THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART THREE

— Being the third set of illustrated records of the Follies (editions 1917 - 1919).

Part 3 begins with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, which opened June 12 at 42nd Street's New Amsterdam Theatre, where it played 111 performances. Scores by Irving Berlin and Victor Herbert were added to the music mix, and the show was staged by Ned Wayburn. Headliners were Bert Williams, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, Dolores, Will Rogers and the youngest members of the Ziegfeld girls, The Fairbanks Twins.

The twins, Madeline and Marion Fairbanks, had been child actresses in films, but outgrew those roles, and were being groomed for more glamorous scenarios. Each was a triple threat, quite able to sing, dance and act when called upon. They would remain with the Follies for several years before accepting leading roles in several Broadway musicals.

Eddie Cantor (in blackface) was a smash hit in his Follies debut, and he had to encore "That's the Kind of Baby for Me" at almost every performance.

Will Rogers, who performed in the coveted next-to-closing spot, did exactly what the program notes warned he might do: talk about anything or anybody.

In addition to some ballet music, Victor Herbert's major contribution to this edition of the Follies was a stirring wartime song sung by the newest Ziegfeld Girl, Peggy Hopkins Joyce, described by New York Times journalist Constance Rosenblum, as "wearing beaded chiffon and a gleaming helmet topped with a plume, performing Victor Herbert's red, white and blue sparkler called 'Can't You Hear Your Country Calling?'"

It was generally agreed that Miss Joyce's talents were not in the performing arts, but as a Jazz Age gold digger, she had no equal. (I recommend Ms. Rosenblum's book, Gold Digger. It's an eye-opening read.)

Other patriotic tableaux were staged around the stunningly underdressed chorus girls, paying tribute to an array of American patriots from Paul Revere to Woodrow Wilson.

That famous one-name beauty, Dolores, neither sang nor danced; she would merely glide across the stage with elegance and regal bearing. She appeared throughout this edition as The Empress of Fashion, wearing a succession of stunning costumes. The most striking of all was the butterfly gown.

Despite this show's critical acclaim, audience numbers fell off a bit toward the end of the run because of the deadly flu epidemic. It continued to affect audience turnout for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, but thankfully, less so.

The 1918 edition opened at the New Amsterdam on June 18, and ran for 151 performances. It featured some returning stars — Eddie Cantor, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Ann Pennington, Lillian Lorraine, The Fairbanks Twins — and added 20-year-old dynamo Marilyn Miller, popular vaudeville comedy team Savoy and Brennan, actor-dancer Frank Carter, and comedy jazz dancer Joe Frisco.

Oops! I almost forgot to mention the new, the handsome, the then-unknown rehearsal pianist for the Follies of 1918:

Imagine the stories cast members would tell their children and grandchildren about working with the great George Gershwin when he was just starting out in the music biz.

Young Marilyn Miller literally sang, danced and joked her way to becoming a bright star in Ziegfeld's constellation of beauties. (Note: It was here that she met her first husband and the love of her life, Frank Carter. A year after they were married, Frank died in an automobile accident. Eventually, she married twice more, but her heart wasn't truly invested in either relationship. She died following surgery, at the age of 37, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, next to Frank Carter, in a mausoleum she had constructed to house his remains.)

Hilarious (and adorable!) Joe Frisco was famous for his jazz dance, and for being a witty and stuttering stand-up comedian. Performing to the tune of "Dark Town Strutters' Ball," wearing his trademark derby and puffing on a king-size cigar, he shuffled his feet, rolled his hips and contorted his body to create the eccentric dance that Variety called the "Jewish Charleston." He was backed up by a chorus of beauties in leotards, short jackets and derbies, all puffing on big prop cigars.

She's ba-a-ck! Remember Lillian Lorraine, the jealous and disruptive performer who kept getting fired after missing rehearsals and picking fights with her cast mates? As you may recall, she was discharged during the Follies of 1912. Well, six years later, she was back in the fold — no caustic barbs, no fights, no visible jealousy.

Having honed her talents and done fair box office for a few shows since her 1912 fiasco, it was generally assumed that the 1918 Follies would be her break-out vehicle. Alas, no matter how good Lillian Lorraine was, Marilyn Miller was better, completely overshadowing Lorraine's final appearance in the series. That is not to say she was washed up, merely that her Follies time had expired. She did a couple of book musicals, then made a couple of films, but tragically in 1921, she fell and hurt her spine, quickly ending her career.

