Ziegfeld Girl

Starring:James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Ian Hunter, Edward Everett Horton, Charles Winninger, Philip Dorn, Paul Kelly, Antonio, Rosario, Eve Arden, Dan Dailey, Al Shean, Fay Holden, Felix Bressart, Rose Hobart, Bernard Nedell
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Description

An elevator operator, a wife of a struggling concert violinist, a born-in-a-trunk vaudevillian: they're three different women on three different paths of life, yet they soon share one dream: to become a Ziegfeld Girl. Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland play the respective three trying for stardom in this sumptuous extravaganza. James Stewart adds to the star wattage, playing the jilted truck-driving beau of Turner's footlight diva. And legendary innovator Busby Berkeley brings his imaginative camerawork and pacing to numbers that include Garland's massively scaled and calypso-infused Minnie from Trinidad, plus a lavish, showgirl-revue finale that reprises the rhapsodic You Stepped Out of a Dream. Sweet dreams, movie fans.

Customer Reviews:

Class A Suds.......2006-08-29

Okay, the plot is familiar -- three girls head for stardom in the Follies, one good (Garland), one bad (Turner), and one indifferent (Lamarr), with predictable results. But MGM threw all of its renowned studio craftsmanship into this film, and it makes for a wonderfully satisfying experience. Garland has moxie and talent, so her character makes it -- but only after proving her loyalty to her vaudeville Dad. That's MGM's (read: Louis Mayer's) take on the morality of show business, but it doesn't come across as hokey because Garland makes us believe in it, and her, all the way. Turner's character isn't really bad, just greedy, but she rejects James Stewart's offer of domestic penury and, in MGM's eyes, that's equivalent to Mortal Sin. So she lushes herself to the bottom. The part may be a stereotype, but Turner isn't. For those who've only seen her as a caricature of herself in later roles, this performance is a revelation. And Lamarr -- well, her character leaves her husband (justified, if you ask me; he acts like a jerk about her success) but runs back to him in time for the final number. I can't really get on Lamarr's case for her lack of acting skills since she was (a) drop-dead gorgeous and (b) an electronics wizard in real life, which is about all you can ask of one person. Still, one does get tired of MGM's insistence on pushing her into roles that could have used a real actress.

And yes, this movie is one that cries out for the visual joys of technicolor (The Sea Hawk is another). But perhaps Adrian's gloriously decadent costumes and Busby Berkeley's reliably loony production numbers would have been way over the top in color. In black-and-white they seem just right, an evocation of a bygone era. Ziegfeld Girl is a sudsy but terrifically effective fairy tale that retains its magic even today.

Last word: this may be the only Edward Everett Horton movie in which he doesn't plague the viewer with stupid double-takes, a real plus if you've seen him dithering in RKO movies. Plus his character's name (Noble Sage) is one of my all-time favorites.

WONDERFUL MUSICAL-DRAMA.......2006-02-13

.. with an all-star cast. The plot is not new(Stage Door, How to Marry a Millionaire and Valley of the Dolls to mention but a few), but Judy, Hedy and Lana do an admirable job. Never mind highbrow critcs; Hedy Lamarr wasn`t THAT bad and Lana does one of her best acting jobs ever. Judy is a tomboy and it`s sad that life eventually took her into the direction of Lana`s character Sheila.

The musical numbers are good, but sadly; footage from THE GREAT ZIEGFELD are edited in(note the finale). James Stewart are good as well - as are Edvard Everett Horton, Charles Winninger and Eve Arden. The film is filled with good 1-liners and there are even echoes of Garbo`s first sound-entrance in ANNA CHRISTIE.

