Cynthia Brideson and Sara Brideson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813160887
- eISBN:
- 9780813165530
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813160887.003.0013
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
As the chapter begins, Ziegfeld is struggling to get his new musical off the ground. He funds the entire production himself and hires Jerome Kern, P. G. Wodehouse, and Guy Bolton to write the play. ...
More
As the chapter begins, Ziegfeld is struggling to get his new musical off the ground. He funds the entire production himself and hires Jerome Kern, P. G. Wodehouse, and Guy Bolton to write the play. Sally is different from Cinderella musicals of the past; it has a distinctly modern feel, for in the end, Sally finds not only love and wealth but also a successful career. Sally is a monumental success. The seemingly unstoppable team of Marilyn Miller and Ziegfeld is threatened when she meets Jack Pickford, former husband of Olive Thomas. To Ziegfeld’s dismay, Pickford and Miller become involved romantically. He encounters more woman troubles when Lillian Lorraine has an accident and severely injures her spine; Ziegfeld secretly pays her bills. The chapter includes a brief description of the Follies of 1920 and 1921 and explains how the lucrative Midnight Frolic was forced to close due to Prohibition. The chapter concludes with rare correspondence between Ziegfeld and his parents and between Burke and Ziegfeld during his time alone in Palm Beach. Despite the enormous success of Sally, Ziegfeld still feels insecure about his finances, his place on Broadway, and his marriage to Burke.Less
As the chapter begins, Ziegfeld is struggling to get his new musical off the ground. He funds the entire production himself and hires Jerome Kern, P. G. Wodehouse, and Guy Bolton to write the play. Sally is different from Cinderella musicals of the past; it has a distinctly modern feel, for in the end, Sally finds not only love and wealth but also a successful career. Sally is a monumental success. The seemingly unstoppable team of Marilyn Miller and Ziegfeld is threatened when she meets Jack Pickford, former husband of Olive Thomas. To Ziegfeld’s dismay, Pickford and Miller become involved romantically. He encounters more woman troubles when Lillian Lorraine has an accident and severely injures her spine; Ziegfeld secretly pays her bills. The chapter includes a brief description of the Follies of 1920 and 1921 and explains how the lucrative Midnight Frolic was forced to close due to Prohibition. The chapter concludes with rare correspondence between Ziegfeld and his parents and between Burke and Ziegfeld during his time alone in Palm Beach. Despite the enormous success of Sally, Ziegfeld still feels insecure about his finances, his place on Broadway, and his marriage to Burke.
Cynthia Brideson and Sara Brideson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813160887
- eISBN:
- 9780813165530
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813160887.003.0016
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Ziegfeld escapes to his Canadian getaway, showing that he is an outdoorsman at heart. While vacationing at his camp, Ziegfeld displays another side to his personality that is much warmer and more ...
More
Ziegfeld escapes to his Canadian getaway, showing that he is an outdoorsman at heart. While vacationing at his camp, Ziegfeld displays another side to his personality that is much warmer and more jovial than his cool, professional persona. The camp is also where Ziegfeld and his tomboy daughter bond. Once he is back in New York, Ziegfeld must face some unpleasant realties. He produces three flops: The Comic Supplement, Louie the 14th, and a new edition of the Follies. Ziegfeld feels even more antiquated when his competitor Charles Dillingham produces a smash hit with Marilyn Miller called Sunny. In an attempt to keep his career afloat, Ziegfeld retreats to Palm Beach more often. He makes a deal with William Randolph Hearst to build a theater bearing the Ziegfeld name. Included in the chapter is previously unpublished correspondence between Burke and Ziegfeld covering Ziegfeld’s neglect and his possible philandering with women at Palm Beach. Also included are some of Patricia’s letters to Ziegfeld, which are touching displays of a little girl’s adoration for her imperfect father. The chapter concludes with Ziegfeld planning to produce shows in Palm Beach because of his bitterness toward the harsh New York critics.Less
Ziegfeld escapes to his Canadian getaway, showing that he is an outdoorsman at heart. While vacationing at his camp, Ziegfeld displays another side to his personality that is much warmer and more jovial than his cool, professional persona. The camp is also where Ziegfeld and his tomboy daughter bond. Once he is back in New York, Ziegfeld must face some unpleasant realties. He produces three flops: The Comic Supplement, Louie the 14th, and a new edition of the Follies. Ziegfeld feels even more antiquated when his competitor Charles Dillingham produces a smash hit with Marilyn Miller called Sunny. In an attempt to keep his career afloat, Ziegfeld retreats to Palm Beach more often. He makes a deal with William Randolph Hearst to build a theater bearing the Ziegfeld name. Included in the chapter is previously unpublished correspondence between Burke and Ziegfeld covering Ziegfeld’s neglect and his possible philandering with women at Palm Beach. Also included are some of Patricia’s letters to Ziegfeld, which are touching displays of a little girl’s adoration for her imperfect father. The chapter concludes with Ziegfeld planning to produce shows in Palm Beach because of his bitterness toward the harsh New York critics.