The greatest and longest‐lived series of extravagant revues, the first edition was mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld on a shoestring budget as the Follies of 1907. (The producer did not add his name to the series until 1911.) Annual editions were produced through 1925, with versions also in 1927 and 1931. From 1922 on the revues were advertised as “Glorifying the American Girl,” which was truth in advertising. Writing during the series' heyday, George Jean Nathan observed, “Out of the vulgar leg‐show, Ziegfeld has fashioned a thing of grace and beauty, of loveliness and charm; he knows quality and mood. He has lifted, with sensitive skill, a thing that was mere food for smirking baldheads and downy college boys out of its low estate and into a thing of symmetry and bloom.” After his death the Shuberts bought the rights to the name and produced editions in 1934, 1936, and 1943. These editions were successful even though it was conceded they lacked the tasteful, imaginative opulence of Ziegfeld's own mountings. A 1957 edition was a quick, dismal failure. Among the great stars presented in the Follies, many of whom Ziegfeld discovered and developed, were Nora Bayes, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, Ray Dooley, Leon Errol, W. C. Fields, Marilyn Miller, Ann Pennington, Will Rogers, and Bert Williams. Song hits from the shows include “Shine On Harvest Moon,” “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “Row, Row, Row,” “Hello, Frisco,” “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody,” “My Man,” “Second Hand Rose,” “Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean,” and “Shaking the Blues Away.” From the first the productions were known for their eye‐filling costumes and sets, but not until Joseph Urban was signed on, beginning with the 1915 edition, did the series reach its legendary apotheosis. His stylish designs and carefully coordinated colors were instantly recognized as the finest work the American musical stage had yet seen. Settings often depicted exotic, color‐rich lands, and musical numbers were regularly given themes. Thus, in “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” mannequins paraded dressed as “Barcarolle,” “Elegy,” and other classic styles. From 1917 through 1925 Ben Ali Haggin's lavish tableaux vivants were also a feature. Among the many great Ziegfeld beauties were Marion Davies, Paulette Goddard, Lillian Lorraine, Mae Murray, Drucilla Strain, and Avonne Taylor.
Ziegfeld Follies
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The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.
Inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held. The shows' producers were turn-of-the-century producing titans Klaw & Erlanger.
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History
The Follies were lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville variety show. Many of the top entertainers of the era (including W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Ann Pennington, Bert Williams, Will Rogers, Ruth Etting, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Marilyn Miller, Ed Wynn, Gilda Gray, Nora Bayes, Sophie Tucker, and others) appeared in the shows. The Ziegfeld Follies were also famous for many beautiful chorus girls commonly known as Ziegfeld girls, usually decked in elaborate costumes by designers such as Erté, Lady Duff Gordon or Ali Ben Hagan, which became the talk of Broadway the following day.
After Ziegfeld's death, his widow Billie Burke authorized use of his name for Ziegfeld Follies in 1934 and 1936. The name was later used by other promoters in New York City, Philadelphia and again on Broadway, with less connection to the original Follies. These latter efforts failed miserably. When later it toured, the 1934 edition was recorded in its entirety, from the Overture to Play-out music, on a series of 78 rpm discs, which were edited by the record producer David Cunard to form an album of the highlights of the production and which was released as a Compact Disc in 1997.
The 1936 Best Picture winner was The Great Ziegfeld, starring William Powell as the master showman. Co-starring Myrna Loy (as Ziegfeld's second wife Billie Burke), Luise Rainer (as Anna Held, which won her an Academy Award for Best Actress), and Frank Morgan (as a rival showman). Featuring numbers by Ray Bolger, Dennis Morgan, Virginia Bruce, and Harriet Hoctor, the film gave a glimpse into what the Follies were really like. The MGM blockbuster's show-stopper was "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody", which, by itself, cost more to produce than one of Ziegfeld's whole shows.
There was also a 1946 feature motion picture entitled Ziegfeld Follies with Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, William Powell, Gene Kelly, Fanny Brice, Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Cyd Charisse, Lucille Ball, Kathryn Grayson, and others performing songs and sketches similar to those from the original Follies.
The Follies
- Follies of 1907 at the Jardin de Paris
- Follies of 1908 at the Jardin de Paris
- Follies of 1909 at the Jardin de Paris
- Follies of 1910 at the Jardin de Paris
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1911 at the Jardin de Paris
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1912 at the Moulin Rouge (New York)
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 at the Globe Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 at the Ziegfeld Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 at the Winter Garden Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 at the Winter Garden Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1943 at the Winter Garden Theatre
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1957 at the Winter Garden Theatre
Performers: Year-By-Year
See also
Links to popular culture
- Mentioned by Holden Caulfield in chapter four of The Catcher in the Rye while he is tap dancing, watching Stradlater shave.
- In the Japanese RPG The Legend of Dragoon, a character is named Zeig Feld.
- In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
References
- ^ "William E. Ritchie, Trick Bicyclist, 70?. Vaudeville and Revue Artist Dies Here. Had Played With Will Rogers, W. C. Fields. In Stage Team with Wife. He and May Villion on Tour for Many Years. Were in 'The Follies' of 1917-1918". New York Times. May 13, 1943, Thursday.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | Shimmy (music) |
| Brice, Fannie (American entertainer) |
| Ziegfeld, Florenz (American theatrical producer) |
Copyrights:
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ziegfeld Follies". Read more |
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- Who was Enid Parsons in the Ziegfeld follies?
Mentioned in
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- Brice, Fannie (American entertainer)
- Ziegfeld, Florenz (American theatrical producer)
- Peggy Fears (Actor, Romance/Comedy)
- Vivian Duncan (Actor, Musical/Drama)
- I Bastardi (1968 Drama Film)
- [Robert] Bobby Connolly (American Theater)
- Ruth Etting (American Theater)
- Male Wanted (1923 Film)
- Raoul Pene Du Bois (American Theater)
- Robert Alton (person)
- [Rachel Rice] Ray Dooley (American Theater)
- Van and Schenck (American Theater)
- Joseph Maria Urban (American architect & designer)
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