Lillian Russell (1940)

Alice Faye: Lillian Russell

Photos 

14 more photos

Quotes 

• Lillian Russell : [On a long distance phone call with Pres. Grover Cleveland]  Yes, Mr. President.

  President Cleveland : [On the telephone]  Miss Russell, accept our compliments. This has been a great privilege and we deeply appreciate the honor having been the first to hear your voice over the long-distance telephone. We Americans are very proud of you, Miss Russell, and I sincerely hope that life will always treat you kindly.

  Lillian Russell : Thank you, Mr. President.

• Alexander Moore : That depends on what she calls success.

  Lillian Russell : What do you call it?

  Alexander Moore : Happiness.

  Lillian Russell : Oh, well, that's just a state of mind. It isn't always success.

• Lillian Russell : [aka, Helen Leonard]  I'm not going to leave you, mother.

  Cynthia Leonard : But you've already left yourself. You're Lillian Russell now, and pretty soon you'll forget you ever knew Helen Leonard. And millions of new faces will take the place of the few old ones left behind. Men will... men will offer fortunes just to stand in the shadow of her glamourous career. And women will envy, but copy her. And perhaps - yes, even kings may applaud her.

• Tony Pastor : What's the matter? Don't you like "Lillian Russell"?

  Lillian Russell : [as Helen Leonard]  Ohm, yes. Yes, of course I do, Mr. Pastor. But somehow I'm already a little lonesome for Helen Leonard.

• Leopold Damrosch : Well, I'm sorry for you.

  Lillian Russell : Why, Mr. Damrosch?

  Leopold Damrosch : Because you're, you're beautiful.

  Lillian Russell : But if that were true, why should it make you feel sorry for me?

  Leopold Damrosch : Ach! Listen - even if you have great success, you most likely will be very, very unhappy. Beautiful women generally are.

  Lillian Russell : Why?

  Leopold Damrosch : Well, so many men will fall in love with your beauty, and you may never know which one really loves you for yourself.

• Lillian Russell : [as Helen Leonard]  Father, why couldn't you say something to her?

  Charles K. Leonard : Well, I tried to, Helen, but I, I just couldn't talk. I guess I've sort of gotten out of practice around here.

• Lillian Russell : [as Helen Leonard]  Dad, mother's just been nominated for the mayor of New York.

  Charles K. Leonard : Well, if your mother runs New York as well as she's run me, the city is in for it.

  Lillian Russell : Huh, dad, you're terrible.