Ziegfeld Follies (1945)

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:

Florenz Ziegfeld | Heaven | Revue | Dance | Puppetry

Awards:

1 win

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)
Rod Alexander	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
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)
Milton Chisholm	...	Chorus Boy (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)
Dick D'Arcy	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
William B. Davidson	...	Second Judge in 'Pay the Two Dollars' (uncredited)
Jack Deery	...	Extra Man (uncredited)
Dante DiPaolo	...	Chorus Boy (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)
Don Hulbert	...	Chorus Boy (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)
Herb Lurie	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Matt Mattox	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Bert May	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Helen O'Hara	...	Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	First Subway Policeman in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Jack Purcell	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Tommy Rall	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Jack Regas	...	Masked Man in 'Limehouse Blues' (uncredited)
Ricky Ricardi	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Alex Romero	...	Chorus Boy (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		(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)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1950) (West Germany) (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 | West Germany:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | West Germany:12 | 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:

Judy Garland's number, "A Great Lady Has an Interview" (music and lyrics by Roger Edens and Kay Thompson, choreography by Charles Walters), originally was offered to Greer Garson as spoof of her high-toned Mrs. Miniver/Madame Curie image. When the songwriters demonstrated this change-of-pace routine at the home of Greer and her then-husband Richard Ney, the couple felt less than flattered and jointly rejected the proposal.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Towards the end of the "This Heart of Mine" number, as Astaire and Bremer begin to dance back to the palace, dancers in the background (screen left) are clearly struggling to stabilize some of the antler-tree props.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

Soundtrack:

Bring on the Wonderful Men

Fluffy all-star musical is lavish entertainment in the grand MGM style...

Originally, 'Ziegfeld Follies' included a number of other sketches that were discarded after several previews revealed their weak points. What was left was finally released two years later, a post-war musical that provided the kind of escapism fare audiences were still seeking from MGM. For me, the high point of the sketches is the Fred Astaire-Lucille Bremer number, 'Limehouse Blues', filmed using some of the old sets left over from 'Picture of Dorian Gray'. Another Astaire knockout is the amusing 'This Heart of Mine' where he is a pickpocket after Bremer's jewels. Judy Garland shows a wonderful sense of humor with her 'The Great Lady Gives An Interview' routine. Her comic timing was never delivered with more polish and sophistication. Some of the other musical numbers are appealing but all of the comedy scenes seemed to be straining for laughs and do nothing but date the film badly. A good technicolor print of this one will blow you away with its palette of rich colors and design. I liked the opening number with Lucille Ball cracking a whip over a bevy of cat-like beauties. If you're not keen about MGM musicals, stay away from this one. For me, it was pure gold.