I watched this musical last night on Turner Classics - part of the salute to Hedy Lamarr. ZIEGFELD GIRL is an odd sequel film. Planned in 1938 as a follow up to the big MGM 1936 success THE GREAT ZIEGFELD, it looked closer at the woman in the fabled Ziegfeld choruses than the bio-flick really had. The concentration was on the showman himself, and here on his creations. But the 1938 film was to have Walter Pidgeon in it, and one suspects he'd be playing Ziegfeld (as he did finally play thirty years later in FUNNY GIRL). This 1941 film has nobody playing the showman (although he is mentioned). In the final film of the triptych, ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, William Powell reappeared as Ziegfeld. In 1941 Powell was returning to Hollywood after having survived cancer, so he was still unavailable for this film. I wonder if he would have been in this film again had he been available.
The story here follows three young women who get into the Ziegfeld chorus line.
Lana Turner is an elevator operator in a department store who is seen by the showman and hired by his right hand man (Edward Everett Horton). She is seeing a truck driver (Jimmy Stewart). Turner likes the more lucrative and glamorous lifestyle she is entering (especialy the relationship she picks up with wealthy Ian Hunter). Stewart gradually gets disgusted by the change in her, and turns to "easy, big money" of his own - working as a driver and lieutenant of a bootlegger.
The second follows Hedy Lamarr, the wife of violinist Philip Dorn. Dorn has been struggling (with the help of friend Felix Bressart) to get into public notice as a great classical violinist. While accompanying him to an audition for a violinist at the New Amsterdam Theater, Lamarr is hired for the chorus. Dorn does not want his wife to be a possible sex object for lascivious males. When Hedy refuses to give up a good job, Dorn walks out on her (although he keeps an eye on her career and relationships, especially with the male singer star of the show Tony Martin).
Finally we see Judy acting with her father Charles Winninger at a vaudeville theater in Harlem (this is about 1920 or so). He is "Pop" Gallagher, a tried-and-true old vaudeville comedian and song and dance man. Judy is hired also for the chorus (the one failure of the plot: Judy is still an adorable young woman like "Dorothy" in the WIZARD OF OZ, but is outclassed by Turner and Lamarr or even fellow chorus girl Eve Arden as a statuesque looker), but we see her pushed onto Horton and show director Paul Kelly as a singer by Turner and Lamarr. But her singing is not how Winninger trained her, and he feels he has to let her go off on her own. Instead he meets an old friend, Al Shean (here playing himself), and they go off into the vaudeville hinterlands to perfect an act together.
The film follows the rise and fall or rise of the three young women, with Turner having the hardest fall (as does Stewart). On the way Turner will have two run-ins with a very young (and obnoxious) Dan Daily as a boxing champion. It's an interesting early role for this actor, better recalled for musical and comic parts a decade later. The other supporting players do well too, Arden getting some nice zingers regarding the benefits of being there for stage door johnnies. Horton plays it fairly controlled and not as startled as normal. Kelly is all business, an interesting early come-back role for a fine character actor just getting his life together after years in prison for a tragedy he was not really to blame for.* Martin gets to sing "You Look Like a Dream" and several other tunes, his romance doomed when Hedy meets his long-suffering wife. Dorn proves an adept actor, jealous and hurt at Hedy's choice, but willing to meet her half-way at the end. Jackie Cooper (as Lana's brother) is fine as her would-be conscience, and Judy's boy-friend.
*It strikes me as ironic that Kelly (whose career continued improving into the 1950s, including a Tony Award) is in this film with Turner. Both were involved in well known murder cases, and in both the sympathy of the public is with Kelly and Turner, not their so-called victims.
Turner and Stewart have the best of the acting honors here, particularly in their reconciliation scene, and Lana's last trip to see he Follies. Hedy has some nice moments with Martin and Dorn. Look at the scene on the beach with her writing "F" "R" "A" "N" in the sand. Does she mean "Franz" (Dorn) or "Frank" (Martin)? Judy is best with Winninger as her dad and mentor, but has a good scene with Hunter trying to have him make Lana an "honest woman" by marrying her (Hunter was planning to do so). Her singing is best with "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "Minnie From Trinidad", ably directed by Busby Berkeley.