Follies funny men W. C. Fields and Will Rogers did what they did best: kept their audiences laughing. Fields introduced a new routine involving a misshapen golf club; and Rogers kidded the headlines and lassoed a dancing Ann Pennington. Then out of the wings came two popular vaudevillians: Bert Savoy, an earthy, aging drag queen, and Jay Brennan, an understated, cool, quiet spoken gent. When they first teamed up, their act was built around songs and dances held together by jokes and snappy patter. It wasn't long before their audiences let them know that they should get rid of the music and stick with the humor. They did, and their career as the comedy team of Savoy and Brennan took off. Brennan wrote all their routines.

Savoy, known as Maude on stage (and familiarly back stage and to his friends), always wore voluminous, hard-to-handle gowns, and wide hats perched at precipitous angles. Throughout their routine, Maude would gab non-stop to the quiet, dignified Brennan. Savoy never stopped moving; he was known for his exaggerated hip-swaying saunter, as well as his sexual innuendo and big contagious laugh.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919, which opened at the New Amsterdam on June 23, and ran 171 performances, featured Marilyn Miller, Eddie Cantor, Bert Williams, Eddie Dowling, John Steel, The Dooleys (brother and sister Johnny & Ray), Gus Van, Joe Schenck, and The Fairbanks Twins.

This 13th edition deserves to be introduced with some fanfare, maybe an overture of show tunes. As I'm unable to provide that, let me stage it another way:

Among the hit melodies Irving Berlin wrote for the 1919 edition, one instantly became the signature song of the Ziegfeld Follies — sung as accompaniment to the parade of Ziegfeld Girls in their intricate costumes and headdresses, as they gracefully glide across the stage and maneuver stairways — during every performance of every edition through the end of the series.

The handsome tenor who sang that song was John Steel.

Now click on this link:

http://www.last.fm/music/John+Steel/_/A+Pretty+Girl+Is+Like+A+Melody

Then close your eyes and pretend you're in the audience, to hear John Steel sing "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody."

Another Irving Berlin hit, "Tulip Time" was also introduced this night by John Steel.

This edition of the Follies was, without question, the most expensive, most lavish production thus far, and it showed in every facet of staging — performances, costumes, sets, the top-quality musical score, and the many hit songs by Irving Berlin, including "You'd Be Surprised," a comic song about a seemingly shy man who is really a sexual dynamo in private. Sung by Eddie Cantor, it stopped the show.

The mild innuendo of the lyrics titillated 1919 audiences, but when sung by Eddie Cantor, who knew just when to punch a word or roll his eyes, it brought down the house. Here are the lyrics to YOU'D BE SURPRISED:

Johnny was bashful and shy.

Nobody understood why

Mary loved him.

All the other girls passed him by.

Every one wanted to know

How she could pick such a beau.

With a twinkle in her eye

She made this reply:

He's not so good in a crowd but when you get him alone

You'd be surprised,

He isn't much at a dance

But then when he takes you home

You'd be surprised.

He doesn't look like much of a lover,

but don't judge a book by it's cover.

He's got the face of an Angel but

There's a Devil in his eyes.

He's such a delicate thing but when he starts in to squeeze,

You'd be surprised.

He doesn't look very strong but when you sit on his knee,

You'd be surprised.

At a party or at a hall

I've got to admit he's nothing at all,

but in a morris chair,

You'd be surprised.

Mary continued to praise Johnny's remarkable ways,

To the ladies,

And you know advertising pays.

Now Johnny's never alone,

He has the busiest phone.

Almost every other day.

A new girl will say:

He's not so good in the house but on a bench in the park

You'd be surprised.

He isn't much in the light but when he gets in the dark

You'd be surprised.

I know he looks as slow as the Erie,

But you don't know the half of it dearie.

He looks as cold as an Eskimo,

But there's fire in his eyes.

He doesn't say very much but when he starts in to speak

You'd be surprised.

He's not so good at the start but at the end of a week

You'd be surprised.

On a streetcar or in a train

You'd think he was born without any brain,

but in a taxicab,

You'd be surprised.

The Volstead Act would soon take effect, and entertainer Bert Williams protested Prohibition via another Berlin comedy song entitled "You Cannot Make Your Shimmy Shake on Tea." The first act ended with a minstrel show in which Cantor was Tambo, Bert Williams was Bones, and Marilyn Miller was interlocutor George Primrose. Later in the show, she danced to Berlin's minstrel-style hit, "Mandy." There were a number of skits spoofing Prohibition, including one that depicted the Saloon of the Future with girls parading as Coca-Cola, Sarsparilla, Grape Juice, Lemonade, Bevo*, and Lady Alcohol.

