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IMDbPro

The Great Ziegfeld

  • 19361936
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
8.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
21,734
3,350
Myrna Loy, William Powell, and Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer1:45
1 Video
57 Photos
DramaMusical
The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
8.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
21,734
3,350
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Robert Z. Leonard
    • Writer
      • William Anthony McGuire(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • William Powell
      • Myrna Loy
      • Luise Rainer
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Z. Leonard
    • Writer
      • William Anthony McGuire(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • William Powell
      • Myrna Loy
      • Luise Rainer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 90User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 4 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Great Ziegfeld
    Trailer 1:45
    The Great Ziegfeld

    Photos57

    The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    Virginia Bruce and Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    William Powell and Ann Gillis in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    Fanny Brice and Harriet Hoctor in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    Billie Burke and Myrna Loy in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    William Powell and Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    Dorothy Mackaill in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    Myrna Loy, William Powell, Virginia Bruce, and Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
    The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Powell
    William Powell
    • Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
    Myrna Loy
    Myrna Loy
    • Billie Burke
    Luise Rainer
    Luise Rainer
    • Anna Held
    Frank Morgan
    Frank Morgan
    • Billings
    Fanny Brice
    Fanny Brice
    • Fannie Brice
    • (as Fannie Brice)
    Virginia Bruce
    Virginia Bruce
    • Audrey Dane
    Reginald Owen
    Reginald Owen
    • Sampston
    Ray Bolger
    Ray Bolger
    • Ray Bolger
    Ernest Cossart
    Ernest Cossart
    • Sidney
    Joseph Cawthorn
    Joseph Cawthorn
    • Dr. Ziegfeld
    • (as Joseph Cawthorne)
    Nat Pendleton
    Nat Pendleton
    • Sandow
    Harriet Hoctor
    Harriet Hoctor
    • Harriet Hoctor
    Jean Chatburn
    Jean Chatburn
    • Mary Lou
    Paul Irving
    • Erlanger
    Herman Bing
    Herman Bing
    • Costumer
    Charles Judels
    Charles Judels
    • Pierre
    Marcelle Corday
    Marcelle Corday
    • Marie
    Raymond Walburn
    Raymond Walburn
    • Sage
    • Director
      • Robert Z. Leonard
    • Writer
      • William Anthony McGuire(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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
      In the "Rhapsody in Blue" portion of the mammoth "Pretty Girl" number, one of the silver-fringe-and-antlers quartet of dancers gets visibly disoriented when her group does its final moves. She's the second one from the left, and her movements are completely out of sync with the other three until, with a thump, she sits down on the stairs. Since the incredibly complex number was shot in very long takes, the error was allowed to remain in the film.
    • Quotes

      Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.: [after catching Ray Bolger doing a little softshoe backstage] Buddy, you're better with your feet than you are with your broom.

      Ray Bolger: Mr. Ziegfeld, you think so? Gee, I wish you'd give me a chance. I've got talent, and I'd like to get away from shifting scenery and moving props.

      Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.: How long have you been a property boy?

      Ray Bolger: Five years, but my heart hasn't been in it.

      Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.: You've been working a long time without your heart, buddy.

    • Crazy credits
      An actor portraying composer Jerome Kern is seen in an office playing "Look for the Silver Lining" on the piano, but he is not mentioned on any cast list for this film. He is simply called "Jerry" by the other characters in the scene.
    • Alternate versions
      The DVD release runs 185 minutes, and includes the overture, entr'acte and exit music, as presented in the original "road show" version of the film.
    • Connections
      Edited into Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
    • Soundtracks
      Harriet Hoctor Ballet
      (1936) (uncredited)

      (also called "A Circus Must Be Different in a Ziegfield Show")

      Music by Con Conrad

      Lyrics by Herb Magidson

      Sung and danced by male and female choruses

      Danced by Harriet Hoctor

    User reviews90

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    "Needs more steps"
    It's hard to think of today, what with the theatre being a highbrow and typically minimalist medium, but back in the days before movies became big business, stage productions often presented the public with phenomenal displays of grandeur. In the early years of the twentieth century, Florenz Ziegfeld was a theatrical showman who had Busby Berkely's worship of feminine beauty and Cecil B. DeMille's sense of scale. He was creating Hollywood-style extravagance back when Hollywood was just a patch of scrubland.

    Fast-forward to 1936, a couple of years after Ziegfeld's death, and cinema still bears his mark. Musicals (which were still often based around stage performances) were often showcases for a variety of dancing and singing talents, usually building to a spectacular finale. The Great Ziegfeld is more than just a biopic, it is the culmination of this strand in cinema; the first epic musical. Here we see the 30's musical's shimmering sets and full-on dance routines on a scale never before seen on the screen. Robert Z. Leonard directs with his usual sweeping camera moves, often slowly pulling back to reveal the size of the production. But he also lets his camera get deeply involved in the more dramatic scenes.

    Apart from the various song-and-dance people involved, the casting here is very much a Hollywood affair. William Powell was then the go-to man for such smart and witty types. He and Myrna Loy were well-known as a screen couple, from The Thin Man pictures amongst others. They both give adequate portrayals, but in truth these two need a smaller, more intimate production to shine in their own right. The performance that best fits the size of The Great Ziegfeld is that of Luise Rainer. Melodramatic, full of presence, she seems always on the verge of breaking down into some farcical display of ham acting, but never quite does so. It's not a realistic performance by any stretch, but it is beautiful in its theatricality.

    Ziegfeld's influence would live on in musical cinema for many years after his death. The Great Ziegfeld was just the first in a series of pictures tipping their hat to the producer. Meanwhile, many of the stars made famous by Ziegfeld – Billie Burke, Eddie Cantor, Will Rogers, Ray Bolger – were finding fruitful careers on the silver screen. It was, after all, the way of the future. You see, it wasn't just the depression that finished Ziegfeld. Even if he had lived, cinema would have provided him with too much competition to continue with his follies, especially with the advent of sound. But this is beside the point. If The Great Ziegfeld shows anything, it is that the spirit of showmanship that he championed could live on, if not in one medium then in another.
    helpful•7
    0
    • Steffi_P
    • Mar 14, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 23, 1936 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der große Ziegfeld
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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