Warner Brothers (which absorbed First National in November 1929) attempted to reissue Lilly Turner (1933), a pre-Code film, in 1936, but Joseph Breen denied them a Code certificate.
Ruth Chatterton plays the 22-year-old Lilly Turner. In actuality, she was 40 when the film was released.
Lilly Turner (1933) was the second film together for Ruth Chatterton and director William A. Wellman. A "man's man" with a preference for action films and a contempt for divas, Wellman was not happy when he was assigned to direct Frisco Jenny (1932) with Chatterton. The dislike was mutual, but after three days of icy silence between them, director and star called a truce, recognizing each other's talents, and becoming great fans of each other. Frisco Jenny would be Chatterton's favorite film. While she and Wellman were happy to work together again, Lilly Turner was not as good as Frisco Jenny. For Wellman, Lilly Turner was just another programmer, one of six that he cranked out in 1933 under contract at Warner Bros. In spite of the grim story, Wellman gives the carnival scenes a certain seedy vitality.
Reliable character actors Guy Kibbee as the medicine show boss, and Frank McHugh as Lilly's bibulous husband get a chance to play characters with a few more facets than their usual one-note comedy roles.
Lilly Turner (1933) is based on the 1932 play of the same name by Philip Dunning and George Abbott (New York, 19 Sep 1932). The original Broadway production opened at the Morasco Theater in New York on 19 September 1932 and ran for 24 performances.