The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netwo ...

in 1932 and 1936 as ''

The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air'' was a program broadcast on CBS Radio during the 1930s which attempted to bring the success of Florenz Ziegfeld's stage shows to the new medium of radio. Eddie Dowling hosted the musical variety format. Sponso ...

''.

Founding and history

Inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the stage actress and singer Anna Held. The shows' producers were turn-of-the-twentieth-century producing titans

Klaw and Erlanger Klaw and Erlanger was an entertainment management and production partnership of Marc Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger based in New York City from 1888 through 1919. While running their own considerable and multi-faceted theatrical businesses ...

. The Follies were a series of lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and the more elaborate high class

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a co ...

. The first follies, '' The Follies of 1907'', was produced that year at the ''

Jardin de Paris Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Oly ...

'' roof theatre. During the Follies era, many of the top entertainers, including

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathet ...

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences ...

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. ...

, Ann Pennington, Bert Williams,

Eva Tanguay Eva Tanguay (August 1, 1878 – January 11, 1947) was a Canadian singer and entertainer who billed herself as "the girl who made vaudeville famous". She was known as "The Queen of Vaudeville" during the height of her popularity from the early 1 ...

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahom ...

, Ruth Etting,

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian and stage performer (particularly musical theatre) who started in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in ...

, Helen Morgan, Louise Brooks, Marilyn Miller, Ed Wynn, Gilda Gray,

Nora Bayes Nora Bayes (born Rachel Eleonora "Dora" Goldberg; October 3, 1880March 19, 1928) was an American singer and vaudeville performer who was popular internationally between the 1900s and 1920s. She is credited with co-writing the song " Shine On, Ha ...

and

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

appeared in the shows. The Ziegfeld Follies were also famous for their display of many beautiful chorus girls, commonly known as

Ziegfeld Girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Desc ...

s, who "paraded up and down flights of stairs as anything from birds to battleships." They usually wore elaborate costumes by designers such as Erté, Lady Duff-Gordon and Ben Ali Haggin. The " tableaux vivants" were designed by Ben Ali Haggin from 1917 to 1925. Joseph Urban was the scenic designer for the Follies shows starting in 1915. After Ziegfeld's death his widow, actress Billie Burke, authorized use of his name for Ziegfeld Follies in 1934 and 1936 to Jake Shubert, who then produced the Follies. The name was later used by other promoters in New York City, Philadelphia, and again on Broadway, with less connection to the original Follies. These later efforts failed miserably. When the show toured, the 1934 edition was recorded in its entirety, from the overture to play-out music, on a series of 78 rpm discs, which were edited by the record producer David Cunard to form an album of the highlights of the production and which was released as a CD in 1997.

Films based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies''

New Amsterdam Theatre Mary Poppins 2007 NYC

In 1937, at the 9th Academy Awards, the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

film, ''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Luise Rainer as Anna Held, and ...

'' produced the previous year won the Best Picture (called "Outstanding Production"),"Ceremonies 1937"
oscars.org, retrieved June 16, 2019 starring William Powell as Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. and co-starring Myrna Loy (as Ziegfeld's second wife Billie Burke), Luise Rainer (as Anna Held, which won her an

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

), and Frank Morgan as Jack Billings. Featuring numbers by

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner, December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one obi ...

, Virginia Bruce, and Harriet Hoctor, the film gave a glimpse into what the Follies were really like. The show-stopper was the

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

-composed "

A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1919 which became the theme song of the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The first verse and refrain are considered part of the Great American Songbook and are often covered as a ...

", which, by itself, cost more to produce than one of Ziegfeld's entire stage shows."Notes"
tcm.com, retrieved June 16, 2019 In 1941 MGM released ''

'', starring

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr,

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

and Tony Martin. The film was set in the 1920s." 'Ziegfeld Girl' Overview and Cast"
tcm.com, retrieved June 16, 2019 Celebrated numbers from Ziegfeld Revues were recreated, including the famed "Wedding Cake" set which had been used for Metro's earlier film, ''The Great Ziegfeld''. Judy Garland was filmed on the top of the cake.

