Review of I'll Cry Tomorrow

Well-intentioned movie based on singer/actress Lillian Roth's memoir about her troubled life before finding success, battling with her mama (Jo Van Fleet) and later nearly destroying her own career with an addiction to booze. The scenario isn't as tidied-up as one may expect, and pathos are kept to a minimum. In the lead, Susan Hayward isn't a revelation--vulnerability doesn't come easily to her--but neither is she overtly melodramatic, and Helen Rose's Oscar-winning costumes keep her looking every inch the star (this is a movie-star vehicle, after all). The best performance is given by Eddie Albert as a counselor from AA. So-called 'woman's picture' is professionally-assembled and has several strong scenes. **1/2 from ****