Rating: 
Summary: "The Follies is life..."
Review: In the first part of the 20th century, no greater name was associated with American musical theater than Florenz Ziegfeld and no greater spectacle than the Ziegfeld Follies, perhaps best remembered for large numbers of beautiful, scantilly-clad young women. "Ziegfeld Girl" takes place at the peak of the Follies' popularity in the 1920's and revolves around the lives of three different women chosen to star in the famous revue:
- Sheila Hale (Lana Turner), an elevator operator for a toney New York department store,
- Susan Gallagher (Judy Garland), the younger half of a father-daughter vaudeville act, and,
- Sondra Kolter (Hedy Lamarr), the wife of a would-be concert violinist.This was MGM at its best when it came to musicals, though "Ziegfeld Girl" is not necessarily one of their better-known ones nor their strongest. As a Judy Garland fan, I must admit my bias toward the "Minnie from Trinidad" sequence as well as when Judy sings the classic "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" in an audition scene. But perhaps the best-known musical number in the entire film is "You Stepped Out of a Dream" with Tony Martin's superb vocals as well as Judy, Hedy & Lana among the scores of young women dressed in the astounding outfits created for this movie by the legendary designer Adrian. "Ziegfeld Girl" also features a solid supporting cast including James Stewart as Sheila Hale's truck-driver fiance, Jackie Cooper as Sheila's brother, Charles Winninger as Susan Gallagher's father, Eve Arden as a wise-cracking veteran of the Follies, Paul Kelly as the no-nonsense stage manager, and Edward Everett Horton as the harried publicity director ("Mr. Ziegfeld's strong right arm"). There is also a rare movie appearance by Al Shean of the legendary Gallagher & Shean vaudeville comedy team thrown in for good measure. In short, "Ziegfeld Girl" is a lavish glimpse at a legendary part of American musical theater history that has long since passed.
Rating:
Summary: Backstage Soaper
Review: Lana Turner, Heddy Lamar, and Judy Garland get into the Ziegfeld Follies and promptly go through hell in this backstage soaper about the pitfalls of celebrity. Lana is a saucy elevator operator who aspires to marry Jimmy Stewart--until a Ziegfeld talent scout sweeps her up. She soon turns into a fast-living, mean-tempered lush. Heddy accompanies violinist husband Philip Dorn to an audition; he doesn't get the job, but she gets snatched up to become a beauty queen. Offended by her admirers, Heddy's husband believes she is unfaithful and leaves her. Judy has worked her way up through the ranks of show business and is hired for her way with a song--but Ziegfeld doesn't want to the hire other half of her act, Judy's father Charles Winninger. To say the actors are typecast is a gross understatement, and in truth Heddy is merely there for decoration and Judy tucked into the film for the occasional musical number. The film really belongs to Lana Turner, who--although somewhat wooden--has the most interesting role of the three, and to James Stewart, who like Lana is a good boy gone bad. Will Lana and Jimmy reform and get back together? Will Heddy be able to convince Philip that her love is true? Will Judy's father ever forgive her? Even though the movie is hokey and a bit overlong, it is still rather fun to watch--and such numbers as "Minnie From Trinidad" are lots of fun. But this is not one of MGM's great musicals by any stretch of the imagination, and it is pretty much for die-hard musical fans only.
Rating: 
Summary: GARLAND, LAMARR AND TURNER!
Review: The adventures of three girls in show-business. ZIEGFELD GIRL is an immense backstage musical into which MGM poured tons of talent; it also marked Pandro S. Berman's first assignment with that studio after his years of success at RKO. Just why Jimmy Stewart received top-billing for this rather uneven but entertaining movie is a mystery - his role is virtually a minor one. Robert Z. Leonard directed this two and a quarter hours worth of stuggle, triumph, pain and music, but the two big production numbers, MINNIE FROM TRINIDAD and YOU STEPPED OUT OF A DREAM, were the work of the fabled wizard of cinematic choreography, Busby Berkeley. Judy is darling as Susan Gallagher and her scenes with her Irish Pop (Charles Winninger) are realistically executed. I felt Lana Turner's performance is a bit artificial and inept in her acting technique; she plays Sheila who succumbs to the bottle. As Sandra, Lamarr is astonishingly beautiful, but her acting hardly lingers in one's memory! Jimmy Stewart would enlist himself in the Army before this film premiered; he wouldn't make another film until 1946; it was a sleeper (just kidding) entitled IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
Rating:
Summary: SPARKLING NEW TRANSFER OF A STELLAR STAR FILM VEHICLE!
