Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld was a prominent theater impresario renowned for his creation of the Ziegfeld Follies, a series of extravagant theatrical revues that became a hallmark of early 20th-century American entertainment. Born into a show business family, Ziegfeld was heavily influenced by European arts, particularly after his time in Europe where he was inspired by the Folies Bergère in Paris. He launched his first Follies production in 1907, ultimately establishing it as an annual New York institution that showcased lavish sets, high-fashion costumes, and large musical numbers. The Follies not only popularized the revue genre but also served as a launching pad for numerous stars, including Fanny Brice and W. C. Fields.
During the 1920s, Ziegfeld's productions reached their zenith, exemplifying the opulence and cultural vibrancy of the Roaring Twenties. His work included successful shows like Show Boat, which featured the collaboration of significant talents like lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and composer Jerome Kern. Ziegfeld's influence extended into the film industry as he transitioned to sound films, with productions like Glorifying the American Girl marking his foray into cinema. His legacy endures as a symbol of American theatrical innovation and extravagance.
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Florenz Ziegfeld
- Born: March 21, 1867
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: July 22, 1932
- Place of death: Hollywood, California
Identification: American theatrical manager and producer
Florenz Ziegfeld was a theater impresario best known for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies. Quickly becoming a model for other revues, Ziegfeld’s shows reached their peak of opulence and popularity during the 1920s. Ziegfeld is also credited with launching the careers of such performers as Fanny Brice, Bert Williams, and Mary Eaton.
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. was born into a show business family. His father operated the Trocadero Club in Chicago and sent him to Europe to secure entertainment acts to support the venue. While abroad, he absorbed aspects of European arts and culture and was especially impressed with the Parisian music hall Folies Bergère.
Ziegfeld married stage performer Anna Held in 1897 and began managing theatrical productions. Some of his early shows included Papa’s Wife (1899), The Red Feather (1903), and the revue Higgledy-Piggledy (1904). Coinciding with the slow development of the musical revue, a genre that began making inroads in the mid-1890s, Ziegfeld decided to develop a theatrical vehicle for his wife’s acting, and so he created the Follies. The revue series began in 1907 and went annually until 1925, with less regular productions appearing until 1957.
When the 1920s began, the Follies were already considered a New York institution. Ziegfeld’s lavish sets, high-fashion costuming, and large musical numbers surpassed those of his competitors in the theatrical revue industry. The Follies became the primary trendsetter for large-scale Broadway revues. One of Ziegfeld’s skills as a producer was his ability to choose talented entertainers such as W. C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, and Marilyn Miller to perform in his shows. He also engaged the services of architect and theatrical designer Joseph Urban, who designed the sets for Follies productions, beginning in 1915. Urban was also responsible for designing the Ziegfeld Theatre, built in 1927.
Ziegfeld produced several successful plot-driven shows during the 1920s. Perhaps the most significant of these was Show Boat (1927), which was written by lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and composer Jerome Kern based on the eponymous novel by Edna Ferber. Ziegfeld’s productions Sally (1920) and Sunny (1925) were vehicles for Miller, along with the operetta Rosalie (1928). Toward the late 1920s, Ziegfeld developed an interest in sound films. His first motion picture, Glorifying the American Girl, starred Mary Eaton, one of his former chorus girls. Filmed versions of several Follies shows came out around the end of the 1920s and into the 1930s.
Impact
Ziegfeld’s Follies and other productions were some of the most popular and influential shows of the 1920s. Although Ziegfeld’s legacy continued well into the 1950s, his shows in the 1920s particularly exhibited the opulence and exuberance that characterized the Roaring Twenties.
Bibliography
Cantor, Eddie, and David Freedman: Ziegfeld: The Great Glorifier. New York: A. H. King, 1934.
Van der Merwe, Ann Ommen. The Ziegfeld Follies: A History in Song. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2009.
Ziegfeld, Richard, and Paulette Ziegfeld. TheZiegfeld Touch: The Life and Times of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1993.