| Lilies of the Field | |
| Director: | Alexander Korda |
| Producer: | Walter Morosco |
| Starring: | Corinne Griffith Ralph Forbes John Loder Eve Southern |
| Cinematography: | Lee Garmes |
| Studio: | First National Pictures |
| Distributor: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Released: | (limited release) |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Lilies of the Field is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical drama film directed by Alexander Korda, and starring Corinne Griffith, Ralph Forbes, and John Loder. It was a remake of the silent 1924 film Lilies of the Field, in which Griffith had played the same role.[1] Both films were based on a 1921 play of the same name by William J. Hurlbut. Lilies of the Field was Griffith's first all-dialogue film. The film is not related in any way to the 1963 film of the same name.
Walter Harker, who is married to Mildred Harker, falls in love with another woman and wants to separate from his wife without losing custody of his daughter. He frames his wife and files for divorce, and Mildred ends up losing her daughter.
Mildred moves into a cheap apartment and gradually becomes a Broadway showgirl and drowns her depression in a life of alcohol and jazz. Ted Willing, a wealthy man, becomes her devoted admirer, but after her experience with her ex-husband, Mildred finds it hard to trust anyone. When Willing offers Mildred financial help, she refuses to accept anything, fearing that her daughter may hear about it. Eventually, she realizes that her daughter has completely forgotten about her and allows Willing to take care of her. One day, while she is at a party, Mildred hears of her daughter's death and has a breakdown. She later is jailed for vagrancy and disorderly conduct. Willing comes to the police station and rescues her.
The theme song for the movie, titled "I'd Like to Be a Gypsy", was written for the film by Ned Washington and Michael H. Cleary. Cleary also wrote "Mechanical Ballet" (a.k.a. "Speed") for the film. This latter number was featured in a Broadway number sequence.
No copies of this film are known to exist, and it is believed that the film is now lost. Fragments of the "Mechanical Ballet" sequence are preserved in the 1932 Joe E. Brown comedy film The Tenderfoot.