Four Stars For The Four Stars. .......2006-02-01

How did it take me three days to plod through this film, considering it was produced by Pandro S. Berman, directed musically by Busby Berkeley, and starred Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, and Jimmy Stewart? This film had all the ingredients for being a huge success, but it just didn't quite make it. It is definately worth seeing as a piece of classic Hollywood history, but, the story drags, and the musical numbers range, in my opinion, from acceptable to pretty bad. There's a reason why you almost never see clips from this film in retrospectives of Hollywood musicals. Even the great Judy, albeit always charming, comes off as somewhat lackluster in her numbers, though she injects them all with her trademark energy. I found the musical number "Minnie From Trinidad" particularly bad....everyone seems to be doing a dress rehearsal at best, and for the first time in one of her films I could tell Judy was singing to a pre-recorded track. Still, she is adorable as one of the gals with stars in her eyes, and retains the persona of her two years earlier role of Dorothy in "The Wizard Of Oz." Lana Turner, Judy's Little Red School House chum from the MGM lot, is surprisingly effective as the sexy blonde showgirl with a fatal ambition. Never wanting to return to her lower class squalor, she "dates" many men, accepting fabulous jewels, a Park Ave. apartment, and, at last count, six furs, for her "company", the '40s reference for whoredom. Bad girls, even those with a heart of gold, always got punished way back when, and Lana's showgirl, the former elevator girl, is back on for a ride straight down. I had never seen too many of Lana's earlier roles, being more familiar with her '50s melodramas, such as "Imitation Of Life" and "Madame X", where she definately projected a mature quality. I was very impressed with her role here. She had a natural ability for one so early in her career. Tennessee Williams, before his own fame, was once assigned to write a screenplay for her, and commented that she couldn't act her way out of her brassiere. I feel this was an unfair assessment of her skills. She's darn good! Fellow Little Red School House alumni Jackie Cooper plays Lana's kid brother, and there is a very humorous moment when he saunters for their mom in imitation of Lana's performance of the night before, and mom says "I hope I didn't raise my son to be a showgirl" with such gay inference that it should have been included in "The Celluloid Closet." Jimmy Stewart is Jimmy Stewart, which is to say he is totally believable as Lana's true love. Hedy Lamarr, as the third showgirl, has no ambitions other than to get she and her husband out of debt. As porcelein and perfect as a Dresden doll, she shows just about as much acting range. Hedy was one of Hollywood's all-time beauties, and her image in this film is no exception. But, I wouldn't consider her the world's greatest actress. In her scenes with the even more wooden actor who plays her violinist husband, "Franz", their interaction, both replete with discernible European accents, comes off as very dated and almost amateur. Hedy, who was no dummy, once commented that "any girl can look glamorous, all you have to do is stand still and look stupid." She knew wherein her own strengths lie, and it is when she is immobile that her screen power shines. She is unbelievably gorgeous, and in scenes such as the one here where she is framed by giant orchids, well...that image alone is worth a chapter in any book on the history of Hollywood. Busby Berkeley was Hollywood's most famous stage/musical director. Though his sets and numbers here have all the elaborate, over-sized qualities that are identified with his style, and are visually impressive, the music accompanying them just wasn't that memorable. And seeing Judy Garland in her last musical number here was not my favorite Garland moment in a film. Sitting atop the revolving, showgirl laden Berkeley monument, dressed in attire and wig which make her look amazingly and unflatteringly similar to Marie Antoinette, she also looks very uncomfortable and almost ridiculous. Costumes in this film were designed by the famous contract designer, Adrian. These are quite possibly some of the most elaborate, detailed costumes ever in a film, and they range from breathtakingly gorgeous to so over-the-top as to make a drag queen blush. Though this all may seem like too many negatives to make this viewable, the star power and, most of all, the visual power of this film make it more than worthwhile. Add to it the great cast of character actors, most of whose names would be familiar to only film buffs, and, Eve Arden with her trademark dead-pan cynicism and best - gal friend humor, and it all combines to make this, if far from a perfect movie, a movie well worth seeing anyway. My final impression?: "Hooray For Hollywood!"

My Favorite Musical.......2005-10-11

The Ziegfeld Follies were a popular form of entertainment during the 1910s. They featured many types of entertainment from low-brow vaudeville humor to high class musical numbers featuring glorified women in elaborate costumes. This film is about the women who are privileged enough to be chosen to be a Follies girl and how their lives change when fame hits.

Lana Turner plays the lead, a beautiful elevator girl turned showgirl. Her performance is understated perfection from the beginning when she feels gorgeous and wonderful to her decline into alcohol and ill-health.

Jimmy Stewart plays her boyfriend, a sweet man who idealizes his relationship with Turner. When she begins to flake, his heart breaks, and he becomes a bootlegger with dreary hopes of striking it rich and feeling worthy of her.

