Ziegfeld Girl [Blu-ray]

Overview

All that MGM's Ziegfeld Girl lacks is Technicolor; otherwise, the film has talent and "sock" entertainment value in abundance. The story focuses on three showbiz hopefuls-Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner-and the efforts to attain the lofty status of "Ziegfeld Girl." Garland is compelled to leave her family vaudeville act; she bids her dad Charles Winninger a tearful farewell, and later falls in love with Turner's brother Jackie Cooper. In her bid for success, Lana forgets all about her faithful boyfriend James Stewart, who turns to bootlegging to come up to the financial stature of Lana's new beau, socialite Ian Hunter. Lamarr nearly dumps her impoverished violinist husband Philip Dorn as she climbs the ladder of success. There are happy endings in store for two of the three female leads, but we'll let you watch the film yourselves to find out who wins and who loses. Featured in the cast are Tony Martin, Edward Everett Horton, Eve Arden, Dan Dailey, and, in a poignant cameo as a wardrobe woman, the "ever popular" Mae Busch. Song highlights include "Minnie from Trinidad," "You Never Looked So Beautiful Before," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Side," "Caribbean Love Song," "Whispering," "Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean" (performed by Charles Winninger and the surviving half of the Gallagher-and-Shean duo, Al Shean-who happened to be the Marx Bros.' uncle), "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "You Gotta Pull Strings."

Product Details

Release Date:	06/07/2022
UPC:	0883929794331
Original Release:	1941
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Sales rank:	22,050

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Judy Garland	Susan Gallagher
Lana Turner	Sheila Regan
Hedy Lamarr	Mrs. Sondra Colter
James Stewart	Gilbert Young
Tony Martin	Frank Merton
Jackie Cooper	Jerry Regan
Charles Winninger	Pop Gallagher
Edward Everett Horton	Noble Sage
Paul Kelly	John Slayton
Eve Arden	Patsy Dixon
Dan Dailey	Jimmy Walters
Al Shean	Himself
Fay Holden	Mrs. Regan
Felix Bressart	Mischa
Rose Hobart	Mrs. Merton
Bernard Nedell	Nick Capalini
Edward McNamara	Mr. Regan
Mae Busch	Jenny
Josephine Whittell	Perkins
Renie Riano	Annie
Six Hits and a Miss	Singers
Elliott Sullivan	Trucker
James Flavin	Trucker
Joyce Compton	Miss Sawyer
Leslie Brooks	Actor
Georgia Carroll	Actor
Ruth Tobey	Beth Regan
Bess Flowers	Palm Beach Casino Patron
Myrna Dell	Actor
Rosario and Antonio	Specialty Dancers
Fred Santley	Floorwalker
Claire James	Hopeful
Frances Gladwin	Actor
Sergio Orta	Native Dancer
Reed Hadley	Geoffrey's Friend
Armand Kaliz	Pierre
Joan Barclay	Actress in Slayton's Office
Donald Kirke	Playboy
Ray Teal	Pawnbroker
Al Hill	Truck Driver
Víctor Laplace	Actor
Roscoe Ates	Theater Worker
George Lloyd	Bartender
Vivian Mason	Actor
Ginger Pearson	Salesgirl
Philip Dorn	Franz Kolter
Ian Hunter	Geoffrey Collins
Jean Wallace	Actor
Six Hits & A Miss	Singer
Virginia Cruzon	Actor
Anya Taranda	Ziegfeld Girl

Technical Credits

Marguerite Roberts

Sonya Levien

Robert Z. Leonard	Director
Marguerite Roberts	Screenwriter
Sonya Levien	Screenwriter
Pandro S. Berman	Producer

Editorial Reviews

When fourth-billed Lana Turner reached the bottom of those Ziegfeldian stars to the strains of Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn's lilting "You Stepped Out of a Dream" she found herself a full-fledged star. The writers, of course, had done the novice actress untold favors by creating for her the show's only full-bodied character, the one bright spot in what essentially is an overproduced bore saddled with a screenplay as hackneyed as they come and rare sub-par performances from Judy Garland (at her giddiest worst) and James Stewart. The story hardly improved with age and when it came time to film Jacqueline Susann's updated version, now whimsically called Valley of the Dolls (1967), there was no longer anyone around with Lana's special brand of manufactured glamour and the whole enterprise appeared as stale and old-fashioned as -- well, as Ziegfeld Girl.

All Movie Guide - Hans J. Wollstein