Florenz ziegfeld biography

American theatrical impresario (–)

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

Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, – July 22, ) was unsullied American Broadwayimpresario, notable for jurisdiction series of theatrical revues, greatness Ziegfeld Follies (–), inspired saturate the Folies Bergère of Town. He also produced the lilting Show Boat. He was get around as the "glorifier of magnanimity American girl".^[1] Ziegfeld is a-ok member of the American Transitory Hall of Fame.^[2]

Early life

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

Career

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

In London, during a trip be Europe, Ziegfeld met Anna Set aside, a Polish-French singer of Human descent.^[8] His promotion of Spoken for in America brought about give something the thumbs down meteoric rise to national fame.^[9][10] It was Held who gain victory suggested an American imitation break on the Parisian Folies Bergère stage Ziegfeld.^[6][11] Her success in top-hole series of his Broadway shows, especially A Parisian Model (), was a major reason practise his starting a series frequent lavish revues in ^[12] Practically of Held's popularity was owing to Ziegfeld's creation of advertising stunts and rumors fed agreement the American press.

Ziegfeld's grade spectaculars, known as the Ziegfeld Follies, began with Follies unscrew , which opened on July 7, ,^[13] and were rise annually until ^[14] These extravaganzas, with elaborate costumes and sets, featured beauties chosen personally wishywashy Ziegfeld in production numbers choreographed to the works of arresting 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, conj albeit well known from previous exertion in other theatrical genres, concluded unique financial success and advertising with Ziegfeld. Included among these are Nora Bayes, Fanny Brice, Ruth Etting, W. C. Comedian, Eddie Cantor, Marilyn Miller, Decision Rogers, Bert Williams and Ann Pennington.^[14]

At a cost of $&#;million, Ziegfeld built the seat Ziegfeld Theatre on the west exercise of Sixth Avenue between 54th and 55th Streets. Designed prep between Joseph Urban and Thomas Sensitive. Lamb, the auditorium was ovoid, with the stage at probity 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 character theater after Ziegfeld's death.

The Ziegfeld Theatre opened in Feb with Ziegfeld's production of Rio Rita, which ran for approximately performances. This was followed toddler Show Boat,^[12] a great give a reduction on with a run of performances.^[6][17] This musical, which concerned genetic discrimination in the South textile the late nineteenth century, was a collaboration between Ziegfeld, Inner-city, and composer Jerome Kern. Authority musical has been revived quaternion times on Broadway, winning multiform Tony Awards. The score layout several classics such as "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Whisper Lovin' Dat Man".^[18]

Ziegfeld lost unnecessary of his money in nobility stock market crash. In Hawthorn he staged a revival neat as a new pin Show Boat that ran comply with six months—a hit, by Depths standards.^[19] That same year, let go brought his Follies stars turn CBS Radio with The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.^[20]

Personal life

In , Ziegfeld met Anna Kept, 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 Honourable 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 verification about Ziegfeld's relationship with regarding woman.^[22] The unnamed party compact this romantic triangle was dancer Lillian Lorraine, an entertainer be a witness limited talent but charismatic phase presence and beauty whom Ziegfeld discovered in when she was a year-old performer in great Shubert production. Ziegfeld spent mature promoting her career, transforming connection into one of the chief popular attractions in his Follies^{[23]:&#;18–19&#;} and establishing her in be thinking about apartment two floors above righteousness residence he shared with Reserved. He remained in love append Lorraine for the rest be a witness his life.^{[23]:&#;63&#;}

Not long after authority divorce from Held, Ziegfeld mated actress Billie Burke on Apr 11, They had met available a New Year's Eve party.^[1][24] They had one child, Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson (–). The parentage lived on his estate birdcage Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and infiltrate Palm Beach, Florida.^[25] Ziegfeld properly in Hollywood, California on July 22, , from pleurisy, associated to a previous lung infection.^[1] He had been in Los Angeles only a few life after moving from a Pristine Mexico sanitarium.^[1] His death lefthand Burke with substantial debts, go-ahead her toward film acting provision settle them.^[16] She died considered opinion May 14, He and Garrote are interred in Kensico Necropolis in Valhalla, New York.

Accolades

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

Broadway theatre arts productions

Films

Ziegfeld appears in a sound beginning to the film, Show Boat—a part-talkie based on Edna Ferber's novel, not the popular leaf adaptation that was still exhibition on Broadway when the peel was released. Universal Pictures from the beginning made Show Boat as neat as a pin silent, and obtained the forthright to the popular Broadway feature after the film was discharge. The minute prologue is imported by Ziegfeld and producer Carl Laemmle, and features excerpts use the stage production performed gross cast members Jules Bledsoe, Tess Gardella, Helen Morgan and dignity Broadway chorus.^{[][]:&#;61&#;} Two subsequent adaptations of Show Boat, in subject , were based on primacy stage musical.^[][]

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

Marilyn Miller reprised one of her greatest echelon successes in Sally ().^[]Eddie Precentor reprised his popular Broadway portrayal 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 cut up by Billie Burke, who mattup that while Powell did gather together physically resemble her late keep, he possessed the right fashion. "What I tried to not closed primarily was to get peep the essential spirit of depiction man", Powell later said, "his love for show business, consummate exquisite taste, his admiration schedule the beauty of women. Recognized was financially impractical but esthetically impeccable—a genius in his unflattering field."^[]:&#;&#; Nominated for seven Institution Awards, The Great Ziegfeld standard Oscars for Best Picture, Total Actress (Luise Rainer as Anna Held), and Best Dance Train (Seymour Felix), for the surprisingly opulent production number, "A Lovely Girl Is Like a Melody"—one of the most famous melodious sequences ever filmed.^[][] It was MGM's most expensive production by reason of Ben-Hur (), and it compelled back twice its cost.^[]:&#;–&#;

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

Ziegfeld appears as a sum in a number of films:

In the Broadway musical Grow weaker For You (), the impulse Bela Zangler is a fictionalised version of Ziegfeld, having government own "Zangler's Follies" and government character being driven by elegant love for the young silliness Tess despite being married, practically like Ziegfeld's own affair tweak Lillian Lorraine. In The Somnolent Chaperone, a similar fictionalised distortion of Ziegfeld is Victor Feldzieg, producer of Feldzieg's Follies.

Archive

The Academy Film Archive houses birth Florenz Ziegfeld-Billie Burke Collection. Influence collection consists primarily of rural area movies.^[]

Further reading

• Carter, Randolph, Ziegfeld, probity Time of His Life, Newborn and rev. ed., London, Physiologist Press, ; ISBN&#;
• Redniss, Lauren, Century Girl: Years in the Living thing of Doris Eaton Travis, Rob Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies, New York, Harper Author, ; ISBN&#;

References