Charles Winninger Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals. Life and career Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...

, who had performed in the Follies of 1920, appeared as " Ed Gallagher" with Gallagher's real-life partner, Al Shean to recreate the duo's famous song "

Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean "Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean" is one of the most famous songs to come from vaudeville. First performed by the duo of Gallagher and Shean in the early 1920s, it became a huge hit and carried Gallagher & Shean to stardom. The music was writ ...

". According to modern sources, Turner's character was modeled after Ziegfeld Girl

Lillian Lorraine Lillian Lorraine (born Ealallean De Jacques; 1892/1894 – April 17, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress of the 1910s and 1920s, best known for her beauty and for being perhaps the most famous Ziegfeld Girl in the Broadway revues ...

, who suffered a drunken fall into the orchestra pit during an extravagant number. In 1946 MGM released a third feature film based on Ziegfeld's shows titled '' Ziegfeld Follies'' with Fred Astaire,

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

, William Powell (as Ziegfeld),

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

, Kathryn Grayson, and others performing songs and sketches similar to those from the original Follies. ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was awarded the "Grand Prix de la Comedie Musicale" at the Cannes Film Festival in 1947, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (black and white). The 1964 stage musical '' Funny Girl'', starring

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

as Fanny Brice, depicts Fanny Brice's success with the Follies. The 1968 Columbia Pictures film of ''Funny Girl'' also starred Barbra Streisand as Brice and Walter Pidgeon as Florenz Ziegfeld.

The ''Follies''

*''Follies of 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910'' at the ''Jardin de Paris'' *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1911'' at the ''Jardin de Paris'' *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1912'' at the Moulin Rouge *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920'' at the New Amsterdam Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1921'' at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and ...

*''Ziegfeld Follies of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927'' at the New Amsterdam Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1931'' at the Ziegfeld Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1934'' at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

*'' Ziegfeld Follies of 1936'' at the Winter Garden Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1943, 1957'' at the Winter Garden Theatre

List of performers by year

;1907 *

(joined the cast later in run) * Helen Broderick *

Emma Carus Emma Carus (March 18, 1879 – November 18, 1927) was an American contralto singer from New York City who was in the cast of the original Ziegfeld Follies in 1907. She frequently sang in vaudeville and sometimes in Broadway features.'' ...

* Mlle. Dazie *

Grace La Rue Grace La Rue (born Stella Parsons; April 23, 1882 – March 13, 1956) was an American actress, singer, and vaudeville headliner. Early life Grace La Rue was born Stella Parsons in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 23, 1882, to Lucy L. Pars ...

Edna Luby Edna Luby (October 12, 1884 – October 1, 1928) was an American actress and comedian. She acted on stage and in silent films and performed in vaudeville as a celebrity impersonator. Luby was the niece of Sigmund Lubin, a pioneer film producer ...

* Harry Watson Jr. ;1908 *Nora Bayes *Mlle. Dazie *Grace La Rue * Harry Watson Jr. * The Ziegfeld Girls (including Mae Murray) * Marjorie Bonner ;1909 *Nora Bayes * Bessie Clayton *

Jack Norworth John Godfrey Knauff (January 5, 1879 – September 1, 1959), known professionally as Jack Norworth, was an American songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer. Biography Norworth is credited as writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wr ...

*The Ziegfeld Girls ;1910 *

* Anna Held (in a filmed sequence) *Lillian Lorraine * Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls * Bobby North ;1911 *Fanny Brice * Bert Williams * The Dolly Sisters * Leon Errol *Lillian Lorraine *Vera Maxwell *

Bessie McCoy Bessie McCoy (1888 – August 16, 1931) was an Irish-American Vaudeville star best known for her 1908 hit song and dance routine "The Yama Yama Man", for which she became known as "The Yama Yama Girl". Her husband was the war correspondent Richa ...

*Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including

Jeanne Eagels Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American stage and film actress. A former Ziegfeld Girl, Eagels went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. She was posthumously n ...

