Presenting Lily Mars

Lily Mars (Judy Garland) is a 19-year-old girl from small-town Indiana with big dreams of becoming an actress on Broadway. She meets John Thornway (Van Heflin), a Broadway producer who is reluctant to give her a role, but eventually takes her under his wing after she antagonizes him and performs an impromptu swing number at his play's afterparty. With the encouragement of Frankie, a charwoman who shares her passion for acting, Lily lands a job in the chorus line and, with John's help, eventually becomes a star on Broadway, performing alongside Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra.