Lila was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in January of 1946. Over the next few years she made a total of 11 film appearances. These ranged from features to short subjects. Lila also worked for Warner Brothers and Republic studios. Although some of her parts were very small, she always exuded a beauty and aura that made her noticed by audiences. Her appearance as a secretary in the point-of-view film noir classic, “Lady in the Lake” prompted cheers and wolf whistles from the males in the audience. Lila’s duties as a starlet included posing for many publicity photos. Such was her stunning beauty that many of these images appeared on the covers of foreign film publications. She also participated in many events around the Hollywood area to add some glamour and publicity for the media.
Lila primarily dated Stephen Crane during this time. He was the ex-husband of Lana Turner and owned restaurants around Los Angeles. They frequently appeared in the gossip columns and had a loving, but volatile relationship. Lila also dated a few Hollywood Stars such as Peter Lawford, Sonny Tufts and Turhan Bey. She went out on occasion with the great Orson Welles, who became a close friend.
One week before the bust that occurred on August 31, 1948, Lila filmed a scene for a Warner Brothers’ feature, “House Across the Street.” She was funny and delightful as a ditzy girl friend. The Director and Producer were very impressed and Lila was told her next role would be a big one and the breakthrough.
Sadly, it was not meant to be.