) ;1912 *

Bernard Granville Bernard R. Granville (July 4, 1888 - October 5, 1936) was an American actor, singer and minstrel show performer who was discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld and was known as "the twentieth century comedian". Biography He was born on July 4, 1888 in Wes ...

*Leon Errol *Lillian Lorraine * Josie Sadler *Rae Samuels * Harry Watson Jr. *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1913 * Elizabeth Brice *Leon Errol *

Jose Collins Charlotte Josephine Collins (23 May 1887 – 6 December 1958) was an English actress and singer known by her stage name, José Collins, who was celebrated for her performances in musical comedies, such as the long-running ''The Maid of the Mo ...

* Ann Pennington *

Frank Tinney Frank Aloysius Robert Tinney (March 29, 1878 – November 28, 1940) was an American blackface comedian and actor. Tinney achieved considerable success in vaudeville and on Broadway in the early 20th century. Comedian Joe Cook considered Tinney ...

* Nat M. Wills *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1914 *Leon Errol *

Annette Kellermann Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (6 July 1887 – 6 November 1975) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress, and writer. Kellermann was one of the first women to wear a one-piece bathing costume, instead of the then ...

*Vera Maxwell *

Vera Michelena Vera Michelena (June 16, 1885 – August 28, 1961) was an American actress, contralto prima donna and dancer who appeared in light opera, musical comedy, vaudeville and silent film. She was perhaps best remembered for her starring roles in the ...

*Ann Pennington *Bert Williams * Ed Wynn *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1915 *

Ina Claire Ina Claire (born Ina Fagan; October 15, 1893February 21, 1985) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Ina Fagan was born October 15, 1893 in Washington, D.C. After the death of her father, Claire began doing imitations of fellow bo ...

*Leon Errol *

Justine Johnstone Justine Olive Johnstone Wanger (January 31, 1895 – September 4, 1982) was an American stage, and silent screen actress, pathologist and expert on syphilis. Working under her married name, she was part of the team that developed the modern ...

* Mae Murray *Ann Pennington * Ed Wynn *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Helen Barnes,

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

, Odette Myrtil and Olive Thomas) ;1916 *Fanny Brice *Ina Claire *W. C. Fields * Allyn King *

Bird Millman Bird Millman O’Day (born Jennadean Engleman; October 20, 1890 – August 5, 1940“Bird Millman O'Day... Succumbs Here Monday Night after Long Illness”, '' Cañon City Daily Record'', August 6, 1940) was one of the most celebrated high-wire p ...

*Ann Pennington *

*Bert Williams *Marion Davies *

*The Ziegfeld Girls (including Irene Hayes, Julanne Johnston and Lilyan Tashman) ;1917 * Diana Allen''Motion Pictures Studio Directory and Trade Annual'' (1921), p. 209 ("stage career, "Follies," 1917-18; "The Frolic," 1919") *

Elvira Amazar Elvira Amazar (1890s – February 7, 1971), also known as Vera Amazar or Elaine Amazar, was a Serbian-born Russian-American soprano singer and actress. She was also the subject of the first photograph described as "cheesecake", in 1917. Early li ...

*Fanny Brice *

* Dolores * The Fairbanks Twins *Allyn King * William E. Ritchie *Will Rogers *Lilyan Tashman *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Peggy Hopkins Joyce) ;1918 *Jay Brennan *Eddie Cantor *Frank Carter *The Fairbanks Twins *

* Joe Frisco *

Pauline Hall Pauline Hall (born Pauline Fredrika Schmidgall;Browne, Walter and Frederick Arnold Austin. Who's who on the stage: the dramatic reference book and biographical dictionary of the theatre, Volume 1' (1906), p. 120. February 26, 1860 – December ...

Kay Laurell Kay Laurell (born Ruth Leslie; June 28, 1890 – January 31, 1927) was an American stage and silent film actress and model. Laurell began her career as an artists' model. After catching the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., she was cast in the '' ...

