*The Warlock appears on screen wearing a black tuxedo and holding a wine glass of Dr. Pepper*

W: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another edition of Oscar’s Month here on Warlock’s Movie Realm. Tonight I’ll be flying solo because there’s no way I’m subjecting anyone else to what I’m about to witness. Tonight’s movie is the winner of Best Picture from 1936 and that’s THE GREAT ZIEGFELD. Why am I doing this alone? The movie is 3 hours long, yes 3 HOURS long. Now I know absolutely nothing about the real Ziegfeld so I can’t judge the events as accurate or not. The million dollar question will be is the movie worthy of winning Best Picture? Let’s find out and let’s begin The Great Ziegfeld.

 

Written by William Anthony McGuire

Directed by Robert Z Leonard

 

Cast:

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr (William Powell)

Patricia Ziegfeld (Joan Holland)

Billie Burke (Myrna Loy)

Anna Held (Luise Rainer)

Jack Billings (Frank Morgan)

Fanny Brice (Herself)

Audrey Dane (Virginia Bruce)

Sampston (Reginald Owen)

Ray Bolger (Himself)

Sidney (Ernest Cossart)

Dr. Ziegfeld (Joseph Cawthorn)

Sandow (Nat Pendleton)

Harriet Hoctor (Herself)

Mary Lou (Jean Chatburn)

Elranger (Paul Irving)

Costumer (Herman Bing)

Pierre (Charles Judels)

Marie (Marcelle Corday)

Sage (Raymond Walburn)

Will Rogers (A.A. Trimble)

Eddie Cantor (Buddy Doyle)

Ziegfeld’s Girls (Wanda Allen, Lynn Bailey, Monica Bannister, Bonnie Bannon, Lynn Bari, Sheila Browning, Edna Callahan, Diane Cook, Pauline Craig, Hester Dean, Claudia Fargo, Susan Fleming, Virginia Grey, Mary Halsey, Jeanne hart, Patricia Havens-Monteagle, Marcia Healy, Mary Lang, Toni Lanier, Margaret Lyman, Frances MacInerney, Julie Mooney, Pat Nixon, Pearlie Norton, Carlita Orr, Claire Owen, Wanda Perry, Evelyn Randolph, Georgia Spence, Venita Varden, Dolly Verner)

Soloist (Bernice Alstock)

Allen (Franklyn Ardell)

Audience Members (Earl Askam, Gwen Lee, Byron Russell, Larry Steers, Ellinor Vanderveer)

Sassy Blonde (Getrude Astor)

Detective (Jack Baxley)

Soloist 2 (Robert Bradford)

Inspector Doyle (Raymond Brown)

Singers (Charles Bruins, Buddy Clark, Dick Dennis, Tandy MacKenzie, Dennis Morgan, Bob Priester, Allan Watson)

Dancers (Peter Gowland, Shep Houghton, Dennis O’Keefe)

Clarence (David Burns)

Bill (James P Burtis)

Stock Broker (Wallis Clark)

Soloist 3 (Thomas Clarke)

Jack (Clay Clement)

Carriage Starter (Charles Coleman)

Miss Drake (Helen Collins)

Hotel Guest (James Conaty)

French Ambassador’s Wife (Adrienne D’Ambricourt)

Telegraph Boy (Mickey Daniels)

Soloist 4 (Bill Days)

Gene Buck (William Demarest)

Fat Woman (Evelyn Dockson)

Theatergoers (Jay Eaton, Hans Moebus)

Wardrobe Woman (Sarah Edwards)

Soloist 5 (Zari Elmassian)

French Ambassador (Charles Fallon)

Lillian Russell (Ruth Gillette)

Young Mary Lou (Ann Gillis)

Ziegfeld’s Butler (Robert Greig)

Husband (Billy Griffith)

Wife (Grace Hayle)

Jim (Bert Hanlon)

Willie Zimmerman (Boothe Howard)

Miss Carlisle (Mary Howard)

Dave Stamper (John Hyams)

Barber Sharp Customers (Selmer Jackson, Richard Tucker)

Stage Door Man (Alfred P James)

Ruth Blair (Suzanne Kaaren)

Alice (Alice Keating)

Sam (John Larkin)

Sally Manners (Rosina Lawrence)

Charles Frohman (Edwin Maxwell)

Little Egypt (Miss Morocco)

Burlesque Prima Donna (Esther Muir)

Nightclub Patron (Barry Norton)

Theatre Door Man (Lee Phelps)

Rosie (Maw Questel)

Reporter (Cyril Ring)

Trooper on Parade (Barlow Simpson)

Flossie (Libby Taylor)

Soloist 6 (Paul Taylor)

Press Agent (Phil Tead)

Julian Mitchell (Charles Trowbridge)

Barker (Joe Yule)

Desk Clerk (Eric Wilton)

 

*Warlock reads the tag-line*

W: “The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr, famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.”

