The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writer:

William Anthony McGuire (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 April 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

10 Big Shows In 1

Plot:

This biography follows the ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld, famed producer of extravagant stage revues.

Plot Keywords:

Revue | Sideshow | Florenz Ziegfeld | Composer | Broadway New York City

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

William Powell	...	Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Myrna Loy	...	Billie Burke
Luise Rainer	...	Anna Held
Frank Morgan	...	Billings
Fanny Brice	...	Fannie Brice (as Fannie Brice)
Virginia Bruce	...	Audrey Dane
Reginald Owen	...	Sampston
Ray Bolger	...	Ray Bolger
Ernest Cossart	...	Sidney
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Dr. Ziegfeld (as Joseph Cawthorne)
Nat Pendleton	...	Sandow
Harriet Hoctor	...	Harriet Hoctor
Jean Chatburn	...	Mary Lou
Paul Irving	...	Erlanger
Herman Bing	...	Costumer

Runtime:

176 min | USA:185 min (roadshow version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2000) | Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | UK:U

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

A.A. Trimble, who portrays Will Rogers in the film, was actually a Cleveland map salesman who frequently impersonated Rogers at Rotarian lunches.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the circus number, each dog moves forward into a box painted on the floor of the stage. The second dog from the right moves forward out of the box, then is seen back in the box in the next shot.

Quotes:

Anna Held: [on the phone with Ziegfeld after learning of his marriage to Billie Burke] Hello, Flo... Yes. Here's Anna... I'm so happy for you today, I could not help calling you and congratulate you... Wonderful, Flo! Never better in my whole life!... I'm so excited about my new plans! I'm going to Paris... Yes, for a few weeks, and then I can get back, and then I'm doing a new show, and...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Entry of the Gladiators

Ziegfeld: The Collossal Showman

THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1936), directed by Robert Z. Leonard, and choreography by Seymour Felix, stars William Powell as the legendary Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (1869-1932), in a fact-and-fiction musical biography that can be summed up from its opening credits, "suggested by romances and events." From the very beginning of the movie, with very its impressive theatrical lighted title credits that lasts a little over two minutes, one would have to expect this film to be on a lavish scale, and it is. So lavish that it leaves the impression that the initials of MGM actually stands for Mighty Grand Musical, which is what to expect from this production lasting a then record breaking running time of three solid hours (180 minutes), or in other words, two movies for the price of one. What an impression THE GREAT ZIEGFELD made on its viewers in 1936. And since Ziegfeld's name was still in recent memory, it sure was to guarantee both audience and success, unlike a biography on someone who lived a century or more ago. And a name like Anna Held (1873-1918) might be one for the history books, but because of Luise Rainer's carnation of this popular actress of the early part of the twentieth century, the Held name is certainly not forgotten, although more associated with Rainer than as the first Mrs. Ziegfeld.

The plot traces the career of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (William Powell), beginning with him as a carnival barker at the 1893 Chicago Fair, his discovery and exploitation of Sandow, the Strong Man (Nat Pendleton); his departing for Europe where he competes with his best friend and rival, Jack Billings (Frank Morgan), for not only obtaining the services of his servant, Sidney (Ernest Cossart), but beating Billings to the punch by signing a popular French actress named Anna Held (Luise Rainer), to a performing contract with him back in America, and to be sure he wouldn't lose his prize star, Ziegfeld marries her. During their somewhat stormy marriage, Florenz Ziegfeld stages extravagant shows that make him world famous, particularly on Broadway. Constantly surrounded by gorgeous show girls, Ziegfeld has his share of problems, especially with Audrey Dane (Virginia Bruce), a tempermental showgirl who wants the spotlight, but because she is difficult to handle, she is unable to get her name in lights. Being bawled out in her dressing room for being drunk and disorderly during a performance, Audrey strikes back at Ziegfeld by kissing him, causing the jealous Anna, who has always suspected her husband to have an eye for his girls, to witness this misunderstanding through an open door, causing her to walk out of his life forever. After the divorce, Ziegfeld meets and later marries Billie Burke (Myrna Loy), an accomplished actress in her own right, who not only bears his a daughter, Patricia (Jean Holland), but stands by him after his theatrical downfall and further decline after losing his entire fortune at the 1929 Stock Market Crash.

On the musical program, which combines old and (new songs by Walter Donaldson and Harold Adamson), features: "I Wish You'd Come and Play With Me," and "It's Delightful to Be Married" (both sung by Luise Rainer); "If You Knew Susie" (sung by Buddy Doyle imitating Eddie Cantor in blackface); "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" by Irving Berlin (sung by Dennis Morgan/with voice dubbed by Allan Jones); "You Gotta Pull Strings" (sung by chorus girls); "She's a Follies Girl" (sung and danced by Ray Bolger); "You" (sung by chorus); "You Never Looked So Beautiful Before" (sung by Virginia Bruce/chorus); "Yiddle in the Fiddle" by Irving Berlin; "Queen of the Jungle" and "My Man" by Channing Pollack and Maurice Yvaine (all sung by Fannie Brice); "Look For the Silver Lining" by Jerome Kern; and "A Circus Must Be Different in a Ziegfeld Show" (sung by chorus, performed by Harriet Hoctor), followed by inserts of songs from Ziegfeld's famous Broadway shows as RIO RITA, WHOOPEE, THE THREE MUSKETEERS and SHOW BOAT (briefly playing "Ol Man River" on the soundtrak).

