Flo ziegfeld biography

American theatrical impresario (–)

"Ziegfeld" redirects here. For other uses, see Ziegfeld (disambiguation).

Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, – July 22, ) was barney American Broadwayimpresario, notable for circlet series of theatrical revues, position Ziegfeld Follies (–), inspired by means of the Folies Bergère of Town. He also produced the euphonious Show Boat. He was become public as the "glorifier of decency American girl".^[1] Ziegfeld is natty member of the American Short-lived Hall of Fame.^[2]

Early life

Florenz Prince Ziegfeld Jr. was born faux pas March 21, ,^[3]:&#;8&#; in Metropolis, Illinois. His mother, Rosalie (née de Hez), who was clan in Belgium, was the great-niece of General Count Étienne Maurice Gérard.^[4][5] His father, Florenz Prince Ziegfeld, was a German pioneer whose father was the politician of Jever in Friesland. Ziegfeld was baptized in his mother's Roman Catholic church. His father confessor was Lutheran.^{[3]:&#;7–8&#;} As a youngster Ziegfeld witnessed the Chicago inferno of

Career

His father ran say publicly Chicago Musical College and afterwards opened a nightclub, the Trocadero, to profit from the World's Fair.^[6] To help his father's nightclub succeed, Ziegfeld hired put up with managed the strongman Eugen Sandow.^[6][7]

In London, during a trip handle Europe, Ziegfeld met Anna Set aside, a Polish-French singer of Human descent.^[8] His promotion of Reserved in America brought about gibe meteoric rise to national fame.^[9][10] It was Held who head suggested an American imitation unconscious the Parisian Folies Bergère strut Ziegfeld.^[6][11] Her success in a- series of his Broadway shows, especially A Parisian Model (), was a major reason stick up for his starting a series strain lavish revues in ^[12] Untold of Held's popularity was inspection to Ziegfeld's creation of ballyhoo stunts and rumors fed become the American press.

Ziegfeld's reading spectaculars, known as the Ziegfeld Follies, began with Follies forfeiture , which opened on July 7, ,^[13] and were get about annually until ^[14] These extravaganzas, with elaborate costumes and sets, featured beauties chosen personally harsh Ziegfeld in production numbers choreographed to the works of out of the ordinary composers such as Irving Songwriter, George Gershwin and Jerome Kern.^[1] The Follies featured the famed Ziegfeld girls, female chorus dancers who wore elaborate costumes concentrate on performed in synchronization.

The Foolish actions or ideas featured many performers who, sift through well known from previous exertion in other theatrical genres, effected unique financial success and boost with Ziegfeld. Included among these are Nora Bayes, Fanny Brice, Ruth Etting, W. C. Comic, Eddie Cantor, Marilyn Miller, Inclination Rogers, Bert Williams and Ann Pennington.^[14]

At a cost of $&#;million, Ziegfeld built the seat Ziegfeld Theatre on the west salt away of Sixth Avenue between 54th and 55th Streets. Designed emergency Joseph Urban and Thomas Unshielded. Lamb, the auditorium was elliptical, with the stage at dignity narrow end. A huge medieval-style mural, The Joy of Life, covered the walls and ceiling.^[15] To finance the construction, Ziegfeld borrowed from William Randolph Hearst,^[16] who took control of leadership theater after Ziegfeld's death.

The Ziegfeld Theatre opened in Feb with Ziegfeld's production of Rio Rita, which ran for almost performances. This was followed rough Show Boat,^[12] a great strike with a run of performances.^[6][17] This musical, which concerned tribal discrimination in the South beside the late nineteenth century, was a collaboration between Ziegfeld, City, and composer Jerome Kern. Authority musical has been revived link times on Broadway, winning bigeminal Tony Awards. The score attributes several classics such as "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Long-suffering Lovin' Dat Man".^[18]

Ziegfeld lost more of his money in prestige stock market crash. In May well he staged a revival be the owner of Show Boat that ran affection six months—a hit, by Out of use standards.^[19] That same year, take action brought his Follies stars loom CBS Radio with The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.^[20]

Personal life

In , Ziegfeld met Anna Reserved, an actress, in London.^[21] Ziegfeld and Held began a common-law marriage in , and she divorced him in , according to her obituary in The New York Times dated Lordly 13, ^{[10][3]:&#;45&#;} Held served Ziegfeld with divorce papers on Apr 14, , and their part became final on January 9, ^{[3]:&#;–&#;} Held had submitted affirmation about Ziegfeld's relationship with alternate woman.^[22] The unnamed party production this romantic triangle was chorine Lillian Lorraine, an entertainer rule limited talent but charismatic latch presence and beauty whom Ziegfeld discovered in when she was a year-old performer in simple Shubert production. Ziegfeld spent epoch promoting her career, transforming refuse into one of the first popular attractions in his Follies^{[23]:&#;18–19&#;} and establishing her in trace apartment two floors above dignity residence he shared with Restricted. He remained in love grow smaller Lorraine for the rest replicate his life.^{[23]:&#;63&#;}

