Florenz Ziegfeld
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1928 Time cover featuring Ziegfeld |
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (
March 21,
1869 –
July 22,
1932) was an
American Broadway impresario. He is best known for his series of theatrical
revues], the [[Ziegfeld Follies, based on the
Folies Bergères of
Paris.
His first foray into the world of entertainment was at the
1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, where he managed the famous strongman,
Eugen Sandow.
His stage spectaculars, beginning with his
Follies of 1907, were produced annually until
1931. These extravaganzas featured a bevy of beauties chosen personally by "Flo" Ziegfeld, prominent composers such as
Irving Berlin,
George Gershwin, and
Jerome Kern, and elaborate costumes and sets.
His promotion of the Polish-French
Anna Held, including press releases about her milk baths, brought her fame and set a pattern of star-making through publicity. Ziegfeld married Held in 1897 and helped oversee her meteoric rise to national fame. (Held, in fact, first suggested an American imitation of the Parisian Follies to Ziegfeld.)
[Cambridge Guide to the American Theatre, (New York: Cambridge UP, 1995) 511]. In 1912, as Held's "advancing plumpness and a face which was showing signs of Gallic homeliness" began to interfere with Ziegfeld's marketing strategem, he divorced her amidst much publicity.
[Anthony Slide, The Vaudevillians. (Westport, CT: Arlington House, 1981) 70, 71.] Ziegfeld married
Billie Burke in
1914, and they had a daughter, Patricia. His death in 1932 left Burke with substantial debts, driving her toward better remunerating film acting in an effort to settle them.
The
Follies featured many performers who, though well-known from previous work in other theatrical genres, achieved unique financial success and publicity with Ziegfeld. Included among these are
Fanny Brice,
W. C. Fields, and
Eddie Cantor.
Ziegfeld produced other landmarks as well, including
Show Boat. Although he recognized its artistic value, he was terrified
Show Boat would fail because of its unusually dramatic storyline. According to an eyewitness, the audience barely applauded on opening night, but it was not because they disliked the show, but because they were so taken aback. It was a great success, and in
1932, after Ziegfeld lost much of his money in the
stock market crash, he staged a revival of
Show Boat. It became the biggest grosser on Broadway, until the
Great Depression affected its run. Later that same year, Ziegfeld died from a lung infection related to
pleurisy [
1].
Ziegfeld is interred in
Kensico Cemetery in
Valhalla,
Westchester Co., New York.
A Parlor Match - 1893
The French Maid - 1897
Papa's Wife - 1899
The Little Duchess - 1901
Red Feather - 1903
Mam'selle Napoleon - 1903
Higgledy-Piggledy - 1904
Higgledy-Piggledy - 1905
The Parisian Model - 1906
Ziegfeld Follies of 1907 - 1907ŬŬŬŬŬ
The Parisian Model - 1908
The Soul Kiss - 1908
Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 - 1908
Miss Innocence - 1908
Ziegfeld Follies of 1909 - 1909
Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 - 1910
Ziegfeld Follies of 1911 - 1911
Over the River - 1912
A Winsome Widow - 1912
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"Flo" Ziegfeld & Sandow c. 1893 |
Ziegfeld Follies of 1912 - 1912
Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 - 1913
Ziegfeld Follies of 1914 - 1914
Ziegfeld Follies of 1915- 1915
Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 - 1916
The Century Girl - 1916
Ziegfeld Follies of 1917 - 1917
The Rescuing Angel - 1917
Miss 1917 - 1917
Night in Spain - 1917
Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 - 1918
By Pigeon Post - 1918
Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic - 1919
Caesar's Wife - 1919
Ziegfeld Girls of 1920 - 1920
Ziegfeld Follies of 1920 - 1920
Sally - 1920
Ziegfeld 9 O'clock Frolic - 1921
Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 - 1921
The Intimate Strangers - 1921
Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic - 1921
Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 - 1922
Rose Briar - 1922
Sally - 1923
Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 - 1923
Kid Boots - 1923
Ziegfeld Follies of 1924 - 1924
Annie Dear - 1924
Louis the 14th - 1925
Ziegfeld's Revue 'No Foolin' - 1926
Betsy - 1926
Rio Rita - 1927
Ziegfeld Follies of 1927 - 1927
Show Boat - 1927
Rosalie - 1928
The Three Musketeers - 1928
Whoopee! - 1928
Show Girl - 1929
Bitter Sweet - 1930
Simple Simon - 1930
Smiles - 1930
Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 - 1931
Hot-Cha! - 1932
Show Boat - 1932
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Find-A-Grave profile for Florenz Ziegfeld*
Comprehensive biography of Florenz Ziegfeld by John Kenrick