*Lillian Lorraine *Allyn King * Marilyn Miller *Ann Pennington * Bert Savoy *The Ziegfeld Girls (including

Doris Eaton Doris Eaton Travis (March 14, 1904 – May 11, 2010) was an American dancer, stage and film actress, dance instructor, owner and manager, writer, and rancher, who was the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, a troupe of acclaimed chorus girls wh ...

Martha Mansfield Martha Mansfield (born Martha Ehrlich; July 14, 1899 – November 30, 1923) was an American actress in silent films and vaudeville stage plays. Early life She was born in New York City to Maurice and Harriett Gibson Ehrlich. She had a younger sis ...

and Nita Naldi) ;1919 *Eddie Cantor *DeLyle Alda *Johnny and Ray Dooley *

Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director ...

*The Fairbanks Twins *Margaret Fitzgerald *Allyn King *Bette Morton *Marilyn Miller * Van and Schenck * John Steel *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Billie Dove and Mary Hay) ;1920 *Fanny Brice *DeLyle Alda *Eddie Cantor * Jack Donahue *

Ray Dooley Ray Dooley (born 1953) is a company member at the PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and has performed on Broadway, film and television. He is currently the head of the Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) at the Uni ...

Mary Eaton Mary Eaton (January 29, 1901 – October 10, 1948) was an American stage actress, singer, and dancer in the 1910s and 1920s, probably best known today from her appearance in the first Marx Brothers film, ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929). A profession ...

*Art Hickman's Orchestra *Allyn King * Moran and Mack * Van and Schenck *

*The Ziegfeld Girls (including

Juliette Compton Juliette Compton (May 3, 1899 – March 19, 1989) was an American actress whose career began in the silent film era and concluded with ''That Hamilton Woman'' in 1941. Career Compton was born in Columbus, Georgia, on May 3, 1899. She was a ...

and Dorothy Mackaill) ;1921 *Fanny Brice *Mary Eaton *

* Raymond Hitchcock *

*Van and Schenck *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Anastasia Reilly and

Mary Nolan Mary Nolan (born Mariam Imogene Robertson; December 18, 1902 – October 31, 1948) was an American stage and film actress, singer and dancer. She began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in the 1920s performing under the stage name Imogene "Bubble ...

) * Germaine Mitti and Eugene Tillio ;1922 *Mary Eaton * Gallagher and Shean * Gilda Gray *

Nervo and Knox Jimmy Nervo and Teddy Knox were part of the original Crazy Gang (comedy group), Crazy Gang. They started their stage careers as an Acrobatics, acrobatic dancing team. They used this ability in many of the earlier Crazy Gang shows. Among their ma ...

* Olsen and Johnson *Will Rogers * Jack Whiting *The Ziegfeld Girls (including

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

and

Geneva Mitchell Geneva Doris Mitchell (February 3, 1908 – March 10, 1949) was an American actress. After beginning her entertainment career as a chorus girl at the age of twelve, she became more well known for her roles in several Hollywood films. Early ...

) ;1923 *Fanny Brice *

James J. Corbett James John "Jim" Corbett (September 1, 1866 – February 18, 1933) was an American professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the only man who ever defeated the great John L. Sullivan (hence the " man who beat the man" c ...

*Ann Pennington * Bert & Betty Wheeler *

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

*The Ziegfeld Girls (including

Lina Basquette Lina Basquette (born Lena Copeland Baskette; April 19, 1907 – September 30, 1994) was an American actress. She is noted for her 75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a gi ...

and Dolores Costello) ;1924–25 * Billie Burke *

(joined the cast later in run) *

(joined the cast later in run) * Lupino Lane *Ann Pennington *

* Vivienne Segal * Ethel Shutta *Frank Tinney * Dorothy Wegman * Blanche Satchel * Bertha Belmore *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Louise Brooks,

Claire Dodd Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress. Life and work Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...

, Peggy Fears and Dorothy Sebastian) ;1927 *Eddie Cantor * Cliff Edwards * Ruth Etting *

Frances Upton Frances Upton (April 15, 1904 – November 27, 1975) was an American Broadway theatre actress and comedian. Early life Upton attended a business college after she finished high school. Her father, Francis, was a decorated New York City d ...