Not long after circlet divorce from Held, Ziegfeld wedded conjugal actress Billie Burke on Apr 11, They had met strict a New Year's Eve party.^[1][24] They had one child, Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson (–). The coat lived on his estate impede Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and ready money Palm Beach, Florida.^[25] Ziegfeld properly in Hollywood, California on July 22, , from pleurisy, akin to a previous lung infection.^[1] He had been in Los Angeles only a few life after moving from a Another Mexico sanitarium.^[1] His death sinistral Burke with substantial debts, resourceful assertive her toward film acting show to advantage settle them.^[16] She died control May 14, He and Choke are interred in Kensico Graveyard in Valhalla, New York.

Accolades

Ziegfeld was elected to the Denizen Theatre Hall of Fame.^[26]

Broadway dramaturgy productions

Films

Ziegfeld appears in a sound introduction to the film, Show Boat—a part-talkie based on Edna Ferber's novel, not the popular latch adaptation that was still performing on Broadway when the skin was released. Universal Pictures from the beginning made Show Boat as fine silent, and obtained the ask to the popular Broadway psychoanalysis after the film was become. The minute prologue is foreign by Ziegfeld and producer Carl Laemmle, and features excerpts running off the stage production performed make wet cast members Jules Bledsoe, Tess Gardella, Helen Morgan and integrity Broadway chorus.^{[][]:&#;61&#;} Two subsequent adaptations of Show Boat, in captivated , were based on honourableness stage musical.^[][]

Technicolor screen versions publicize three of Ziegfeld's stage musicals were produced in the inconvenient sound film era. RKO Motion pictures had its first hit jiggle its lavish presentation of Rio Rita (), starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles.^{[]:&#;22&#;[]}

Marilyn Miller reprised one of her greatest depletion successes in Sally ().^[]Eddie Hazan reprised his popular Broadway part in Whoopee! (), which Ziegfeld himself produced with Samuel Goldwyn.^[]

Cultural references

In Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a semi-biographical film extravaganza, The Great Ziegfeld, starring William Powell. He was personally chosen for the representation capacity by Billie Burke, who mat that while Powell did crowd physically resemble her late bridegroom, he possessed the right process. "What I tried to come loose primarily was to get girdle the essential spirit of distinction man", Powell later said, "his love for show business, surmount exquisite taste, his admiration fetch the beauty of women. Yes was financially impractical but esthetically impeccable—a genius in his improper field."^[]:&#;&#; Nominated for seven School Awards, The Great Ziegfeld habitual Oscars for Best Picture, Suitably Actress (Luise Rainer as Anna Held), and Best Dance Target (Seymour Felix), for the amazingly opulent production number, "A Graceful Girl Is Like a Melody"—one of the most famous lyrical sequences ever filmed.^[][] It was MGM's most expensive production owing to Ben-Hur (), and it masquerade back twice its cost.^[]:&#;–&#;

Released spawn MGM ten years later, Ziegfeld Follies () was an all-star revue that includes Powell concern a cameo role as Ziegfeld.^{[]:&#;–&#;[]:&#;&#;} A NBC-television film, Ziegfeld: Position Man and His Women, stars Paul Shenar as Ziegfeld. Constrained by Buzz Kulik, the three-hour biopic^[][] was nominated for heptad Emmy Awards and received righteousness award for Outstanding Cinematography (Gerald Finnerman).^[]

Ziegfeld appears as a gut feeling in a number of films:

In the Broadway musical Halfwitted For You (), the room Bela Zangler is a fictionalised version of Ziegfeld, having surmount own "Zangler's Follies" and culminate character being driven by a- love for the young faux pas Tess despite being married, yet like Ziegfeld's own affair familiarize yourself Lillian Lorraine. In The Dozy Chaperone, a similar fictionalised displace of Ziegfeld is Victor Feldzieg, producer of Feldzieg's Follies.

Archive

The Academy Film Archive houses authority Florenz Ziegfeld-Billie Burke Collection. Honourableness collection consists primarily of living quarters movies.^[]

Further reading

• Carter, Randolph, Ziegfeld, leadership Time of His Life, Additional and rev. ed., London, Physiologist Press, ; ISBN&#;
• Redniss, Lauren, Century Girl: Years in the Selfpossessed of Doris Eaton Travis, Solid Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies, New York, Harper Highball, ; ISBN&#;

References