Ziegfeld
Girl is
a rarity in the film catalog of Judy Garland.  It’s one of the
few “post Oz” films that isn’t a vehicle for either her alone,
or her and a co-star (Mickey Rooney, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire)
and one in which she plays a more supporting role. Ziegfeld
Girl is Lana Turner’s star making film.
Originally
scheduled in 1938 for Joan Crawford, Eleanor Powell (MGM’s “Queen
Of Taps”), Margaret Sullivan, and Virginia Bruce, Ziegfeld Girl ended
up starring Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Judy Garland, and Eve Arden
in the main female leads. This was probably done because,
at the time the film was finally in pre-production, Joan Crawford
and Eleanor Powell’s careers were already declining. In addition,
the studio was giving Lana, Hedy, and of course Judy, big “build-ups”
to make them the "new" stars at MGM. Judy had already
proven herself in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Babes in
Arms (1939), and she had just finished Little Nellie Kelly (1940). Lana was the studio’s obvious new “sexpot” and Hedy had
recently made a big splash as well. With her exotic looks and accent
Hedy would become MGM’s “Bird Of Paradise” while Lana would be more
"American" and therefore more "accessible".
Lana would end up staying at MGM for almost 20 years and would
become one of the studio's most enduring stars, with a career that
would last over 30 years.
The story is very slight. It’s the typical “3 Girls trying to make
it” backstage story. One achieves stardom (Judy), one achieves
happiness via marriage (Hedy), and one falls for the glitz and glamour
and ends up dead from alcoholism (Lana). Pure melodrama! But,
packaged by MGM's professionalism, with musical numbers directed
by Busby Berkeley, Ziegfeld Girl would become an extravaganza
of glitz and corn and music and melodrama! This is the movie that
proves, "they don't make 'em like they used to". Just
to film the opulent musical numbers today, with the chorus girls,
chorus boys, costumes, music, and all the trimmings, would cost
a fortune. But MGM had the resources to make Ziegfeld Girl
one of the most opulent films of the day. Or any day!!
James
Stewart and Jackie Cooper play the main lead male roles. Stewart
was fresh off the double success of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
(1939) and his Oscar winning role in The Philadelphia Story
(1941).
NOTE: This is the only film in which Judy starred
with James Stewart and even though they both get top billing, they
never share a scene together! Years later, James Stewart would
talk about the magical days during the late 1930's when he and
several other stars and contract players would take their breaks
and sit outside the music building and listen to Judy rehearse
with Roger Edens.
Ziegfeld Girl is something of an oddity for Stewart.
His character is far below the actor’s abilities. He’s merely a
plot device for the Sheila Hale (Lana Turner) character.  But Stewart
gets top billing anyway, based solely on his recent successes. A reflection of her star status, Judy gets second billing, even
though her role is much smaller than Lana or Hedy’s roles.
Lana really handles her scenes well. She’s given the melodramatic
plot line of the pretty chorus girl falling prey to the “Stage Door
Johnnies” and booze. It’s really her picture from beginning to
end. Her handling of the decent down the stairs “one last time”
(even though she’s close to death!) is wonderfully done and shows
that Lana actually could act. This is the film that would cement
Lana Turner’s star status.
Judy’s part is basically a supporting role, but she gets several
great numbers. There’s the vaudeville routing with Charles Winninger
“Laugh, I Thought I’d Split My Sides” a throw away number that
Judy handles nicely due to her real Vaudeville background.
“I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” is the ballad standout for Judy.
Beautifully sung. No one has ever given a better rendition. It
would become a classic Garland film moment. When watching her sing
this, one can see why Lana Turner said to Judy (during the making
of this film) “You know, I’d give all of my beauty for just half
of your talent the look on your face when you sing.” That’s
praise indeed. NOTE: The “Judy Garland The Golden Years At MGM”
laser disc contains the existing recording session tracks for Ziegfeld
Girl. Included are several takes of Judy’s “I’m Always Chasing
Rainbows” showing us how magical she was in the recording studio.
 Minnie From Trinidad” is the big Busby Berkeley extravaganza showcasing
Judy’s character’s ascent to stardom. It’s completely over the
top in a good way! Judy’s voice is well suited to this type of
number (actually her voice is well suited to any style). She’s
able to take the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and make them fun. At the
end of the number, she’s lifted up and down on what are supposed
to be large bamboo-type sticks. I’ve always wondered how they got
away with putting Judy on something like that something that could
possibly seriously injure one of MGM’s biggest stars. It’s possible
that it’s really not Judy until they do a close-up. Hard to tell!