* The Brox Sisters * Claire Luce * Dorothy Wegman *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Joan Blondell, Lilian Bond and Paulette Goddard) ;1931 *

Faith Bacon Faith Bacon (born Frances Yvonne Bacon; July 19, 1910 – September 26, 1956) was an American burlesque dancer and actress. During the height of her career, she was billed as "America's Most Beautiful Dancer". Personal life Bacon wa ...

* Buck & Bubbles *Albert Carroll *

Dorothy Dell Dorothy Dell (born Dorothy Dell Goff; January 30, 1915 – June 8, 1934) was an American film actress. She died in an auto accident at the age of 19. Early life and career Born Dorothy Dell Goff in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to entertainers, ...

*Pearl E'doire *Ruth Etting * Helen Morgan *Agatha Hoff * Hal Le Roy *

Mitzi Mayfair Mitzi Mayfair (born Juanita Emylyn Pique; June 6, 1914 – May 1976) was an American dancer and stage and film actress. Life and career Born in Fulton, Kentucky, she grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1936, she told a ''Harvard Crimson'' ...

Ernest McChesney Ernest McChesney (July 22, 1912 – July 25, 1991) was an American tenor who had an active singing career in operas, musicals, and concerts during the late 1920s through the early 1960s. He was notably a principal tenor with the New York City Ope ...

* Jack Pearl * Harry Richman *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Iris Adrian, Virginia Biddle,

Jean Howard Jean Howard (born Ernestine Hill; October 13, 1910 – March 20, 2000) was an American actress and professional photographer. She was born in Longview, Texas and died in Beverly Hills, California. Early years Howard was born Ernestine Hill on ...

Mona Louise Parsons Mona Louise Parsons (February 17, 1901 – November 28, 1976) was a Canadian actress, nurse, and member of an informal Dutch resistance network in the Netherlands from 1940 to 1941 during the Nazi occupation. She became the only Canadian female ...

, and Zecil Silvonia) ;1934 *

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...

*Fanny Brice * Robert Cummings * Buddy and

Vilma Ebsen Vilma Ebsen (February 1, 1911 – March 12, 2007) was an American musical theatre and film actress best known for dancing in Broadway shows and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals in the 1930s with her brother Buddy Ebsen. Ebsen was born in Belleville ...

* Jane Froman *

Patricia Bowman Patricia Bowman (December 12, 1908 – March 18, 1999) was an American ballerina, ballroom dancer, musical theatre actress, television personality, and dance teacher. Dance critic Jack Anderson described her as "the first American ballerina to ...

*Agatha Hoff * Willie and Eugene Howard * Everett Marshall *

June June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...

and Cherry Preisser *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1936 *Eve Arden *Fanny Brice *

Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...

* Bobby Clark (replacement) *George Church * Cass Daley (replacement) * Harriet Hoctor *

Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper and vedette famous for her striptease act. Also an actress, author, and playwright, her 1957 memoir was adapted in ...

(replacement) *The Nicholas Brothers * Gertrude Niesen *June and Cherry Preisser *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1943 * Bil and Cora Baird *

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

* Eric Blore (replacement) * Jack Carter (replacement) * Jack Cole *Howard Jackson * Ilona Massey *

Dean Murphy Dean Murphy is an Australian screenwriter, producer and director. Dean Murphy wrote, produced and directed his first feature, 'Just Cruising' at the age of 17, he followed this with a sitcom pilot for the Nine Network. In 1992 he wrote, produced ...

* Arthur Treacher * Tommy Wonder *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1956 (Boston) * Bea Arthur * Tallulah Bankhead *

Carol Haney Carol Haney (born Carolyn Haney; December 24, 1924 – May 10, 1964) was an American dancer and actress. After assisting Gene Kelly in choreographing films, Haney won a Tony Award for her role in Broadway's ''The Pajama Game'', while later wo ...

