Ziegfeld Follies (1946)

Directors:

Lemuel Ayers
Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

John Murray Anderson (writer)
Lemuel Ayers (story)

Release Date:

8 April 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Greatest Production Since The Birth Of Motion Pictures!

Plot:

The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style. |

Plot Keywords:

Bubble | Harp | Bizarre | Surreal | Satire

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Fred Astaire / Raffles / Tai Long / Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide'
Lucille Ball	...	Here's to the Ladies Number
Lucille Bremer	...	This Heart of Mine Princess / Moy Ling
Fanny Brice	...	Norma - 'Sweestakes Ticket'
Judy Garland	...	The Star in 'A Great Lady Has An Interview'
Kathryn Grayson	...	'Beauty' Number
Lena Horne	...	'Love' Number
Gene Kelly	...	Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide'
James Melton	...	Alfredo in scene from 'La Traviata'
Victor Moore	...	Lawyer's Client
Red Skelton	...	When Television Comes Announcer / J. Newton Numbskull
Esther Williams	...	Water Ballet Numbr
William Powell	...	Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Edward Arnold	...	Lawyer
Marion Bell	...	Violetta in scene from 'La Traviata'

Also Known As:

Ziegfeld Follies of 1944 (USA: Spanish title) (working title)
Ziegfeld Follies of 1946 (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | 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:

The idea for the film had been in discussion at MGM since 1939.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "A Great Lady Has An Interview," Judy Garland is continuously pushing her hair back out of her face during the interview portion of the scene. However, when the musical part begins her hair is firmly fixed up off of her face and stays that way until the end of the number when her dance moves have obviously loosened it up enough to start falling in her face again.

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:

There's Beauty Ev'rywhere

No Plot, Lame Comedy, Fair Music & Dancing

I wasn't disappointed because there was no plot to this story. I didn't expect one, or care - I just wanted to see Fred Astire and Gene Kelly dance in the same film, and I wanted to enjoy the humor of Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, William Powell, Fanny Brice and others. It didn't hurt that Lena Horne, Kathryn Grayson, Esther Williams and more also were in this motion picture.

However to be honest and get to the point quickly: 1 - the comedy scenes were not funny and went on way too long (10 minutes and more in some skits); 2 - the song and dance numbers weren't much. I am a big fan of tap dancing and was very disappointed there was very little of it, although seeing Astaire and Kelly together in one number made me glad I watched this movie at least this once; 3 - The songs, in general, were not to my liking.

Now, to others who like those kind of ballads or that kind of dancing that was in here, this will good stuff to watch. It also offers some wild, almost garish color at times, and some pretty extravagant costumes. The musical numbers are far better than the weak comedy. Overall, it just didn't measure up to my expectations. My VHS picture wasn't the best, either. Perhaps I would change my mind with a good DVD transfer.