Review: "Ziegfeld Girl" is not one of MGM's greatest musical achievements so much as it is one of their biggest rip offs. The plot wreaks of faint formaldehyde right down to its stolen montage sequence from "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) that supplants Virginia Bruce from the top of that film's revolving staircase with Judy Garland in a blonde wig. What a sham! If the film had absolutely no merit at all this would be an easy review to write. However, "Ziegfeld Girl" is a blessed with a stellar cast including Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Ms. Garland, as well as Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper and Edward Everett Horton. The film also has two lavish set pieces all its own, the rather maudlin, though eye-popping "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" with the entire cast parading down a gigantic spiral staircase and "Minnie From Trinidad", a Garland standout with a tropical theme that is both light, humorous and melodic. Garland also has the outstanding solo ballad, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" though this is sung with only modest accompaniment and an uninspired stage backdrop.
THE TRANSFER: In keeping with Warner's commitment to the classics, "Ziegfeld Girl" looks remarkably pristine on DVD. The gray scale is perfectly balanced. Contrast and black levels are right on. Some scenes suffer from age related artifacts. There are also minute traces of edge enhancement but nothing that will terribly distract. The audio is mono but nicely balanced.
BOTTOM LINE: "Ziegfeld Girl" is for fans of Judy Garland. It's not an outstanding musical but will nevertheless entertain.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Delicious kitsch!
Review: I have loved this movie from the first time I saw it in the fall of 1977 on WCBS-TV, Channel 2, from NYC when I was 15. I was allowed to stay up until the wee hours of the morning as long as my studies didn't suffer. Of course, all of this nonsense of loving classic MGM movies started with "That's Entertainment!" three years earlier.
"Ziegfeld Girl" is a wonderful musical soap opera from start to finish. With a stellar cast headed by James Stewart, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden and so many more how could you go wrong? You can't! While this isn't "great" movie-making in the "The Wizard of Oz" or "Citizen Kane" sense it's still a terrific example of a Hollywood, or should I say Culver City, empire at its best. The only exception would be the finale of "Ziegfeld Girl" which encompasses interpolations from "The Great Ziegfeld". The original finale "We Must Have Music" wasn't considered grand enough and this was definitely a cost-cutting measure on Metro's part to look more opulent.
Some of the highlights are the musical numbers directed by Busby Berkeley including "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "Minnie From Trinidad". Other highlights are Garland's audition sequence featuring "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", Eve Arden's dry wit and Lana Turner's dramatic turn. She has the most interesting story of the three Ziegfeld Girls. Hedy Lamarr is stunning and Judy Garland was on the cusp of her glamour years at MGM. That would start with her next picture, "Life Begins For Andy Hardy" where she definitely had a new more sophisticated sexy look. She is very glamorous in "Minnie From Trinidad". Adrian's costuming in this movie is spectacular.
The DVD transfer is exceptional. While there are some age-related artifacts, overall the quality is wonderful. This is a HUGE improvement over previous incarnations on VHS and Laserdisc where one could tell every reel change. The sound quality is very nicely balanced and cleaned up which cannot be said of earlier releases.
My recommendation is that you buy this DVD ASAP. If you love classic movies you will enjoy this. It's a lot of fun and Garland, Turner and Lamarr have never looked so beautiful before or at least since 1941.
Rating:
Summary: They Stepped Out of a Dream
Review: An intriguing, albeit somewhat superficial, look at the lives of three young women destined for stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies. While gorgeous Hedy LaMarr is merely decorative, the radiant young Judy Garland is marvelous in numbers like "Minnie From Trinidad" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", and Lana Turner is a revelation as the spoiled beauty who succumbs to the darker side of stardom. Unfortunately, James Stewart is wasted in this film and does not pair well with Turner. This aside, the MGM glamour is spectacular, with stunning costumes by Adrian and set design by Cedric Gibbons. What a shame that MGM chose to film this in black-and-white, rather than Technicolor! While the film is overlong and somewhat dated, you'll rarely get the opportunity to see the likes of Garland, Turner, and LaMarr together in one film. For this reason alone, it should not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: It's interesting what I learned from reading Amazon reviews!
Review: .
