Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
Since The Great Ziegfeld was such a big hit in 1936, winning the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actress, Hollywood decided to reprise their hit with Ziegfeld Follies nine years later. While the film from 1936 was a biopic of Florenz Ziegfeld, this “sequel” is quite different. Mr. Ziegfeld starts off the movie in heaven, and the entire film is an imagination of a fantasy show he’d like to put on if he were still alive and in the theater business. Yes, it sounds a little depressing, but in reality, it doesn’t harp on his death very much; it’s basically a two hour variety show that brings Hollywood’s biggest and brightest musical stars together.
William Powell played Mr. Ziegfeld in both movies, and neither one really required any acting from him; he just had to be William Powell, full of authority and a little stand-off-ish. Without that silly little thing known as a plot, the singers and dancers were able to perform their numbers one after another, creating a feature-length montage for movie-goers who, at the time, couldn’t rent or own movies to re-watch them. If they wanted to see Fred Astaire, they had to wait until his next movie came into the theaters. Ziegfeld Follies was such a huge hit because it was made in a pre-YouTube era; audiences couldn’t just watch a twenty minute compilation of their favorite dance numbers online whenever they felt like it. In 1945, it was a humungous treat to go to the movie house and watch Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Judy Garland, Esther Williams, Lena Horne, Lucille Ball, Victor Moore, Red Skelton, Fanny Brice, Edward Arnold, Cyd Charisse, Hume Cronyn, Lucille Bremer, James Melton, Virginia O’Brien, and Keenan Wynn all in one film!
Modern audiences might find the movie a little long in the tooth, especially since not all the songs are winners. Fred Astaire headlines a chorus number “Here’s to the Girls” which is pretty cute, but Judy Garland’s “A Great Lady Has an Interview” will have you reaching for the fast-forward button on your remote. The entire film’s a crapshoot, so if you decide to sit through the whole thing, be prepared to take the bad with the good.
There is one extremely famous number to come from this film. If you’re at all versed in musicals, I can guarantee you’ve seen this clip from Ziegfeld Follies: the one and only duet danced by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. It’s one of the greatest dance scenes in history, with a hilarious dialogue exchange beforehand that instantly charms your heart. “No, I’m not, Ginger,” is one of my favorite household phrases! Watching the chemistry and talent of the two greatest dancers is a wonderful and necessary experience, so add the clip of “The Babbitt and the Bromide” to your YouTube favorites list. I’ve watched it at least twenty-five times; it’s just impossible to resist back-to-back viewings, especially since both men later revealed that their favorite dance partners in their entire careers were each other!
More Fred Astaire movies here!
More Judy Garland movies here!
More Kathryn Grayson movies here!
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
William Powell played Mr. Ziegfeld in both movies, and neither one really required any acting from him; he just had to be William Powell, full of authority and a little stand-off-ish. Without that silly little thing known as a plot, the singers and dancers were able to perform their numbers one after another, creating a feature-length montage for movie-goers who, at the time, couldn’t rent or own movies to re-watch them. If they wanted to see Fred Astaire, they had to wait until his next movie came into the theaters. Ziegfeld Follies was such a huge hit because it was made in a pre-YouTube era; audiences couldn’t just watch a twenty minute compilation of their favorite dance numbers online whenever they felt like it. In 1945, it was a humungous treat to go to the movie house and watch Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Judy Garland, Esther Williams, Lena Horne, Lucille Ball, Victor Moore, Red Skelton, Fanny Brice, Edward Arnold, Cyd Charisse, Hume Cronyn, Lucille Bremer, James Melton, Virginia O’Brien, and Keenan Wynn all in one film!
Modern audiences might find the movie a little long in the tooth, especially since not all the songs are winners. Fred Astaire headlines a chorus number “Here’s to the Girls” which is pretty cute, but Judy Garland’s “A Great Lady Has an Interview” will have you reaching for the fast-forward button on your remote. The entire film’s a crapshoot, so if you decide to sit through the whole thing, be prepared to take the bad with the good.
There is one extremely famous number to come from this film. If you’re at all versed in musicals, I can guarantee you’ve seen this clip from Ziegfeld Follies: the one and only duet danced by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. It’s one of the greatest dance scenes in history, with a hilarious dialogue exchange beforehand that instantly charms your heart. “No, I’m not, Ginger,” is one of my favorite household phrases! Watching the chemistry and talent of the two greatest dancers is a wonderful and necessary experience, so add the clip of “The Babbitt and the Bromide” to your YouTube favorites list. I’ve watched it at least twenty-five times; it’s just impossible to resist back-to-back viewings, especially since both men later revealed that their favorite dance partners in their entire careers were each other!
More Fred Astaire movies here!
More Judy Garland movies here!
More Kathryn Grayson movies here!
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!