Judy Garland is outstanding as a young, energetic hopeful trained in vaudeville. She is never annoying; her energy is cute and admirable. She had anxieties being cast with such beautiful women; she felt she would be ugly in comparison, but Garland is glamorous and attractive in her own right.

Hedy Lamarr is gorgeous as one of the most striking Follies girls. Her character joins because she and her husband are desperate for money since he is a struggling musician. Her role is smaller than the other women's, but her love for her husband is deeply moving.

Jackie Cooper has a small role as Turner's brother and Garland's love interest. His youthful innocence is a lot of fun, but his role is too small to have a real impact on the film.

The songs in this film are both beautiful and fun. "Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides" features Garland and her father performing in a vaudeville show. The two are quite remarkable together; they are funny and well synchronized. "You Stepped Out of a Dream" is a softer melody which features the Follies girls "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is sung both fast and slow, and both versions are great which is only testimony to Garland's amazing musical talents. "Minnie From Trinidad" is also a Garland song, a fun story song with many Busby Berkley visual effects. "You Never Looked So Beautiful" is the final song, a weak finale comprised of stock footage from The Great Ziegfeld, a 1936 film about Florenz Ziegfeld. The great thing about this film is that it is realistic. Instead of the actors randomly bursting into song to show their emotions, the songs are part of a Ziegfeld show. The only musical numbers are during practice or during the shows.

There are several nice extra features on this DVD including an introduction to the film, deleted song numbers, and an Our Gang short. The short film does not seem very fitting for the DVD except for the fact that it features dance numbers, specifically those representative of different eras through dance.

What a film!!!!!.......2005-09-28

"You stepped out of a dream" is one of the great songs from this outstanding motion picture. This number alone will give you chills and even if your a guy you would wonder what it would be like to decend on a glamor staircase. It the production number you don't want to have end. It is just beautiful. The whole entire film is also outstanding but the last scene before the final number in true Lana Turner fasion steals the film. In this scene she is fatally ill and leaves the theare while Tony Martin is singing "You stepped out of a dream." In her trade mark jestures at the top of the stair case without any dialog only music she thinks of being that beautiful Ziegfield girl again and decends down the stairs. The music builds and then she collapses. Oh,,,what a dramatic scene. This entire film will make your heart pound and only wish that Hollywood could produce something like this again.

Average customer rating:

Talking Curiosity
A rare look into entertainment history

Glorifying the American Girl
Starring: Sr. Noah Beery , Irving Berlin , Billie Burke , Eddie Cantor , and Edward Crandall
Director: Millard Webb , and John W. Harkrider
Manufacturer: Alpha Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MV9O7C
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Product Description

An early all-star musical spectacular featuring Flo Ziegfield and the greatest names in show business.

Customer Reviews:

Talking Curiosity.......2007-04-12

Two factors drew me into purchasing this product: that this film is an early talkie and Flo Ziegfeld. The film, like the curate's egg, is good in parts but has problems with long and boring dialogue, especially the speech made by the boss at the firm's outing. That said, it is a very interesting period piece showing life as it was for ordinary people in the late 20s. There are set pieces towards the end of the film of the Ziegfeld Girls arranged by Flo Ziegfeld himself (which are less spectacular than legend would have one believe) plus a rather over-long sketch by Eddie Cantor, probably hilarious in its day, but which is now very dated. The biggest disappointment of all is that the film is black and white throughout, whereas the opening credits promise the staged scenes in Technicolour. I think that had these colour scenes been restored, the DVD company could have charged that little bit extra and we would have been given a superb window on our cinematic heritage and I, for one,would not have been so stingy on the star rating!

A rare look into entertainment history.......2007-03-18

Just because I gave this movie four stars doesn't mean it will be entertaining to everyone or even most people. Its main value today is to get a rare glimpse at one of the earliest talkie musicals, and also see and hear what a Ziegfeld show might have been like right before the famous showman went broke in the stock market crash of 1929. Florenz Ziegfeld himself actually produced this film, which features his Ziegfeld Follies girls. The movie actually does have a plot of sorts, although its purpose in this film, as in many of the early talkie musicals, is mainly to set up the singing and dancing numbers. This film, though, is unusual in that the plot does actually teach a little unexpected lesson on the price of fame.