W: Its three hours long, this is gonna be excruciating.

 

*Movie begins with an Overture*

W: Good, something to fast forward.

 

*5 minutes later we get the opening credits*

W: That took 5 minutes off the run-time.

 

*Movie is based on “America’s greatest showman” Florenz Ziegfeld*

W: Greatest showman huh?

 

*Movie begins at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893*

W: Least we get a good place to start.

 

*Florenz says to step right up and see Sandow the strongest man in the world. A rival Ringmaster has his harem girls do dances*

W: Hahahaha

 

*The rival mocks Ziggy for taking his crowd. Meanwhile a sparse crowd watches Sandow do his performance*

W: There’s like 5 people there.

 

*Crowd hates the Sandow show and wishes they were at Little Egypt with the harem girls*

W: Poor Ziggy.

 

*Ziggy says hi to Jane the pony before complaining about the height of the platform. Sandow smashes a table with a rod*

W: The strongman is Nat Pendleton. He was one of the top amateur wrestlers of the 1910’s and went pro for two years in the 1920’s. He retired when he couldn’t get booked against Jack Dempsey the heavyweight boxing champion or Ed “Strangler” Lewis the wrestling champion. This was back when pro wrestling was still real.

 

*Sandow asks why no one comes to see him and says maybe he should cancel his contract. Ziegfeld says he wouldn’t turn his back on Sandow and Sandow bends the iron rod in half and says he likes him*

W: That’s a guy you’d like to have on your side.

 

*Jack Billings is the rival showman to Ziegfeld*

W: That’s Frank Morgan, better known as The Wizard of Oz….yes, that’s the Wizard.

 

*Billings gets a letter from Ziegfeld saying they should combine their shows and split everything 50/50. Billings’ girl says that’s a good idea but he laughs. Billings says he and Ziegfeld are friends but bad with money. The telegram guy laughs like a hyena*

W: What the fuck was that?

 

*Ziggy and Sandow are out to eat. The telegram guy hands Ziggy Jack’s reply. Jack says to have Little Egypt and Sandow get married and split the children 50/50. He gives a dollar to the telegram guy who laughs like a hyena again*

W: He better be done or that’s gonna get annoying.

 

*Sandow doesn’t get the joke and refuses to have children for Ziggy. Meanwhile Jack and his girl walk in laughing. Jack says Patterson is going to throw him out by the end of the week. He introduces Ms. Blair to Sandow and Ziggy. Ziggy invites Blair to sit down and she blows off Jack to do it*

W: Haha nice.

 

*Ziggy puts the moves on Ruth and Jack leads her away saying she won’t see him after Saturday. Sandow says he doesn’t like Jack as Ziggy touches an elephant for luck*

W: Bad luck.

 

*Sandow touches the elephant an it sprays him with water. Everyone laughs at him. Ziggy says you have to expect rain with the sunshine*

W: Hah.

 

*Sandow makes his arm muscle move to impress a fat lady and her husband*

W: Hahahaha.

 

*The lady feels him up and faints, crushing her skinny husband*

W: Wow.

 

*Ziggy has an idea that instead of lifting weights, Sandow should let women feel him up. The crowd abandons Jack’s show and flocks to Ziggy’s*

W: Yeah, feel him up…..that’s gonna be great. Btw we’re 20 minutes in and we don’t have a plot at all.

 

*Dr. Ziegfeld teaches Mary Lou how to play piano*

W: That’s supposed to be Ziggy’s father.

 

*Mary Lou misses Ziggy and is mad he left her for the Fair. Right on cue Ziggy walks in as Mary Lou says she’s gonna marry Ziggy. Ziggy has a present for her if she’ll give him a kiss*

W: If that’s not his daughter, this is going to reach Lolita level of creepy.

 

*Ziggy tells his father he’s going to New York with Sandow rather than stay with his father’s music class. Dr. Ziegfeld says he taught him all about music and art and yet he threw his life away being a circus showman. His father says if he goes, he’ll never speak to him again. Mary Lou starts crying*

W: Look what ya did, you made the girl cry.

 

*Ziggy says he loves Mary Lou but he also loves all the girls. Ziggy says someday he’s going to make pictures with girls*

W: He means go on Broadway, not take naked pictures.

 

*Ziggy says they need to break their “engagement” because all the little boys will be after her. Mary Lou says he’s jealous and he playfully says he is*

W: I love this, this is perfectly innocent but I can see some social justice sociopath whining about how “cringey and creepy” this is.

