Thursday, February 9, 2012

Day 8: The Great Ziegfeld


The Great Ziegfeld:1936:Winner of the 9th Academy Awards

Starring:
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
Reginald Owen as Sampson, Flo's frequently-nervous bookkeeper
Ray Bolger as Himself
Ernest Cossart as Sidney, Billing's valet, who is hired away by Flo
Joseph Cawthorn as Dr. Ziegfeld
Nat Pendleton as Eugen Sandow
Harriet Hoctor as Herself
Jean Chatburn as Mary Lou
Paul Irving as Erlanger, Billing's later partner
Herman Bing as Costumer
Buddy Doyle as Eddie Cantor

The Great Ziegfeld is a stunning masterpiece! I truly mean it! I was so awed by the stage show that I wish I had a transport machine to take me to the 20’s and be present to one of his shows. The Ziegfeld Follies and to have been able to see them in their hayday! Ahh what a wish, however I could have done without the back story. Ziegfeld going up, Ziegfeld coming down… blah blah blahitty blah. I did like Fannie Brice’s bit though she was funny. Truthfully this is  the movie I thought I would like best from the three and since one I haven’t seen and one I think is kind of awesome “The Broadway Melody” I say watch this only for the shows. Skip the talking and the politics … unless you like to be bored. What I can also say is this, half of the “Wizard of Oz” is in the movie. The Wizard Oz, The  Scarecrow, and The Good Witch of the North. But seriously, this film bleh!

It also won awards for:

Academy Award for Best Actress - Luise Rainer
Academy Award for Best Dance Direction - Seymour Felix - For "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody".

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