The "granddaddy of all Hollywood's musical biographies, THE GREAT ZIEGFELD is a very impressive film with an impressive cast, including Reginald Owen as Sampston; Joseph Cawthorn as Doctor Ziegfeld; Marcelle Corday as Marie, Anna's maid; Raymond Walburn as Sage; Jean Chatburn as Mary Lou, as an adult; and, unbilled, William Demarest as composer, Gene Buck; and Ann Gillis as Mary Lou, as a child. While the film has Ziegfeld entertainers such as Fannie Brice, Ray Bolger and Harriet Hoctor appearing as themselves, it features A.A. Trimble and Buddy Doyle authentically duplicating Will Rogers and Eddie Cantor at best. This doesn't go without some regrets, such as not having the likes of W.C. Fields or Marilyn Miller taking part in guest starring roles recreating what they did best while under Ziegfeld. Another letdown is having Fanny Brice (in her scene in which she walks down the stars looking amazing like future performer, Barbra Streisand, who portrayed her in 1968s FUNNY GIRL); singing her signature torch song, "My Man" as the story cuts through unnecessary dialogue, never having her sing the song in its entirety, thus, cutting away to another scene, having her appear no more. The performance of Luise Rainer as Anna Held may not work well with today's audience, yet she did win an Academy Award as Best Actress for her performance on the basis of her famous "telephone scene" in which the now divorced Anna congratulates her ex-husband on his marriage to Billie Burke as she holds in her true emotions. This sad-eyed Austrian beauty did it so well with this scene that it still ranks as one of the film's highlights, along with a very funny scene which finds Fannie Brice mistaking Ziegfeld as a peddler selling her "used" mink coats. Another highlight is the lavish scale production number of "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody." This authentically reproduced eight minute musical segment alone makes this movie worth sitting through, which appears 83 minutes from the start of the story. While Billie Burke (1885-1970) could have very well portrayed herself in this production, then currently a well known character actress in films, mostly for MGM, Myrna Loy steps in for box office appeal. In spite of Loy being second billed in the casting credits, her character doesn't appear until the movie passes ten minutes over the two hour mark. Instead of imitating Billie Burke as she was personally, Loy portrayed her just being herself, only lightening her hair in the Burke manner. While THE GREAT ZIEGFELD did win three Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actress (Rainer) and Best Dance Direction ("Pretty Girl is Like a Melody"), one award that seems to have been overlooked is Frank Morgan as the fictitional Billings, whose character as Ziegfeld's best friend and competitor, being so memorable that he should have at least been nominated as Best Supporting Actor. With William Powell as the main focus from start to finish, one would wonder why he was overlooked by the academy for his performance. Ray Bolger, forever known for his role as the Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939), makes his movie debut here, playing himself (though never being identified as Ray Bolger), working his way from hired stage hand to rubber-legged dancer. This is a very rare opportunity in seeing Bolger doing his famous fancy footwork on film, spreading his legs apart and rising upward a couple of times from the floor like a puppet on a string.

Unlike similar musical biographies of this nature that have been distributed in droves throughout the 1940s and 50s, beginning with YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (WB, 1942), ZIEGFELD captures the spirit of its time period, with costumes and women's hairstyles being historiclaly accurate, unlike other films such as ZIEGFELD GIRL (1941), set in the 1920s with its leading performers dressed in 1940s modern costumes. THE GREAT ZIEGFELD may not be historically accurate, placing characters and situations in different time periods, the story in itself, builds itself to no real suspense, but a "soap opera" type of plot on one particular man with extravagant taste who produces only the best shows on Broadway. Nothing Ziegfeld did was second rate.

A movie at this extreme length would tend to have its slow spots, and has, particularly Anna Held's rebelling towards taking milk baths, or with its final 15 minutes, among others, but THE GREAT ZIEGFELD is a large scale production (as Ziegfeld himself had done with his shows)that can only be reproduced and presented by MGM.

When THE GREAT ZIEGFELD played on late night on commercial television from the 1960s to 1980s, TV prints usually eleminated certain scenes, such as Ziegfeld, as a publicity stunt, telephoning the humane society about Sandow wrestling a lion; Buddy Doyle's Eddie Cantor number; the INTERMISSION title that follows the "Melody" number, plus bits and pieces here and there.

Available on double video cassette package through MGM/UA since the late 1980s, THE GREAT ZIEGFELD plays on cable television's Turner Classic Movies intact. One wonders what scenes in this extremely long movie landed on the cutting room floor.

In 1978, there was another tribute to Florenz Ziegfeld, a TV movie titled ZIEGFELD: THE MAN AND HIS WOMEN, starring Paul Shenar as Ziggy, but it failed to live up to the expectations to the 1936 original, and at 156 minutes, it seemed longer than the original. Unlike the Powell version, the 1978 bio-pic remains forgotten, having been released at a time with the Ziegfeld name being only associated with a theater on Sixth Avenue in New York City than on the man himself. For more information on the life of Florenz Ziegfeld, be sure to watch his life story in the one hour presentation cable television's A&E's BIOGRAPHY the next time it airs.