*Bevo: A non-alcoholic malt beverage, or near beer, brewed in the U. S. by Annheuser-Busch. It enjoyed its greatest success during Prohibition, when beer was illegal.

Before signing off this post, I'd like to point out that the Follies of 1919 was hailed by reviewers as the outstanding Ziegfeld production thus far. The New York Herald blessed it with a 10-word headline: Thirteenth Ziegfeld Follies Eclipses Predecessors in Beauty, Color and Action. But the Evening Sun said it better and quicker in only three words: Ziegfeld Outziegfelds Ziegfeld.

Unfortunately, the run was interrupted in August by the Actor's Equity strike which caused a rift between Ziegfeld and several performers. Cantor stayed away for several years. Bert Williams also left, and was never to appear in a Follies again. Most likely he would have been tempted back at some point, but he died in 1922 at the age of 48, following a long history of cardiac problems. A light went out on 42nd Street.

The next post will begin with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1920. The Roaring '20s will feature many familiar faces, but a whole lot of new ones as well. Be sure to bookmark STAGE WHISPERS, and check back to see what's new. Better yet, sign up for our e-mail posts.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES #Vintage Vaudeville Photos • PART TWO

— Being the second set of illustrated records of the Follies (editions 1912 - 1916).

Our first installment ended with the 1911 edition, which offered exquisite performances by...

and...

while temperamental...

foolishly picked a backstage fight with...

...who put an end to the conflict once and for all by dragging her opponent by the hair, across the stage, in front of a roaring audience. (Oh how I regret being unable to draw!)

Lorraine was fired soon after — yet, believe it or not, she would reappear for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1912, along with Bert Williams, Leon Errol and Harry Watson, and two newcomers: Singer/actress Elizabeth Brice (no relation to Fanny), and Rae Samuels, a peppy performer known as The Blue Streak of Ragtime, who packed a mixture of dialect songs, novelty numbers and comical anecdotes into a fast-paced act that kept her audience in stitches.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1912 opened on October 21 — the first autumn Follies, and the first that did not play on the rooftop, but in the downstairs Music Hall. Critics and audiences agreed that the 1912 edition was the best one yet! The volatile Lillian Lorraine scored with a new song, "Daddy Has A Sweetheart," but once again, she was fired for missing rehearsals, and would not return to the Follies until 1918.

The finale of this best-ever Follies was a feast for the eyes entitled Society Circus Parade — a vision in pink, white and silver — ponies and show girls doing the now familiar Ziegfeld walk. (The photo above may be from a film version, but is probably not too far off the mark.) [A helpful reader tells me this shot is "from the film Ziegfeld Follies (1945). Lucille Ball is in the center with the enormous... headpiece."]

For about 20 years, this is what the New Amsterdam Theatre's program cover looked like:

The New Amsterdam was Broadway's most elegant venue, and it was home to the Ziegfeld Follies from 1913 through 1927.

The Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 opened at the New Amsterdam on June 16, where it played 96 performances before going on tour. Headliners were comic actors Leon Errol and Frank Tinney; English actress and singer José Collins; and diminutive dancer Ann Pennington, whose high kicks and dimpled knees were the talk of the town.

Tinney, frequently billed as The Funbeam, was a small, baby-faced comedian, and a favorite in vaudeville with an act that consisted of deliberately corny jokes, asides to the audience, and joking with the conductor in the pit.

Ms. Collins' given name was Josephine, but she was best known as José (pronounced Josay), and went on to a career in musical comedy and motion pictures.

A highlight of the 1913 edition was Leon Errol dancing a "Turkish Trot" with his pants falling down in the midst of a massive dance ensemble staged by director Julian Mitchell. (That sound you hear is the audience that can't stop laughing!)

This brings us to the Ziegfeld Follies of 1914. It opened June 1 at the New Amsterdam where it ran for 112 performances, and the stage was packed with 78 Ziegfeld Girls.

During rehearsals, Ziegfeld and director Julian Mitchell had a major disagreement. Mitchell walked out and Leon Errol took over. Headliners, in addition to Errol, were:

...Vaudeville comic Ed Wynn, who scored well in his Follies debut as Joe King the Joke King...(and I'm not joking!)...

... Bert Williams, whose pantomime of a poker game called Darktown Poker Club became one of his signature routines...

...Annette Kellerman, a zaftig swimming champion and dancer who often wore daring form-fitting costumes...

...the beautiful Vera Maxwell and funny man Leon Errol performed The Seasick Dip, a comic ballroom dance that brought down the house...

...and the diminutive dancer, Ann Pennington, perfomed a spectacular shimmy, as well as her own version of the Black Bottom.