Judy
also gets to appear in the other big musical number “You Stepped
Out Of A Dream”. Judy’s character is not yet a star, so that after
each girl’s segment, poor Judy/Susan is stuck behind Tony Martin,
Lana Turner and Hedy Lamarr for the final shot of the number. This
probably didn’t do much for Judy’s insecurity about her looks.
“Dream”
is a dream alright. Eye popping costumes and huge sets add to Tony
Martin’s wonderful rendition of this standard. The song is really
just an excuse to show the “typical Ziegfeld” number of beautiful
girls wearing outlandish costumes descending down a long flight
of stairs.Lana and Hedy both get their turn coming down the stairs.
Lana proves that she can navigate stairs better than anyone. What
a beautiful walk she had! Judy doesn’t just walk down the stairs,
she dances down as the head of a line of sequined clad chorus girls.
Very effective!
The
film contains one of Dan Dailey's earliest roles as "The
Champ" Jimmy Walters who is first spurned then used by the
Sheila Hale (Lana Turner) character. Dailey who would go over to
20th Century Fox and star in several musicals with Betty Grable.
Ziegfeld Girl was incredibly opulent, even for the "Golden
Years" of Hollywood. The melodrama works because the entire
film is packaged with the talent and professionalism that only
MGM could achieve. It contains a few of Judy's best numbers on
film and shows that in any setting (with any dialog), the talent
of Judy Garland would still shine!
So sit back, relax, and lose yourself in a fantasy world that never
really existed in the first place. They don't make 'em like that
anymore!
|
DATE |
EVENT |
|
October
1940 |
Rehearsals
begin for Ziegfeld Girl. |
|
11/13/40 |
MGM
Recording session: "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"
(fast and slow versions). |
|
11/28/1940 |
Publicity photo session for Ziegfeld Girl.
Judy and Jackie Cooper. Judy is wearing her "Laugh! I
Thought I'd Split My Sides" costume. (see the Photo
Gallery) |
|
12/11/1940 |
Publicity photo session for Ziegfeld Girl.
Judy with Lana Turner and Hedy Lamarr (Judy and Lana balance
books on their heads, all three pose around a piano and various
other poses). (see the Photo
Gallery) |
|
12/18/1940 |
Judy records
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" for Decca Records.
Judy also records "Our Love Affair" (from Strike
Up The Band - 1941), "A Pretty Girl Milking Her
Cow" (from Little Nellie Kelly - 1940) and "It's
a Great Day For The Irish" (also from Little Nellie
Kelly). |
|
12/22/1940 |
MGM
recording session: "We Must Have Music" (with Tony
Martin) & "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (reprise)
- both would be cut from the film. A clip of the footage for
"We Must Have Music" survives in a short subject
with the same name, also released an 1941. The finale would
be altered in March of 1941. |
|
12/30/1940
- 12/31/1940 |
Filming of "You Stepped Out Of A Dream".
Publicity photos in the "Dream" costumes are taken
at this time. (see the Photo
Gallery) |
01/14/41 |
MGM
recording session: "Minnie From Trinidad". |
|
01/18/41 |
Filming of the "Minnie From Trinidad" number. |
March 1941 |
Ziegfeld Girl filming
is completed. Including the new, more extravagant finale which
"steals" footage from MGM's 1936 "Best Picture"
Oscar winner The Great Ziegfeld.
Judy is put in a blonde wig and placed on a mock-up of the
top portion of the famous "wedding cake" set from The Great Ziegfeld. This is spliced into the footage
so that it looks as though Judy (rather than the original
girl, Virginia Bruce) is sitting on the top of that massive
set from 1936! |
|
April 25, 1941 |
Ziegfeld Girl premieres. |
(Songs that are available on CD are noted
with a link) Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides (Judy Garland
and Charles Winninger)
You Stepped Out of a Dream (Tony Martin)
*An abridged version of this number
is on the That's Entertainment III CD.
