Ziegfeld Follies (1946)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Directors:

Lemuel Ayers
Roy Del Ruth
(more)

Writers:

John Murray Anderson (writer)
Lemuel Ayers (story)
(more)

Release Date:

8 April 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Flashing...smashing SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT! DAZZLING IN ITS BEAUTY...PACKED WITH GLORIOUS Melodies! (original print media ad - many caps)

Plot:

The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style. |

Plot Keywords:

Revue | Florenz Ziegfeld | Heaven | Ziegfeld Follies | Puppetry

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 8

10:15 AM

TCM

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Himself (in "Here's to the Ladies") / Raffles (in "This Heart of Mine") / Tai Long (in "Limehouse Blues") / Gentleman (in "The Babbit and the Bromide")
Lucille Ball	...	Herself in 'Here's to the Ladies'
Lucille Bremer	...	Princess in 'This Heart of Mine' / Moy Ling in 'Limehouse Blues'
Fanny Brice	...	Norma in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket'
Judy Garland	...	The Star in 'A Great Lady Has An Interview'
Kathryn Grayson	...	Herself in 'Beauty'
Lena Horne	...	Herself in 'Love'
Gene Kelly	...	Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide'
James Melton	...	Alfredo in scene from 'La Traviata'
Victor Moore	...	Lawyer's Client in 'Pay the Two Dollars'
Red Skelton	...	J. Newton Numbskull in 'When Television Comes'
Esther Williams	...	Herself in 'A Water Ballet'
William Powell	...	Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Edward Arnold	...	Lawyer in 'Pay the Two Dollars'
Marion Bell	...	Violetta in scene from 'La Traviata'
Cyd Charisse	...	Dance Specialty
Hume Cronyn	...	Monty (in "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
William Frawley	...	Martin in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket'
Robert Lewis	...	Chinese Gentleman in 'Limehouse Blues' / Telephone Voice in 'Number Please'
Virginia O'Brien	...	Herself in 'Here's to the Ladies'
Keenan Wynn	...	Caller in 'Number Please'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bunin's Puppets	...	The Puppets
Van Johnson	...	Specialty (scenes deleted)
Marilyn Maxwell	...	Specialty (scenes deleted)
Robert Ames	...	Masked Man in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Karin Booth	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Helen Boyce	...	Countess in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Lucille Casey	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Elise Cavanna	...	Tall Woman (uncredited)
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Lieutenant in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Naomi Childers	...	Duchess in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	Major-Domo in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Aina Constant	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan	...	First Judge in 'Pay the Two Dollars' (uncredited)
William B. Davidson	...	Second Judge in 'Pay the Two Dollars' (uncredited)
Jack Deery	...	Extra Man (uncredited)
Frances Donelan	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Natalie Draper	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn	...	Third Subway Policeman in 'Pay the Two Dollars' (uncredited)
Rex Evans	...	Butler in 'A Great Lady Has An Interview' (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Major-Domo's Assistant in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Sam Garrett	...	Roping / Twirling Act (uncredited)
Sidney Gordon	...	Masked Man in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Aileen Haley	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Carol Haney	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Warden in 'Pay the Two Dollars' (uncredited)
George Hill	...	Second Subway Policeman in 'Pay the Two Dollars' (uncredited)
Shirlee Howard	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
James King	...	Rooster in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Peter Lawford	...	Porky in 'Number Please' (voice) (uncredited)
Harriet Lee	...	Bar Singer in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Eugene Loring	...	Costermonger in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Charles Lunard	...	Masked Man in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Matt Mattox	...	Masked Man in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Helen O'Hara	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	First Subway Policeman in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Jack Regas	...	Masked Man in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Alex Romero	...	Masked Man in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Noreen Roth	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Elaine Shepard	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Count Stefenelli	...	Count in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Grady Sutton	...	Texan in 'Number Please' (uncredited)
Ray Teal	...	Second Subway Policeman in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Audrey Totter	...	Telephone Operator in 'Number Please' (voice) (uncredited)
Dorothy Van Nuys	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Arthur Walsh	...	Telegraph Boy in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket' (uncredited)
Robert Wayne	...	Dyseptic in 'This Heart of Mine' (uncredited)
Eve Whitney	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Kay Williams	...	Girl in 'Number Please' / Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Lemuel Ayers		(segment "Love")
Roy Del Ruth		(segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
Robert Lewis		(segment "Number Please")
Vincente Minnelli		(segments "This Heart of Mine", "Limehouse Blues", "A Great Lady Has an Interview", "The Babbitt and the Bromide" and "Beauty")
Merrill Pye		(segment "A Water Ballet")
George Sidney		(segments "Here's to the Girls", "Pay the Two Dollars" and "When Television Comes")
Charles Walters		(dance direction: "A Great Lady Has an Interview")