I wanted to read more about this film here on Amazon to determine whether I might like to see it. I learned two interesting things: 1.The film unfortunately is in black & white, which is a disappointment because I am a technicolor fan. 2. Joel from NYC is gay gay gay!!! He said he started watching these kinds of films when he was only 12. He must be one big queen from Queens by now! Well, I simply adore gay taste in films and music, so if Joel liked it, I guess I just may have to watch it too! Thanks Joel!
Rating:
Summary: VINTAGE WARTIME MUSICAL....
Review: For sheer 1941 Hollywood glamour and spectacle, "Ziegfeld Girl" is what it's all about. Produced by Pandro S.Berman and with the all out musical numbers staged by Busby Berkeley, it also features the youthful beauty of Judy Garland and Lana Turner with the stunning Hedy Lamarr for extra eye candy. The hackneyed story of three star struck girls chosen as Ziegfeld showgirls and the resulting complications is glossed over by the stars including Jimmy Stewart as Lana's beau and Eve Arden as a been around showgirl watching as the newcomers take over the spotlight. Lana is the one who suffers the most and falls prey to tragedy. The costumes are incredible and the musical numbers very elaborate---especially Judy's tropical "Minnie From Trinidad" and the show stopper "You Stepped Out of a Dream". My only question is why wasn't it in Technicolor instead of b&w? The DVD print shows some wear but overall it's very good. For vintage film and musical buffs (as well as Garland and Turner fans) this is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Where were you looking, Mr. Shean?!
Review: The story itself flounders between drama and musical, but that can be forgiven since the whole business is a backstage story of the Ziegfeld dynasty. (The film's predecessor "The Great Ziegfeld" was presented the same way: a biography proper, but it integrated on-stage musical numbers throughout the film.) In this case the girls of the title are exotic beauty Lamarr (in love with her own husband and devoid of ego, but involved in the standard 'domestic-bliss-or-stardom' dilemma), working-girl Turner in the campier role of fortune huntress (who repeatedly spars with blue-collar beau James Stewart), and vaudeville baby Garland- devoted to dad Winninger, but who quietly matures throughout the film after finding her niche as a singer (beautifully staged in the audition piece "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"). Art imitates life in this film: Garland was historically insecure about her looks- especially when bookended by Turner and Lamarr- and desperately wanted MGM to show her grown-up and beautiful (and while she is quite beautiful, it is more inner and vulnerable than outer and glamorous). The film progresses with these plots nicely but much too slowly- and paints itself into a corner with the Turner plot near the end (although that might've beeen on purpose). But the performances themselves are marvelous, and the film is a great springboard for its three distaff leads as well as future stars Jackie Cooper, Dan Dailey, and Eve Arden. Check out not only 'Rainbows,' but showpieces "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "Minnie From Trinidad" and a marvelous comic bit featuring Winninger called "Gallagher and Shean."
Rating:
Summary: Lana, Judy, Hedy, Jimmy--who could ask for anything more?!
Review: Glossy and frothy extravaganza as only MGM during the golden age of Hollywood knew how to make em'! Tells the engrossing and poignant tale of three young women vying for parts in the legendary Ziegfeld Follies, and their romances, heartbreaks, and tribulations along the way. Drop-dead gorgeous Hedy Lamarr stars as Sandra Kolter, a recent emigre who finds instant success when she is naturally snapped up by the Follies as one of their main attractions, where she finds instant fame and many overeager suitors, but in the end gives up her career to concentrate her efforts on her as yet going-nowhere but very talented musician husband. Blond bombshell Lana Turner plays Sheila Regan, a savvy and driven dame who comes a long way from "the wrong side of the tracks" when she is signed on as a glamorous showgirl and becomes a rich man's mistress, only to lost it all when she descends into alcoholism and despair. But the one who truly steals the show by far is lovely Judy Garland in a touching performance as Susan Gallagher, part of a father and daughter vaudeville act, who is heartrendingly forced to part with him when the Follies makes clear it is only her they want. Though not in his niche, Jimmy Stewart does a good job as Gilbert "Gil" Young, Sheila's goodboy truck driver-turned-toughguy gangster boyfriend who becomes understandably angry and bitter when she throws him over in favor of riches and success. Also watch for a grown-up Jackie Coogan as Sheila's kid brother. Slick musical melodrama which makes for great viewing with its numerous star performers, bevy of beauties, breathtaking B&W cinematography, and lavish production numbers.
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