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
(Judy Garland)
Caribbean Love Song (Tony Martin)
Minnie
from Trinidad (Judy Garland and Ensemble)
Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean  (Charles Winninger, Al Shean)
Ziegfeld Girls (Judy Garland and Chorus)
We Must Have Music
(Judy Garland, Tony Martin, Six Hits and a Miss and the MGM Studio
Chorus)
You Gotta Pull Strings (Judy Garland and Chorus)
You Never Looked So Beautiful Before* (Judy Garland and Chorus)
*NOTE: The following is a listing of the recording session
masters available in the alternate audio tracks of the out of print
laser disc "Judy Garland The Golden Years At MGM":
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (McCarthy/Carroll) (Comedy Version;
Take 3); recorded November 13, 1940
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Comedy Version, Take 4)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Ballad Version, Take 4); recorded
November 13, 1940
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Ballad Version, Takes 5 &
6)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Ballad Version, Take 7)
We Must Have Music (Brown/Kahn)/Special Material (Edens)/You
Stepped Out of a Dream (Brown/Kahn) (Original Finale) - with
Tony Martin, Six Hits and a Miss, and Chorus; recorded December 22,
1940
Special material (Edens)/I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Deleted Finale Reprise) - with Tony Martin; recorded December 22,
1940
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Deleted Finale Reprise)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Deleted Finale Reprise,
Take 3)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Deleted Finale Reprise, Take
4)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Deleted Finale Reprise, Take
5)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Deleted Finale Reprise, Take
6)
WHAT THE CRITICS SAID:
"Although their tribulations are never worth the length that
producer Pandro Berman devotes to them, Miss Garland warbles a torrid
tropical tune, "Minnie from Trinidad", with true professional
gusto."
- Time, May 5, 1941
"Judy Garland, as the show wise youngster, carries the sympathetic
end most capably and delivers her vocal assignments in great style"
- Variety, April 16, 1941
"Of the three aspirants to stardom ... only [Judy] made it,
which gave the film a conviction it lacked elsewhere."
- film historian David Shipman
"Judy Garland is especially good as a youngster who becomes
a star under a strict code of showmanship."
- Howard Barnes, The New York Herald Tribune
"... Judy Garland sings and dances her way enthusiastically
from tank-town vaudeville to the New Amsterdam Theatre and Charles
Winninger, as her father, turns out to be the Gallagher of the famous
Gallagher and Shean team, while Shean is played with nostalgic gusto
by Al Shean himself..."
- Newsweek
Production No. 1165
Running Time: 132 minutes
Filmed: October 1940 - March 1941
Released: April 25, 1941
 PRODUCTION
STAFF:
Produced by: Arthur Freed
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
Screenplay by: Marguerite Roberts and Sonya Levien
(original story by William Anthony McGuire)
Musical numbers directed by: Busby Berkeley
Music and lyrics:
"You Stepped Out of a Dream" by Nacio Herb Brown
and Gus Kahn
"Minnie from Trinidad" by Roger Edens
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" by Harry Carroll and
Joseph McCarthy
"Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean" by Edward Gallagher
and Al Shean
CAST:
James Stewart.....Gilbert Young
Judy Garland.....Susan Gallagher
Hedy Lamarr.....Sandra Kolter
Lana Turner.....Sheila Regan
Tony Martin.....Frank Merron
Jackie Cooper.....Jerry Regan
Ian Hunter.....Geoffrey Collis
Charles Winninger....."Pop" Gallagher
Edward Everett Horton.....Noble Sage
 Philip Dorn.....Franz Kolter
Paul Kelly.....John Slayton
Eve Arden.....Patsy Dixon
Dan Dailey, Jr......Jimmy Walters
Al Shean.....Al
Fay Holden.....Mrs. Regan
Felix Bressart.....Mischa
Rose Hobart.....Mrs. Merron
Bernard Nedell.....Nick Capalini
Ed McNamara.....Mr. Regan
Mae Busch.....Jenny
Renie Riano.....Annie
Josephine Whittell.....Perkins
Sergio Orta.....Native Dancer
Six Hits and a Miss.....vocals
Rosario and Antonio.....Specialty Dancers
Fred Santley.....Floorwalker
Claire James.....Hopeful
Sergio Orta.....Native Dancer
Reed Hadley.....Geoffrey's Friend
Armand Kaliz.....Pierre
Joan Barclay.....Actress in Slayton's Office
Donald Kirke.....Playboy
Ray Teal.....Pawnbroker
Al Hill.....Truck Driver
Roscoe Ates.....Theater Worker
George Lloyd.....Bartender
Ginger Pearson.....Salesgirl
Elliott Sullivan, James Flavin.....Truckers
Joyce Compton.....Miss Sawyer
Ruth Tobey.....Beth Regan
Bess Flowers.....Casino Patron
Jean Wallace, Myrna Dell, Georgia Carroll, Louise La Planche,
Virginia Cruzon, Alaine Brandeis, Patricia Dana, Irma Wilson,
Leslie Brooks, Madeleine Martin, Vivian Mason, Harriet Bennett,
Nina Bissell, Frances Gladwin, Anya Taranda.....Ziegfeld
Girls
|