The following June 21st, the Ziegfeld Follies of 1915 opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and marked the beginning of a long association between the Follies and stage designer Joseph Urban.

It has been said that Urban designed and built not just "sets," but alternative worlds where resident performers lived for a few hours every night for months at a time. He did that for the opera stages of Boston and New York, and for nine consecutive visually stunning editions of the Ziegfeld Follies.

In 1915, headliners still included Leon Errol, who staged some of the show, (assisted by a returning Julian Mitchell), plus Bert Williams, Ed Wynn, and Ann Pennington.

Follies newcomers included that cantankerous misanthrope, W. C. Fields...

...dancer George White who hoofed his way into a featured spot and popularized a new dance called the "Turkey Trot" (but when he demanded a raise, Ziegfeld fired him, and the dancer vowed to beat Ziggy at his own game. And so he did: The George White Scandals eventually became The Follies' fiercest competitor)...

...superb actress and comedienne Ina Claire, who became a popular star on Broadway and in motion pictures...

...a beautiful but unhappy 21-year-old actress who would commit suicide at the age of 26, Olive Thomas...

...a talented performer and brainy lady who would eventually graduate from Columbia University and later be honored for her work in endocrinology and cancer research, Justine Johnstone...

...and the girl with the bee-stung lips, dancer-actress Mae Murray, who became a popular movie actress, then a sought-after film producer and screenwriter.

Although the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 had a cast of 118, historians say that this 10th edition "belonged to the comics." And what else would you expect from a show with the likes of Bert Williams, Fanny Brice, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Ina Claire, Ann Pennington and Marion Davies?

Will Rogers' lariat and his witty commentary on Washington politicians, as well as notables at home and elsewhere was a sure-fire audience pleaser.

Fanny Brice did a send-up of a vamping Theda Bara; spoofed Swan Lake Ballet as a flatfooted dying swan in a tutu; then sang a tribute to ballet legend Vaslav Nijinski.

W. C. Fields did impersonations of political figures (a side of him not often seen); Bert Williams morphed Shakespeare's Othello into a comedy; and other skits had Henry VIII singing about his wives and Julius Caesar and his "Toga Girls" singing ragtime.

And the newest Ziegfeld Girl, Marion Davies, began her long romance with newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst when he bought out the same orchestra seat for every night of the eight-week run.

That's all for now, but I'll pick it up again in my next post, starting with the 1917 edition in which we meet some Follies newcomers, including the lovable Eddie Cantor, the one-name beauty, Dolores, and the 17-year-old Fairbanks Twins.

THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • PART ONE

— Being an illustrated record of the first five editions of the Follies (1907 - 1911).

Given the longevity and popularity of these lavish productions, it's difficult to imagine that the Follies became Florenz Ziegfeld's personal money pit. Ziegfeld was a brilliant showman who never allowed funding, or the lack of it, to influence his artistic visions. And what he visualized, he brought to the stage by employing the talents of writers, composers, directors, costume & set designers, musicians and performers, all at the top of their game. Nothing was left to chance. The Ziegfeld level of professionalism was established with the first eye-popping Follies of 1907, and over the years, they repeatedly raised the bar.

Ziegfeld adopted the name, Jardin De Paris, for the New York rooftop theater where he premiered the Follies on June 8, 1907. This inaugural production was subtitled Just One of Those Things in Thirteen Acts, and headlined Grace LaRue, Emma Carus, comic Harry Watson, and the wonderful actress/singer/comedienne Helen Broderick, whose Follies appearance was her stepping stone to a long career on the stage, in radio, and in films.

Scene after scene showcased the beautiful chorines. It wasn't unusual for at least one number to be performed in the aisles, where patrons could better appreciate the talents of the Ziegfeld Girls.

Designed to be a limited summertime engagement, the production was loosely woven around a script written by Harry B. Smith (who also wrote the song lyrics). The plot followed Capt. John Smith and Pocohontas around modern New York City, while skits gently jabbed New York's well known residents. The show was so well received that, after 70 performances, it was moved to Broadway's Lyric Theatre for two additional weeks, then toured for two months, returned to New York for a week's engagement at the Grand Opera House, then ended its run with a month of performances in Philadelphia. Toward the end of its run, the popular singer/actress/comedienne Nora Bayes made a few appearances, and subsequently was contracted to headline the 1908 edition.

Joining Miss Bayes in the Follies of 1908, which opened at the Jardin de Paris on June 15, was Mlle. Dazie who performed her Jiu Jitsu Waltz, as well as her Swingstreet/Streetswing ballet. Returning for their second Follies were troupers Grace LaRue and Harry Watson.

