Glorifying the American Girl [Blu-ray]

Director: Millard Webb, John W. Harkrider Millard Webb

Overview

Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld brought his legendary "Follies" to the silver screen in Glorifying the American Girl. The barely visible plotline concerns a virginal young miss (Mary Eaton) who aspires to greatness as a Follies girl. With stars in her eyes, she heads to New York, leaving her hometown boyfriend to fend for himself. Upon arriving in the Big Apple, our heroine links up with a two-bit dancer who offers to make her a star -- if only she'll let him make her, period. The greater part of the film is given over to a re-creation of a "typical" Follies production, replete with musical solos by Rudy Vallee and Helen Morgan and a sidesplitting comedy sketch with Eddie Cantor and Louis Sorin as a pair of kvetching Jewish tailors ("Vat's der idea uff calling me a damn fool in front uff der customers?" "So, it's a secret?"). From time to time, the camera cuts away to the many celebrities enjoying the show, including journalist Ring Lardner, nightclub doyenne Texas Guinan, New York mayor Jimmy Walker, Paramount Pictures head man Adolph Zukor, and Flo Ziegfeld himself, accompanied by his then-wife, Billie Burke. And yes, that's Johnny Weissmuller on-stage as a provocatively undraped "Nature Boy." As a bonus, the musical score was the handiwork of Irving Berlin. Originally filmed in Technicolor, Glorifying the American Girl is presently available only in black-and-white.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/03/2019
UPC:	0738329241834
Original Release:	1929
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	29,979

Special Features

2K Master derived from the UCLA Film & Television Archive's photochemical 35mm restoration; Audio commentary by Richard Barrios, author of A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film; Hollywood - City of Celluloid (7 min. travelogue); Hearst Metrotone News (2 min. excerpt): backstage footage of Florenz Ziegfeld rehearsing dancers for a new stage production; La Cucaracha (1934 Technicolor short); Optional English SDH subtitles; 1920x1080P

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Mary Eaton	Gloria Hughes
Olive Shea	Barbara
Edward Crandall	Buddy
Dan Healy	'Miller'
Kaye Renard	Mooney
Sarah Edwards	Mrs. Hughes
Helen Morgan	Herself,Herself, performing in revue
Eddie Cantor	Himself, performing in revue
Rudy Vallee	Himself, performing in revue
Irving Berlin	Actor,Composer
Ring Lardner Jr.	Actor
Florenz Ziegfeld	Actor
Johnny Weissmuller	Adonis ("Loveland")
Larry Spier	Composer
Walter Donaldson	Composer
Dave Stamper	Composer

Technical Credits

Millard Webb

J.P. McEvoy

Millard Webb	Director,Screenwriter
Florenz Ziegfeld	Producer
John Harkrider	Director
Monta Bell	Producer
J.P. McEvoy	Screenwriter