The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

(Chicago, San Francisco, London, New York; 1893- 1932ish)

Musical biography of Florance Ziegfeld (William Powell), famed Broadway producer and womanizer. Of course the womanizing is somewhat downplayed in this sympathetic treatment, which was authorized by Ziegfeld’s widowed second wife Billie Burke* (played here by Myrna Loy).

We have the story of the rise of a natural charmer and rascal who had grand ambitious for high scale low-class entertainment. Of course as Ziegfeld became increasingly successful, he’s aspirations also went up a notch or two in brow, he would go on to produce ‘Show Boat’ (of course that same year he also put on Eddy Cantor’s ‘Whoopee’). The film won a best picture Oscar, as well as the first of two best actress awards for Luise Rainer, who here plays Florance’s French born first wife. The musical number "A Pretty Girl is Like A Memory" is one of the most elaborate and memorable ever put on film, it costs $200,000, incorporated a several stories tall set piece, at least a good hundred extras, and was somehow done in one take.

*Burke herself was an actress, probably best known for her portal of Glenda the Good Witch in MGM’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’.