My favorite is last: Al Shean's real partner, Mr. Gallagher, died about 1929, and except for some phonograph records their routine is not available. But in their day, Gallagher and Shean were as well known as Shean's nephews, the Marx Brothers, would be across the country. Their comic tunes (or really one tune with new lyrics) made the line "Absolutely Mr. Gallagher? Positively Mr. Shean!" a catch phrase that ever now is still recalled. Al lived to be in the movies until his death (though, oddly, never with his nephews). This film gives him, in Winninger, a great temporary partner. I note that in their scene together at the end Winninger is wearing the same type of eyeglasses that the real Gallagher wore in the act. Did I like this film. "Positively Mr. Shean!"
The story here follows three young women who get into the Ziegfeld chorus line.
Lana Turner is an elevator operator in a department store who is seen by the showman and hired by his right hand man (Edward Everett Horton). She is seeing a truck driver (Jimmy Stewart). Turner likes the more lucrative and glamorous lifestyle she is entering (especialy the relationship she picks up with wealthy Ian Hunter). Stewart gradually gets disgusted by the change in her, and turns to "easy, big money" of his own - working as a driver and lieutenant of a bootlegger.
The second follows Hedy Lamarr, the wife of violinist Philip Dorn. Dorn has been struggling (with the help of friend Felix Bressart) to get into public notice as a great classical violinist. While accompanying him to an audition for a violinist at the New Amsterdam Theater, Lamarr is hired for the chorus. Dorn does not want his wife to be a possible sex object for lascivious males. When Hedy refuses to give up a good job, Dorn walks out on her (although he keeps an eye on her career and relationships, especially with the male singer star of the show Tony Martin).
Finally we see Judy acting with her father Charles Winninger at a vaudeville theater in Harlem (this is about 1920 or so). He is "Pop" Gallagher, a tried-and-true old vaudeville comedian and song and dance man. Judy is hired also for the chorus (the one failure of the plot: Judy is still an adorable young woman like "Dorothy" in the WIZARD OF OZ, but is outclassed by Turner and Lamarr or even fellow chorus girl Eve Arden as a statuesque looker), but we see her pushed onto Horton and show director Paul Kelly as a singer by Turner and Lamarr. But her singing is not how Winninger trained her, and he feels he has to let her go off on her own. Instead he meets an old friend, Al Shean (here playing himself), and they go off into the vaudeville hinterlands to perfect an act together.
The film follows the rise and fall or rise of the three young women, with Turner having the hardest fall (as does Stewart). On the way Turner will have two run-ins with a very young (and obnoxious) Dan Daily as a boxing champion. It's an interesting early role for this actor, better recalled for musical and comic parts a decade later. The other supporting players do well too, Arden getting some nice zingers regarding the benefits of being there for stage door johnnies. Horton plays it fairly controlled and not as startled as normal. Kelly is all business, an interesting early come-back role for a fine character actor just getting his life together after years in prison for a tragedy he was not really to blame for.* Martin gets to sing "You Look Like a Dream" and several other tunes, his romance doomed when Hedy meets his long-suffering wife. Dorn proves an adept actor, jealous and hurt at Hedy's choice, but willing to meet her half-way at the end. Jackie Cooper (as Lana's brother) is fine as her would-be conscience, and Judy's boy-friend.
*It strikes me as ironic that Kelly (whose career continued improving into the 1950s, including a Tony Award) is in this film with Turner. Both were involved in well known murder cases, and in both the sympathy of the public is with Kelly and Turner, not their so-called victims.
Turner and Stewart have the best of the acting honors here, particularly in their reconciliation scene, and Lana's last trip to see he Follies. Hedy has some nice moments with Martin and Dorn. Look at the scene on the beach with her writing "F" "R" "A" "N" in the sand. Does she mean "Franz" (Dorn) or "Frank" (Martin)? Judy is best with Winninger as her dad and mentor, but has a good scene with Hunter trying to have him make Lana an "honest woman" by marrying her (Hunter was planning to do so). Her singing is best with "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "Minnie From Trinidad", ably directed by Busby Berkeley.
My favorite is last: Al Shean's real partner, Mr. Gallagher, died about 1929, and except for some phonograph records their routine is not available. But in their day, Gallagher and Shean were as well known as Shean's nephews, the Marx Brothers, would be across the country. Their comic tunes (or really one tune with new lyrics) made the line "Absolutely Mr. Gallagher? Positively Mr. Shean!" a catch phrase that ever now is still recalled. Al lived to be in the movies until his death (though, oddly, never with his nephews). This film gives him, in Winninger, a great temporary partner. I note that in their scene together at the end Winninger is wearing the same type of eyeglasses that the real Gallagher wore in the act. Did I like this film. "Positively Mr. Shean!"