There were hints fairly early on that he would fall for her (even though it was a given, being an MGM comedy). He gave her a brief acting lesson in Indiana. When he realized she was in New York, he took her to lunch and despite grouching that he washed his hands of her after doing this, he brushed off rehearsals to take her to the women's hotel AND he stole that doorknob from the restaurant for her brother. He then lied about where he was to the soprano and Richard Carlson's character. Now, I do agree it did seem out of left field for him to suddenly take her out to dinner beneath the soprano's nose, but at the same time, he obviously found her incredibly amusing and he admired her tenacity. As for her forgiving him for taking her out of the show: how would walking out have helped her dreams, even if he disappointed her? Wasn't it better for him to bring the soprano back rather than expose Lily to extreme ridicule from theater critics and have the show close in a week? And I found her incapability surprisingly realistic, considering most films with this type of plot usually have the actress (or singer, or dancer) miraculously displaying marvelous talent beyond their years and experience. Even Eve, in All About Eve, had to copy the very experienced Margo (and seduce the playwright) to make her debut to rave reviews.
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MeekerBeeker14
12 years ago
I know that I'm responding to this post a year after the fact, but in addition to what the poster above me said, there is a small but telling part that hints at his growing attraction to her: when he kicks her out of the party toward the beginning of the movie! As he's "boosting" her over the wall, she suggestively states that he can't stand her because he's afraid to "think of [her] as a woman." "Just like a naughty little girl," Lily says of herself. The look on his face is priceless; his eyes bug out and his jaw drops! And then she completely leaves him hanging, lol. But his reaction after she goes more than hints at the fact that he finds her not only intriguing, but attractive as well.
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cclowell
11 years ago
I think that must've been some smooch Lily gave John when she was showing him how the final(?) scene should be rewritten (the scene where she says "If someone just gazed tenderly into my eyes, I'd start another fight!").
Even though Owen Vale is cautioning John about getting "too chummy" with Lily earlier in the scene, it's after the kiss that he begins dating her.
And I agree that the film's resolution, with John realizing that talented though she is, Lily isn't right for the part of a European princess, is refreshing and it makes sense for him to replace her with Isobel in the role. I think the plot makes pretty clear that Lily would have been a tremendous flop in the show if she'd played it.
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boxerrebellion
8 years ago
Also, he made it pretty clear that Isobel was only replacing Lily in the role, not in John's heart.
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