Tell It to a Star

1945 1h 7m EN

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

MusicComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Carol (Ruth Terry), the cigarette girl at a swank Palm Springs hotel, dreams of singing in the establishment's nightclub. She gets a chance when her well-to-do uncle, "Colonel" Morgan (Alan Mowbray), and a pal blow into town ... until their visit turns out to be a con job. Carol's voice impresses the bandleader (Robert Livingston), but the hotel manager (Franklin Pangborn), still smarting from Morgan's chicanery, isn't ready to give her a chance.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ruth Terry
Carol Lambert
Alan Mowbray
Col. Ambrose Morgan
Franklin Pangborn
Horace Lovelace
Robert Livingston
Gene Ritchie
Isabel Randolph
Mrs. Whitmore
Frank Orth
Augustus T. Goodman
Lorna Gray
Mona St. Clair
George Chandler
Al Marx

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank McDonald
Writers: John K. Butler, Gerald Drayson Adams
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 67-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

81 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank McDonald, shot by Ernest Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Arthur Roberts shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ruth Terry and Alan Mowbray and Franklin Pangborn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0038153 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank McDonald directs. Ernest Miller behind the camera. Arthur Roberts cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 67-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
281 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Frank McDonald, shot by Ernest Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Arthur Roberts shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ruth Terry and Alan Mowbray and Franklin Pangborn carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0038153 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.