Ziegfeld Follies
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The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 was a revue produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Billed as the thirteenth edition of the Ziegfeld Follies series, it had a tryout at Nixon's Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 10, 1919[1] and opened at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre on June 16, 1919 and closed on December 6, 1919.[2] It is often considered to be the best and most successful of the Follies series produced by Ziegfeld.[3][4][5]
The revue's musical director was Frank Darling. Orchestrations for Buck and Stamper numbers were by Stephen O. Jones (1880–1967). Costumes were selected by Ziegfeld from creations of Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon (known as "Lucile") for the following scenes: "The Harem," "The Drinks and Syncopated Cocktail" chorus gowns and Marilyn Miller's "Springtime" dresses. Schneider-Anderson Company executed designs by O'Neill, McGeachy and Cook for "The Salad", "Shimmy", "Minstrel", "Tulip Time", "Salvation Army", "Spanish", Widows (in Prohibition scene). Hickson designed costumes for "Sweet Sixteen Melody" and "Baby Arms". The costumes In Ben Ali Haggin's first act arrangement were made by Frances, New York. Men's costumes were by Dazian & Co. Uniforms were by Brooks Uniform Company. The scenic construction was by B. McDonald Construction Company.[6]
Act 1[7]
Act 2[7]
New York Tribune critic Heywood Broun remarked: "Among the most beautiful of the series. … present cast has an excellent voice. … The singing of John Steel was among the best features of the performance at the New Amsterdam Theatre last night. Particularly in the Irving Berlin number "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" his voice showed to excellent advantage. ... The comedy honors of the evening went very easily to Eddie Cantor. The knockabout sketch "At the Osteopath's" is among the most amusing bits of violence we have ever seen on the stage. ... Marilyn Miller dances entrancingly and sings very little. She was gorgeous in a minstrel number. ... The appeal to the eye is almost constant and Joseph Urban has never done better. The two tableaux arranged by Ben Ali Haggin are both eminently successful. ... The first night performance suffered from the usual Follies fault of being too long, and the evening was not free of dull spots which might be cut. A long dance number by Maurice and Walton seemed to us a bore. We were somewhat disappointed in Ray and Johnny Dooley. They were funny at times, but though they fall as hard and as often as their relatives at the Winter Garden and the Century Roof, something of the Newtonian inspiration, which possesses William and Gordon, is lacking. Bert Williams was exceedingly funny in a Rennold Wolf sketch, in which he plays the part of the assistant to a sharpshooter, but none of his songs in the first two-thirds of the performance was in the least effective. ... Ziegfeld should receive his annual tribute from those who write for the theatre because in his own field he does his work supremely well. He has been a considerable figure in bringing beauty and taste to American musical shows."[8]
The unnamed critic in the Boston Daily Globe wrote: "[T]he 1919 version of this 'Institution' proving to be superior to any of the previous dozen produced by the master manager. ... [T]he girls are so pretty and elegantly costumed, the scenes are so beautiful and everything goes with such snap and verve that no one cares to have the style of revue changed. ... The Follies of 1919 is the usual gorgeous, glittering Ziegfeld show, staged lavishly and on an artistic manner and of a higher standard than ever. ... Speed and no lagging moments marked the progress of the show. ... Those agile dancing knock-abouts, Johnny and Ray Dooley, indulged in their hazardous work with as much gusto as though limbs were impervious to breakage. ... The Urban views and pictures by Ben Ali Haggin are strikingly effective, curtains, color schemes and stage accessories, though at times bizarre, appealing strongly to one's sense of harmony. Notably luxurious are 'The Spanish Frolic', the minstrel show, 'Harem Life', 'The Circus Ballet', 'A Syncopated Cocktail' and the finale."[9]
During the labor unrest in the summer of 1919, the actors planned to strike. Ziegfeld received an injunction against Actors' Equity, thinking he could avoid a strike. But after the audience was seated on August 13, 1919, Eddie Cantor, Johnny Dooley, Van and Schenck and Phil Dwyer did not show up. Fifteen minutes after the scheduled curtain, the performance was called off. The audience greeted the announcement with "a mixture of jeers, cheers, and laughter." The box office refunded patron's tickets, costing $2,740.[10] The five actors were sued for $500,000 damages. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that stagehands and musicians also went on strike in sympathy with Actors' Equity.[11][12] Performances resumed on September 10.[2]
The Prince of Wales attended on November 20, 1919. The New York Tribune reported that he laughed appreciatively when Eddie Cantor stepped forward in the direction of his box and said "It'll be too bad if the Prince of Wales goes home without getting one look at The Bronx."[13]
The 1919 Follies played in Washington D.C. beginning April 25, 1920,[14] then played in Boston beginning May 17, 1920.[9]
