Her first role was in the 1939 Broadway production
Too Many Girls, directed by
George Abbott. Ernst said that she tried to have an audition for Abbott for months, but that Abbott had trouble arranging it. Actor
Eddie Bracken said that he would tell Abbott about her after hearing her sing and he later sent a note to Ernst which stated that Abbott did not want to see her, but for her to come anyway. With the help of a stage carpenter who played the piano for her and encouragement from Bracken to run out there, Ernst barged into a dance audition that Abbott was holding to sing and dance for him. She starred in the 1941 film
Life with Henry directed by Reed which was the second film in the Henry Aldrich film series. Despite only appearing in one film, Paramount Pictures originally intended to "invest a lot of money in Leila and give her the same kind of build-up that Warner Bros. gave
Ann Sheridan." She is buried in
Jaffrey, New Hampshire. She was pre-deceased by her husband, James Veitch. ==Broadway roles==