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She was born Mary Lucille Bremer on February 21, 1917 in Amsterdam, New York. Sadly her father, Richard Bremer, died when she was three. Soon after her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lucille began dancing and performed with the Philadelphia opera company. At the age of sixteen she was chosen to be a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. She danced in several Broadway shows including Panama Hattie and Lady In The Dark. In 1942 she made her film debut in short Penny Arcade. Then she began performing a at the Copacabana nightclub. Producer Arthur Freed saw her and arranged for her get a screen test with MGM. Lucille began having an affair with Arthur who was married. When MGM president Louis B. Mayer saw her test he said “She’s going to be big, very big!”. The beautiful redhead was cast as Judy Garland’s sister in the hit 1944 musical Meet Me In St. Louis.
Some actresses at the studio resented her because they believed Arthur gave her preferential treatment. In 1945 she was given a starring role in the musical Yolanda and The Thief. Unfortunately the movie was a flop and her performance got terrible reviews. Then she appeared in the musicals Ziegfeld Follies and Till The Clouds Roll By. By 1947 her affair with Arthur Freed was over and her career had stalled. Disenchanted with Hollywood she decided to quit acting. Her final film was the 1948 film noir Behind Locked Doors. On August 11, 1948 she married Rod Rodriguez, the son of Mexico’s former President. The couple moved to Mexico where the owned a private resort. She and Rod had two sons and two daughters. They got divorced in 1963. Lucille returned to California and opened a children’s clothing boutique. On April 16, 1996 she died from a heart attack at the age of seventy-nine. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.
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