The film opens with Gloria, Barbara, and Buddy selling sheet music in a New York City department store. Gloria and Buddy have been sweethearts since childhood, but Gloria wants a career before she settles down. To complicate matters, Barbara is secretly in love with Buddy. A vaudeville hoofer sees Gloria dancing at a store picnic and wants to take her on as a dance partner. They take their act on the road and are spotted by one of Ziegfeld's talent scouts. Back in New York at the audition, the Follies want Gloria but not her partner. Unfortunately for Gloria, though, she signed a five year contract splitting all her earnings with her partner. Gloria becomes the star of Ziegfeld's new show, and this sets up the lavish production numbers of the last third of the film.

The movie contains very brief shots of Irving Berlin, Billie Burke, and NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker, supposedly as they are entering the theatre to see the show. Particularly entertaining in the Ziegfeld production part of the film are performances by Helen Morgan, Rudy Valee, and Eddie Cantor. If you look closely you can spot Johnny Weissmuller wearing nothing but a fig leaf. You have to remember that this film was made before there was any effective production code, so you'll likely be shocked at the revealing nature of some of the costumes in the production numbers. Also, at one point of the film, Gloria's mother actually utters the D-word quite clearly and without any implied effrontery when she is trying to open up her reading glasses. This is a full ten years before such a big deal was made of Rhett Butler using the same word in "Gone with the Wind". Unfortunately, although the last third of the film was shot in Technicolor, the DVD version is in black and white. Also, because of the limitations of technology and the age of this film, there are many long shots of the production numbers with the Ziegfeld Follies girls that make it impossible to see the details of the lavish costumes and sets. However, in spite of its flaws, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history and these very early talkie gems of which so few are remaining in any form.

The Judy Garland Signature Collection (A Star is Born / The Wizard of Oz / The Harvey Girls / Love Finds Andy Hardy / In the Good Old Summertime / Ziegfeld Girl / For Me and My Gal)

Average customer rating:

Judy fans will be delighted
This is a good view of her talent
"films of the little girl with a big voice ~ Judy Garland"

The Judy Garland Signature Collection (A Star is Born / The Wizard of Oz / The Harvey Girls / Love Finds Andy Hardy / In the Good Old Summertime / Ziegfeld Girl / For Me and My Gal)
Starring: Judy Garland
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001Q4CZM
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Description

Judy! Judy! Judy! Judy Garland: The Signature Collection includes 7 of Judy's unforgettable performances including A Star is Born and The Wizard of Oz! The Collection also includes 4 new-to-DVD titles starring the legendary Judy Garland: Love Finds Andy Hardy, In the Good Old Summertime, Ziegfeld Girl, and For Me and My Gal. A great Mother's Day gift!

Customer Reviews:

Judy fans will be delighted.......2006-11-03

Some of Judy's finest works in great form. "A Star is Born" and "Wizard of Oz" would justify the price by themselves. The rest is great gravy.

This is a good view of her talent.......2004-06-29

Judy was a magnificent talent with personal problems that makes it amazing that she could produce such beutiful prductions. These movies are a very good cross section of her talent. The Andy Hardy series was a wonderful joining of two great talents that represent a part of her career that many have been the happiest. There are many others that could have been chosen, but whatever was put in would require taking something out. I think "The Wizard" was the one waste, since there are much better copies out, and another Judy and Mickey would have been more fun.
But at least these are great, and others can be bought.

"films of the little girl with a big voice ~ Judy Garland".......2004-06-03

Growing up in the midwest, all the entertainment came from the movies ~ "Judy Garland:The Signature Collection", featuring the golden age of musicals starring our favorite female lead at MGM Studio, Miss Judy Garland. Her voice and talent takes you into the world of make believe...are you ready...well here goes!