* Julie Newmar *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1957 *

Billy DeWolfe William Andrew Jones (February 18, 1907 – March 5, 1974), better known as Billy De Wolfe, was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974. Early life and early stage career Born William Andr ...

* Harold Lang * Carol Lawrence *

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989), known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End theat ...

* Jane Morgan *The Ziegfeld Girls

Ziegfeld girls

Shine on Harvest Moon 1.jpeg, Ruth Etting of the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' Muriel Finlay, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1928.jpg, Muriel Finlay, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1928 Doris Eaton Travis as Ziegfeld Girl.jpg, A photograph of Doris Eaton Travis (1904-2010) in about 1920, during the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' years. Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Marion Davies, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1924.jpg, Marion Davies, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1916 FannybriceGlamor.jpg, Fanny Brice, Ziegfeld Follies photo, 1910s or start of 1920s Shannon Day - Oct 1921 Photoplay.jpg, Shannon Day Maryeaton.jpg, Mary Eaton Billydove.jpg, Lillian Bohny (Billie Dove), ca. 1920 PalmerFurs1918BloomCrop.jpg, Dancer Bee Palmer in fur Barbara Stanwyck, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1924.jpg, Ruby Stevens (Barbara Stanwyck), 1924 Dolores Costello, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1923.jpg, Dolores Costello, 1923

Adaptations / In popular culture

The 1912 version of the Ziegfeld Follies included a song entitled ''Row, Row, Row'', which has been adapted by two football clubs in two different codes as its club song. In 1962, cabaret singer Jack Malcolmson, who was performing at the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

(Australian rules) Social Club in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, adapted the song into the Tigers' new club song, ''We're From Tigerland'', at the request of Richmond committee member Alf Barnett. (Previously, Richmond's club song had been ''Onward The Tigers'', to the tune of ''

Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing) ...

''.) In 2014, Melbourne's ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald ...

'' ranked ''We're From Tigerland'' as the best club song of any

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

team. Official versions of the song include a 1972 recording by the Fable Singers, who recorded most AFL club songs, and a 2018 recording including Richmond legends Matthew Richardson and Kevin Bartlett. ''Row, Row, Row'' has also been adapted by America Football Club in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

as its anthem, the ''Hino do America'', with America supporter and famous Brazilian composer

Lamartine Babo Lamartine Babo (10 January 1904 — 16 June 1963) was one of the most important popular composers of Brazil. Babo composed several of satirical sambas, ''marchinhas'' and other songs; he is especially remembered for composing anthems for all the ...

helping adapt the song.''Famoso hino do America é um plágio, conclui professor de música da UFRJ''
(Portuguese) Globo E Sporte The 1971 Stephen Sondheim musical '' Follies'' takes place at a reunion of showgirls from the ''Weissman Follies'', a fictional revue inspired by the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. In addition to featuring "ghosts" of statuesque showgirls from the heyday of the revues, the musical includes many songs and production numbers that are intended to evoke the types of entertainment typically featured in the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' and other revues of the period. Examples include parade of showgirls ("Beautiful Girls"); a torch song (" Losing My Mind"); a baggy pants comic song ("The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues"); and a novelty song ("Rain on the Roof"). In '' The Drowsy Chaperone'' there is a character by the name of Victor Feldzieg, the producer of ''Feldzieg's Follies'', a parody of ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The TV show, ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920 ...

'', portraying crime and corruption in 1920s

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, features a character that is a former Follies dancer, Lucy Danziger. Lucy is one of Nucky Thompson's girlfriends in the first season of the show. Lucy is portrayed by actress

Paz de la Huerta María de la Paz Elizabeth Sofía Adriana de la Huerta y Bruce (; born September 3, 1984), known professionally as Paz de la Huerta, is an American actress and model. She had roles in the films ''The Cider House Rules'' (1999) and ''A Walk to Re ...

References

External links

Ziegfeld on Musicals101.com

Ziegfeld Follies at Internet Broadway Database
{{Authority control Musicals by Irving Berlin 1907 musicals Broadway musicals Dance companies in the United States Dance in New York City