three more films: The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady (1950), Tea for Two (1950), and By Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).
Reception: Look for the Silver Lining had its premiere on June 23, 1949; the film went into wide release on July 30. Look for the Silver Lining was a success at the box office and it made a modest profit for Warner Bros. The film’s likeable cast, songs, escapism, and overall nature as a tribute to the late Marilyn Miller contributed to its popularity with audiences. The success of Look for the Silver Lining convinced Warner Bros to pair Haver and MacRae together again in The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady (1950), another showbusiness-related musical directed by David Butler. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times criticized June Haver’s performance as Marilyn Miller, but praised Ray Bolger’s performance as Jack Donahue.
In 1949, Alice Donahue, the widow of the real Jack Donahue, sued Warner Bros. for $350,000. Donahue argued that studio violated her right to privacy by portraying her late husband in Look for the Silver Lining without her permission. Donahue eventually lost the lawsuit.
Oscars: Look for the Silver Lining was nominated for one Oscar at the 22nd Academy Awards ceremony: Best Musical Score (Ray Heindorf). Heindorf lost the Oscar to Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton for On the Town.
Why You Should See It: Look for the Silver Lining is a pretty good musical film. June Haver gave a good performance as Marilyn Miller. Ray Bolger is excellent as Jack Donahue, he makes the character likeable and funny. Bolger’s performance reminds me a lot of Fred Astaire. Bolger has some physical resemblance to Astaire, he tap dances in Look for the Silver Lining, his character works in the entertainment industry (like many of Astaire’s characters), and he adds plenty of humor to the character through his dialogue and his expressions. The first half of Look for the Silver Lining is comedic and features plenty of funny moments, so the serious and tragic events that occur later on in the film feel somewhat out of place.