Let's start with "FOR ME AND MY GAL"(1942), featuring George Murphy and Gene Kelly (with commentary by Garland biographer John Fricke/vintage shorts/radio programs/audio outtakes/theatrical trailer) ~ "THE HARVEY GIRLS"(1945), featuring Ray Bolger, John Hodiak, Angela Lansbury and Preston Foster (commentary by director George Sidney/3 deleted musical numbers/music cue sessions/theatrical trailer) and "On The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" remixed in stereo ~ "IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME"(1949), featuring Van Johnson, S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, Spring Byington, Buster Keaton and Nellie Burke (introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke/Vintage Fitzpatrick Traveltalks Shorts/theatrical trailers of this film, "The Shop Around The Corner and "You've Got Mail) ~ "LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY"(1938), featuring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Cecilia Parker and Fay Holden (introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke with Ann Rutherford/Leo is on the air radio promo/Andy Hardy trailer gallery) ~ "A STAR IS BORN"(1954), featuring James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford and Tom Noonan (special features: documentary network telecast of Hollywood premiere and newsrell coverage of Post-Premiere Party/3 alternate filings of "The Man That Got Away"/deleted song "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street"/soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1/theatrical trailers of the 1937, 1954 and 1976 film versions) ~ "THE WIZARD OF OZ"(1939), featuring Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Berlahr, Jack Haley and Margaret Hamilton (behind-the-scenes documentary/"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" & "The Making of a Movie Classic" hosted by Angela Lansbury/vintage movie & cartoon clips/theatrical trailers/outtake musical numbers/cast interviews and much, much more) ~ "ZIEGFELD GIRLS"(1941), featuring James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper and Edward Everett Horton (introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke/vintage musical short/Our Gang short "Melodies Old and New"/2 outtakes the musical number "Too Beautiful To Last and a deleted "We Must Have Music Finale"/theatrical trailers of this film, "The Great Ziegfeld" and "Ziegfeld Follies") ~ all new digital transfer.

The clarity of picture and the re-mastered sound of each film is overwhelming ~ Garland is at her captivating best ~ each cue is an eye full with behind the scenes that every collector will cherish...gotta love it!

Customer Reviews:

Okay, and then GREAT!.......2004-12-19

Zigfield Girl: This is a enjoyable movie about three girls who share the same dream about becoming a Zigfield Girl. Heddy Lamar, Lana Turner, and Judy Garland. They have some wonderful songs, and dances, and I especially love Minnie from Trinidad, but there is one severe problem with this movie: It is sooooo long!! Yes, some parts seem to just DRAG!!! And others are fun. But still, it is long. James Stewart is in bringing his talent onto the screen. And other actors also make the film enjoyable. And when I think back, I really do like the movie, it is just very long. And I know I gave this review 5 stars, but that is because most of them, belong to Broadway.

Broadway Melody of 1940: This is WONDERFUL!!! Eleanor Powell!! Yeah!! She makes her first appearence in this film, in 'The Captain of this Boat.' She's lovely, graceful, and the Queen of Tap. Fred of course, also makes this film, a 5 star film. He plays Johnny Brett, a loyal, true, and honest best friend to his partner who is chosen to play Claire Bennets (Powell) leading man. But all by mistake. For it was really him, who was supposed to have the audition. And even when he finds out, he keeps quiet, and helps his friend. Also, his partner begins to fall for Claire, Johnny has also, secretly. And when on opening night his partner (George Murphy) becomes drunk, a new star was born to broadway, Johnny Brett!
A wonderful movie, and I reccomend it highly. This is a great film to add to your collection.

Wonderfully Refreshing.......2004-10-07

Both of these movies are wonderful. However, Zigfield Girl does seem very long, and Broadway Melody is a little slow in some parts. But Fred Astaire dances (as usual), well, and Eleanor's tap and ballet numbers simply take my breath away!! Zigfield Girl with: Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart, and the goregeous Heddy Lamar. A wonderful cast with wonderful songs, but maybe a little slow.
But go ahead and see them, overall they are highly entertaining, and wonderfully refreshing!!!!

Sort of inbetween.......2004-10-07

This movie was really just - okay. It has so many twists, and turns I don't even think I could explain it. The songs were good and Lana Turner was perfect for 'Red,' but the movie dragged in some places and it seems very, very long. Judy Garland does a splendid job singing (of course), and I really loved the song 'Laugh.' Heddy Lamar is just breathtakingly beautiful and her accent is delightful. Overall, it was a good movie, just a little boring. Jimmy Stewart also plays Lana Turner's boyfriend, and he's always a joy to watch! Something else that was disappointing was the false advertising: Color. It's not. As plain as day it's in black and white. But everybody of course has different opinions. This movie while a little dull to me, may be highly entertaining to someone else. So, don't take my word for it. See it for yourself and form your own opinion!!

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