The Great Ziegfeld

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The Great Ziegfeld
original movie poster
Directed by	Robert Z. Leonard
Produced by	Hunt Stromberg
Written by	William Anthony McGuire
Starring	William Powell Myrna Loy Luise Rainer
Music by	Walter Donaldson Irving Berlin
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	April 8, 1936 (USA)
Running time	185 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

The Great Ziegfeld (1936) is a musical film produced by MGM. Although the film is a fictionalized biography of Florenz Ziegfeld from his show business beginnings to his death, it showcases a series of spectacular musical productions. The film includes original music by Walter Donaldson and Irving Berlin. Berlin's work was featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, 1919, and 1920.

The film was the first musical film in history for which one of its cast members won an Academy Award - Luise Rainer received the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Anna Held.

Featured in the film are William Powell (as Ziegfeld), Myrna Loy (as Billie Burke), Luise Rainer (as Anna Held), Nat Pendleton (as Eugen Sandow), Frank Morgan and Virginia Bruce. Ziegfeld performers Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice and Ray Bolger play themselves. Dennis Morgan, in an uncredited role, performed "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" (dubbed by Allan Jones).

The Great Ziegfeld takes many key liberties with Ziegfeld's life and with the history of the Follies. For instance, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was never featured in the Follies, and the number "Pretty Girl" was written for the 1919 Follies, not the first edition of the revue, as shown in the film.

The film also gives the impression that the successful original production of Show Boat, which Ziegfeld produced, closed because of the Great Depression, when in fact Show Boat ended its original 1927 run in the spring of 1929 (the stock market crash did not occur until October of that year.) It was the 1932 revival of the show, not the original production, that was affected by the Depression.

Ironically, James Whale's film version of Show Boat was released the same year as The Great Ziegfeld, but was not even nominated for Oscars.

Contents 1 Cast 2 Awards 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Cast

• William Powell as Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.
• Myrna Loy as Billie Burke
• Luise Rainer as Anna Held
• Frank Morgan as Jack Billings
• Fanny Brice as Herself
• Virginia Bruce as Audrey Dane
• Ray Bolger as Himself
• Nat Pendleton as Eugen Sandow
• Eddie Cantor as Himself
• Also appearing uncredited is future First Lady Pat Nixon (as a Ziegfeld Girl).

[edit] Awards

The movie won three Oscars:^[1]

• Academy Award for Best Picture - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Hunt Stromberg, producer)
• Academy Award for Best Actress - Luise Rainer
• Academy Award for Best Dance Direction - Seymour Felix - For "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody".

It was nominated for an additional four:

• Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu and Edwin B. Willis
• Academy Award for Directing - Robert Z. Leonard
• Academy Award for Film Editing - William S. Gray
• Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay - William Anthony McGuire

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Great Ziegfeld

• The Great Ziegfeld at the Internet Movie Database
• The Great Ziegfeld at Allmovie
• The Great Ziegfeld at the TCM Movie Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Mutiny on the Bounty	Academy Award for Best Picture 1936	Succeeded by The Life of Emile Zola

v • d • e The films of Robert Z. Leonard 1910s The Silent Command • Heritage • Judge Not; or The Woman of Mona Diggings • Secret Love • The Crippled Hand • The Love Girl • Little Eve Edgarton • The Plow Girl • The Eagle's Wing (with Rufus Steele) • On Record • A Mormon Maid • The Primrose Ring • At First Sight • Princess Virtue • Face Value • The Bride's Awakening • Her Body in Bond • Modern Love • Danger, Go Slow • The Scarlet Shadow • The Delicious Little Devil • What Am I Bid? • Big Little Person • The Way of a Woman • The Miracle of Love 1920s Stronger Than Death (with Herbert Blaché and Charles Bryant) • April Folly • The Restless Sex (with Leon D'Usseau) • The Gilded Lily • Heedless Moths • Peacock Alley • Fascination • Broadway Rose • Jazzmania • The French Doll • Fashion Row • Mademoiselle Midnight • Circe, the Enchantress • Love's Wilderness • Cheaper to Marry • Time, the Comedian • Bright Lights • Dance Madness • Mademoiselle Modiste • The Waning Sex • A Little Journey • The Demi-Bride • Adam and Evil • Tea for Three • The Five O'Clock Girl • Baby Mine • The Cardboard Lover • A Lady of Chance • Marianne • Marianne 1930s The Divorcee • In Gay Madrid • Let Us Be Gay • The Bachelor Father • It's a Wise Child • Five and Ten • Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) • Lovers Courageous • Strange Interlude • Peg o' My Heart • Dancing Lady • Outcast Lady • After Office Hours • Naughty Marietta (with W. S. Van Dyke) • Escapade • The Great Ziegfeld • Piccadilly Jim • Maytime • The Firefly • The Girl of the Golden West • Broadway Serenade 1940s New Moon • Pride and Prejudice • Third Finger, Left Hand • Ziegfeld Girl • When Ladies Meet • We Were Dancing • Stand by for Action • The Man from Down Under • Marriage Is a Private Affair • Week-End at the Waldorf • The Secret Heart • Cynthia • B.F.'s Daughter • The Bribe 1950s In the Good Old Summertime • Nancy Goes to Rio • Duchess of Idaho • Grounds for Marriage • Too Young to Kiss • Everything I Have Is Yours • The Great Diamond Robbery • The Clown • Her Twelve Men • The King's Thief • The World's Most Beautiful Woman • Kelly and Me Serials The Master Key (1914) Productions Peacock Alley (1930)

v • d • e Academy Award for Best Picture Wings (1928) · The Broadway Melody (1929) · All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) · Cimarron (1931) · Grand Hotel (1932) · Cavalcade (1933) · It Happened One Night (1934) · Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) · The Great Ziegfeld (1936) · The Life of Emile Zola (1937) · You Can't Take It with You (1938) · Gone with the Wind (1939) · Rebecca (1940) Complete List · (1928–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–present)