 

*Dr. Ziegfeld calms down and wishes Ziggy luck. Sandow is a hit in New York and becomes a star*

W: We’re almost a half hour in and we still have no plot.

 

*Ziggy books Sandow against a lion*

W: Oh Jesus.

 

*Sandow “defeats” the lion when the thing collapses. The crowd boos and the newspapers calls him a fraud. Jack laughs when he reads the paper*

W: We have almost 3 full hours to shut him up.

 

*Jack says Ziggy should be in jail but instead he’s walking right by him on a boat. Jack knows the lion fight was a sham and asks where Sandow is. Ziggy says Sandow is on his own now and he’s going to Europe on vacation. Jack and Ziggy are both going to find new talent*

W: Love how they’re still rivals.

 

*Miss Carlisle wants to know if there will be tea for three or two. Jack says just two. Ziggy laughs and greets Sidney. Sidney only gets paid $100 a month by Jack, Ziggy scoffs. Next scene has Big Ben shown*

W: I’ve been there.

 

*Ziggy has bought the services of Sidney*

W: Saw that coming.

 

*Ziggy intentionally books his hotel room next to Jack so he can flaunt Sidney in his face*

W: Take that Wizard.

 

*Ziggy lost 50 grand in Monte Carlo and Jack laughs and walks away. Ziggy begs for money and Jack gives him $500 to get back on the boat to New York. Jack says the greatest artist signing with him tonight. Ziggy asks the doorman who Jack was after and he answers Anna Held*

W: Now we have a race.

 

*Anna performs in front of Ziggy and Jack*

W: This song sucks.

 

*Jack spots Ziggy and is miffed*

W: Hahahhaa

 

*Anna sings “Play with me” as Jack and Ziggy eyeball each other*

W: Hahaha nice symbolism.

 

*Anna can’t read English as she gets a huge flower spread. The assistant says the letter is from Ziggy and he wants to meet her. She also is supposed to meet Jack. Anna wants to meet Ziggy first because of the flowers. Outside Jack and Ziggy heckle each other as they both walk to meet Anna. Ziggy beat Jack to the punch*

W: Small victory.

 

*Ziggy puts the moves on Anna and pretends not to know Jack. He claims to be a big producer and promises New York will love her. He insults her wardrobe and she has Marie throw him out. She stops herself and lets him back in. She says she respects his honesty*

W: Brutal honesty.

 

*Ziggy says if she goes with him, he’ll take care of her. He says he’ll exploit her*

W: Very poor choice of words.

 

*Ziggy says she’ll make so much on merchandise and ticket sales but she wants to be paid up front*

W: He can’t win.

 

*Anna says Jack is the highest bidder as he promised to pay her 10 grand up front. Ziggy says he can’t do that. He says she’s worth more than that but he doesn’t have it. She throws him out a second time but tells him to come back*

W: Marie is getting a work out.

 

*Anna signs with Ziggy but the show is a flop and he’s out 1,200 dollars. Sage is in his office and Ziggy is pissed that the show doesn’t have much publicity. He sends him a wire yelling at him. Meanwhile Anna still struggles with the English language when she sings*

W: Its not her fault. Strange environment, not speaking her first language.

 

*Anna can’t shake her French accent and she wants to run back to France. Pierre and Marie are happy*

W: She has the worst knee jerk reactions I’ve ever seen.

 

*Anna changes her mind again. Pierre doesn’t want Anna to go with Ziggy romantically because he’s a playboy. She says she wouldn’t want him anyway because of the bad press she gets. She then tells a story of how Ziggy was to send her a present every day. She expect diamonds and he sent her 20 gallons of milk*

W: The fuck would she do with that?

 

*Ziggy says she has to bathe in it so the Americans will love her. She says in France and England she was admired for her singing. She continues to freak out as Ziggy calls and is on his way up*

W: The queen of knee jerk.

 

*Ziggy walks in to her singing and notices his flowers on the ground. He tells Marie to get Sidney on the horn to order more. She walks away rolling her eyes*

W: Ha.

 

*Ziggy is being sued for not paying for the milk*

W: What the hell is going on?

 

*Anna rants and raves as Ziggy brings reporters up to speak with her. Anna says she’s gong to tear up her contract and doesn’t want milk baths. She tears it up and cries*

W: This movie lost me big time.

 

*Ziggy hugs Anna and she wants gowns like Lillian Russell. Ziggy says he’ll get her backup dancers and the next show has 8 girls behind Anna. She sings the song again in broken English*

W: She’s playing a French singer but she’s German in real life. Also lived to be 104 years old, great genes.

