Ziegfeld Girl (film)

Ziegfeld Girl
Ziegfeld Girl
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Z. Leonard
Screenplay by	Marguerite Roberts; Sonya Levien
Story by	William Anthony McGuire
Produced by	Pandro S. Berman
Starring	James Stewart; Judy Garland; Hedy Lamarr; Lana Turner
Cinematography	Ray June; Joseph Ruttenberg
Edited by	Blanche Sewell
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Production; company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	April 25, 1941;
Running time	132 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.5 million
Box office	$3.1 million

Ziegfeld Girl is a 1941 American musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden, and Philip Dorn. The film, which features musical numbers by Busby Berkeley, was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Set in the 1920s, the film tells the parallel stories of three women who become performers in the renowned Broadway show the Ziegfeld Follies. It was intended to be a 1938 sequel to the 1936 hit The Great Ziegfeld, and recycled some footage from the earlier film. Unlike that film and the later Ziegfeld Follies, Ziegfeld himself does not appear as a character.^[2]

Plot

As happens every year, Florenz Ziegfeld is seeking new talent for the latest edition of his lavish Broadway revue, the Ziegfeld Follies. Three women, Sandra Kolter, Susan Gallagher, and Sheila Regan are among those selected to join the cast of glamorous "Ziegfeld girls", and become friends.

Sandra, a European beauty, is spotted and recruited while accompanying her violin virtuoso husband Franz to his audition for the show's orchestra. Franz is rejected because his musical skills are too good for the job, and Sandra becomes a showgirl over Franz' objections in order to earn needed income, causing a rift between the couple. Sandra quickly becomes a star and attracts the attentions of her singing co-star, Frank Merton. But after learning that Frank is married to a wife who loves him, Sandra reconciles with Franz and abandons her career to support him on a concert tour.

Susan, a seventeen-year-old from a theatrical family, is discovered performing a vaudeville act with her aging father. Although Susan is less physically beautiful than the other showgirls, her enormous singing talent lands her a featured role. Her father, not wanting to thwart her career, encourages her to stay in the Follies while he continues traveling on the vaudeville circuit alone. Susan worries about her father and eventually convinces the producers to give him a part in the show, where he proves to be a surprise hit.

Sheila, a former elevator operator from Flatbush, Brooklyn, is torn between her love for truck driver Gil Young and her suddenly wealthy life as a showgirl, including a Park Avenue apartment, press coverage, and expensive gifts from rich male fans. After she turns down Gil's marriage proposal, he joins a bootlegging gang and ends up in prison. Sheila becomes an alcoholic and is fired from the show after a drunken fall onstage. Seriously ill and unable to sustain her luxurious lifestyle, she moves back into her family's modest Flatbush home. Gil, newly released from prison, visits her and pledges his love, although he knows she is dying. Despite her precarious health, Sheila goes alone to the opening night of the latest Follies show, where she collapses in the theater. Sandra and Franz rush to her side as Susan, now a star, sings from the stage.

Cast

James Stewart as Gilbert Young
Judy Garland as Susan Gallagher
Hedy Lamarr as Sandra Kolter
Lana Turner as Sheila Regan
Tony Martin as Frank Merton
Jackie Cooper as Jerry Regan
Ian Hunter as Geoffrey Collis
Charles Winninger as "Pop" Gallagher
Edward Everett Horton as Noble Sage
Philip Dorn as Franz Kolter
Paul Kelly as John Slayton
Eve Arden as Patsy Dixon
Dan Dailey as Jimmy Walters
Al Shean as Al
Fay Holden as Mrs. Regan

Musical numbers

"Overture" – played by Orchestra and sung by Chorus
"Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides" (music and lyrics by Roger Edens) – sung and danced by Judy Garland and Charles Winninger
"You Stepped Out of a Dream" (music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Gus Kahn) – sung by Tony Martin and Chorus
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (music by Harry Carroll, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy) – sung by Judy Garland
"Caribbean Love Song" (music by Edens, lyrics by Ralph Freed) – sung by Tony Martin and Chorus
"Minnie from Trinidad" (Edens) – sung by Chorus and danced by Antonio and Rosario, then sung and danced by Judy Garland and Chorus
"Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean" – performed by Charles Winninger and Al Shean
"Ziegfeld Girls/You Gotta Pull Strings" (Edens) – sung by Judy Garland and Chorus
"You Stepped Out of a Dream (reprise)" – sung by Tony Martin
"You Never Looked So Beautiful" (music by Walter Donaldson, lyrics by Harold Adamson) – sung by Judy Garland and Chorus

Deleted song

A musical number sung by Garland, "We Must Have Music", was deleted from the final film. Only a fragment survives, as it was used in the MGM short A New Romance of Celluloid: We Must Have Music (1942).^[3]^[4]^[5]