Harry B. Smith's script and song lyrics brought humor to an otherwise forgettable score, and Nora Bayes sang her popular "Shine On, Harvest Moon," but the Ziegfeld Girls remained the main attraction.

The theme of this edition of the Follies was...(are you ready for this?)..."the history of civilization" — which meant that everything was fair game for spoofing. Audiences loved the show, which ran almost twice as long as its predecessor.

The Follies of 1909 featured Lillian Lorraine, specialty dancer Bessie Clayton, newcomer Sophie Tucker, and the returning Nora Bayes and her husband, Jack Norworth.

This talented cast was an unbeatable combination on stage, but back stage it made for a snake pit of petty jealousies and cat fights. When Sophie Tucker proved a huge hit with pre-Broadway audiences, Nora Bayes flew into a jealous rage and demanded Sophie be fired. Instead, Sophie was removed from all numbers but an unattractive jungle skit. Bayes walked out early in the Broadway run, and Lillian Lorraine (then Ziegfeld's mistress) was given Bayes's "Harvest Moon" spot. Then, instead of restoring Sophie's comedy numbers, Ziegfeld hired the popular Vaudeville star, Eva Tanguay. Sophie was a trouper, and stayed through the run, but would never return to the Follies.

Two superb comics—Fanny Brice and Bert Williams—together with the perennial Lillian Lorraine, proved to be a friendler and more cooperative trio of featured players, making the Follies of 1910 a delicious experience from the outset. The show made history in three other ways, as well:

(1) It turned a little known burlesque vocalist, Fanny Brice, into a star overnight. The hilarious Fanny made such a hit on opening night singing "Lovey Joe" and "I Thought He Was A Business Man," that the next morning Ziegfeld tore up her contract, increased her salary and elevated her to star status.

(2) Due in part to Bert Williams's gentlemanly demeanor and the good sense to let his boss fight with the protesting bigots, Mr. Williams became the first African American performer to co-star with whites in a major Broadway show. He agreed to only appear on stage alone or with men (never in the company of the all-white chorines) and Ziegfeld agreed to book the tours only above the Mason-Dixon Line. Williams would not perform in the South.

Some performers refused to work with Williams, but it wasn't long before they realized that he was a true artist, as the June 21, 1910 edition of The New York Times pointed out: "There is no more clever low comedian on our stage today than Bert Williams, and few, indeed, who deserve to be considered in his class. Last night he was warmly welcomed, and deservedly so, though he has occasionally had better songs. In fact, without Williams to sing them, there would be little to any of these particular numbers, with the possible exception of "Constantly,"... in which he scored his best success."

(3) By employing an innovative film sequence in honor of the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet which had not been seen since 1835, and which produced much excitement across the United States. The short film featured Ziegfeld's wife, Anna Held, as the comet and comic Harry Watson as the earth.

As the 1910 summer Follies series came to a close, it was clear that changes were on the horizon. Librettist Harry B. Smith was unhappy: He was overworked, and his boss was way behind in paying his royalties. In addition, Ziegfeld's womanizing while still married to Anna Held was like an open wound for Harry's wife who was a close friend of Anna's. On the plus side, Bert Williams had been so popular with audiences that the script and music writers were excited about developing new material for him. And beginning with the 1911 edition of "The Follies" the show was officially renamed:

Making his Follies debut in the 1911 edition was that wonderful comic actor Leon Errol. I remember this man — not on stage, but on film — and no mimic, then or now, has ever been funnier or more rubber-legged than Leon Errol's drunk. They say that on stage, where Errol was given the opportunity to "milk" the bit for laughs, the audience roared in waves, each wave louder and longer than the one before. This picture appeared in a 1911 issue of Stage Pictorial Magazine:

Not only did this mark the first of many show-stopping skits that Errol and Williams would do over the years, but it was also the first Follies where Williams began appearing on stage with all cast members, regardless of their skin color.

In addition to funny men Leon Errol and Bert Williams, headliners of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1911 were Fanny Brice, The Dolly Sisters, Vera Maxwell, Bessie McCoy, and the increasingly temperamental Lillian Lorraine. (Picking a backstage fight with Fanny Brice marked her Follies death knell.)

Specialty dancers, The Dolly Sisters, were superb in their roles as the synchronized Siamese Twins. Audiences and critics alike could never stop raving over the talents and sparkling personalities of these 20-year-old beauties.

Well, dear readers, I'll post these first 5 editions of the Follies now, and go right to work on the next 5 editions (1912 - 1916). I hope you have enjoyed your summer, and will continue to enjoy reading STAGE WHISPERS.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/