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Murray Anderson		writer
Lemuel Ayers		story and screenplay
Peter Barr		uncredited
Guy Bolton		writer
Allen Boretz		writer
Irving Brecher		writer
Eddie Cantor		writer
Erik Charell		writer
Harry Crane		writer
Roger Edens		writer
Joseph Erens		writer
David Freedman		writer
Devery Freeman		writer
Everett Freeman		writer
E.Y. Harburg		writer
Lou Holtz		writer
Cal Howard		writer
Al Lewis		writer
Robert Lewis		story and screenplay
Max Liebman		writer
Eugene Loring		writer
Wilkie C. Mahoney		writer
Jack McGowan		writer
William Noble		writer
James O'Hanlon		writer
Samson Raphaelson		writer
Philip Rapp		writer
William Schorr		writer
Joseph Schrank		writer
Edna Skelton		segment "When Television Comes"
Red Skelton		segment "When Television Comes"
Frank Sullivan		writer
Kay Thompson		writer
Harry Tugend		uncredited
Charles Walters		writer
Edgar Allan Woolf		writer

Produced by
Arthur Freed	....	producer

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey		(director of photography) (as George Folsey)
Charles Rosher		(director of photography)
Ray June		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Albert Akst

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Merrill Pye
Jack Martin Smith
Lemuel Ayers		(uncredited)
Edward C. Carfagno		(uncredited)
Harry McAfee		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Mac Alper
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Helen Rose
Irene Sharaff		(as Sharaff)
Florence Bunin		(uncredited)
Tony Duquette		(uncredited)
Irene		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
Dorothy Ponedel	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Greenwood	....	assistant director
Al Shenberg	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mac Alper	....	associate set decorator
William Ferrari	....	art director: puppet sequence
Irene Sharaff	....	art director: "Limehouse Blues" sequence (uncredited)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert J. Bronner	....	first assistant camera (segment "When Television Comes") (uncredited)
John M. Nickolaus Jr.	....	second camera operator (uncredited)

Animation Department
Lou Bunin	....	animator
Lou Chuten	....	animation supervisor (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Ted Duncan	....	music arranger
Roger Edens	....	music adaptor
Douglas Furber	....	composer: song "Limehouse Blues"
Lennie Hayton	....	musical director
Wally Heglin	....	orchestrator
Calvin Jackson	....	music arranger
Paul Marquardt	....	music arranger
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Kay Thompson	....	music arranger: vocal arrangements
Fletcher Henderson	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Alton	....	dance director
Roy Del Ruth	....	additional choreographer
Henri Jaffa	....	associate technicolor color director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Eugene Loring	....	additional choreographer
Charles Walters	....	additional choreographer
Helen Auer	....	secretary: Mr. Freed (uncredited)
Belva Lannan	....	secretary: Mr. Edens (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Ziegfeld Follies of 1944 (USA: Spanish title) (working title)
Ziegfeld Follies of 1946 (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Filmed between April 10 and August 18, 1944, with retakes plus additional segments shot on December 22, 1944 and then between January 25 and February 6, 1945, the movie finally had its official premiere at Manhattan's Capitol Theatre on March 22, 1946.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "A Great Lady Has An Interview," Judy Garland is continuously pushing her hair back out of her face during the interview portion of the scene. However, when the musical part begins her hair is firmly fixed up off of her face and stays that way until the end of the number when her dance moves have obviously loosened it up enough to start falling in her face again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.: Ah... Saturday, September twenty fifth. Another heavenly day. Ah, yes. Always a heavenly day.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bhowani Junction (1956)

Soundtrack:

Wot Cher!

No Plot, Lame Comedy, Fair Music & Dancing

I wasn't disappointed because there was no plot to this story. I didn't expect one, or care - I just wanted to see Fred Astire and Gene Kelly dance in the same film, and I wanted to enjoy the humor of Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, William Powell, Fanny Brice and others. It didn't hurt that Lena Horne, Kathryn Grayson, Esther Williams and more also were in this motion picture.

However to be honest and get to the point quickly: 1 - the comedy scenes were not funny and went on way too long (10 minutes and more in some skits); 2 - the song and dance numbers weren't much. I am a big fan of tap dancing and was very disappointed there was very little of it, although seeing Astaire and Kelly together in one number made me glad I watched this movie at least this once; 3 - The songs, in general, were not to my liking.

Now, to others who like those kind of ballads or that kind of dancing that was in here, this will good stuff to watch. It also offers some wild, almost garish color at times, and some pretty extravagant costumes. The musical numbers are far better than the weak comedy. Overall, it just didn't measure up to my expectations. My VHS picture wasn't the best, either. Perhaps I would change my mind with a good DVD transfer.