 

*Women in the crowd say they take milk baths as well. After the show Anna gets flowers from Ziggy and Marie reads a letter saying the past year has been wonderful. Ziggy calls her his wife and has a necklace for her*

W: That’s not a diamond ring.

 

*Ziggy also gets her a bracelet*

W: Still not a diamond ring.

 

*Anna shows off her bling to the girls. One of them is jealous, her name is Audrey. Audrey wants them for herself*

W: There’s always one debbie downer.

 

*Some guy tapdances while sweeping the floor*

W: Is this an act or is he just that ridiculous.

 

*The sweeper did it on purpose to get a job and Ziggy blows him off. Sampston says they made 5 grand but tells Ziggy not to be reckless with the money. Anna shows up and they kiss, she calls him her husband. She shows off the bling to the miffed Sampston*

W: So much for not spending money.

 

*She kisses him for the presents and orchids and demands he take off her stocking*

W: He doesn’t have a foot fetish does he?

 

*Anna asks if Ziggy is as happy as she is. He says he is and he wants to carry out another show, this time without her. She gets offended that he would do a show without her and goes on another tirade. She throws him out but he walks back in 30 seconds to her embrace*

W: I know a woman that explodes for no reason, she doesn’t apologize though.

 

*Billings meets with Miss Drake who tells him Mr. Erlanger wants to see him and Ziggy is in his office. Jack wants to know what he wants and Ziggy says “If you’ve ever had it out for me, you’re avenged. This is the worst cigar I’ve ever had.”

W: Hahahaha

 

*Ziggy tells Jack he wants to do a combined effort show called the Ziegfeld Follies. He wants to make a big production to glorify them. “Glorifying the American Girl.” Jack asks where he’s going to find these girls. Ziggy says everywhere. Ziggy leaves and Jack goes into Erlanger’s office. Jack says Ziggy stole Anna from him and married her so Jack couldn’t ever sign her, now he wants money for a new show. Erlanger asks what to do and Jack says give him the money*

W: Hahahaha he’s a funny guy.

 

*Ziegfeld Follies are in bright lights along with Will Rogers. A huge standing room only crowd has come to see the show. The opening act is in black face*

W: Oh joy, this movie has black face. This should make the social justice sociopaths’ heads explode.

 

*Everyone scrambles around backstage to get ready for Follies. Samptson asks Allen where Ziggy is because its a matter of life of death. Sam finds Ziggy in Will Rogers’ room. He tries to give Will a pep talk about doing stand up as Sam repeatedly pester him for money. Ziggy tells Buddy to stop moving scenery and get ready to perform. The costume guy Mr. Schultz shows him the costumes and now wants his money*

W: Its like a drug deal only with clothing.

 

*Ziggy says he brought the wrong costumes. Ziggy bullshit him that he doesn’t like the costumes in order to get them for free. Sampston laughs once Schultz leaves*

W: What a swindler.

 

*Some guy sings a solo in the bright lights*

W: Is Ziggy trying to blind him?

 

*Anna is sitting with Jack in the box seats*

W: Uh oh.

 

*Woman in an elaborate costume*

W: She looks like Glinda…is this the inspiration for her costume in Wizard of Oz?

 

*A whole cavalcade sings and dances with rising steps designed as a wedding cake.*

W: Alright I’ve had enough. That took almost ten minutes.

 

*Intermission, Entr’acte*

W: Lasted all of 5 seconds.

 

*Flossie hands the show’s star a package. Its a bracelet from Ziggy. Audrey gets a visit from Anna and she doesn’t figure out Ziggy sent her all of it. Audrey just smirks*

W: This doesn’t make him look good.

 

*The performances continue including the guy moving furniture earlier*

W: Stagehand to stage star.

 

*Anna, Ziggy and Jack are in the front row watching the guy tap dance*

W: Cool, can we progress the story now?

 

*Elaborate sets are shown with singing couples*

W: I give credit to the production of this movie, the sets are gorgeous but is 3 hours really necessary. Now I feel I’m watching a legit musical, which at least is interesting.

 

*Audrey performs a solo and Ziggy lights up. The elaborate costumes are shown as the number finally ends*

W: That took 12 minutes.

 

*Anna is miffed Ziggy wants to make a star out of Audrey. Audrey comes on stage an makes a speech thanking Ziggy and even he thinks its ridiculous. Ziggy apologizes to the crowd for they unscripted promo and thanks everyone for coming. He gives a shout out to Sally Manners who’s with a man next to Jack. Jack laughs at him and says he hopes he signed Sally to a long contract*

W: Yeah really.

 

*Sally signs with Ziggy and he tells Sage to take her into the office*

W: Wow what a jackass.

 

*Ziggy forgets the name of a beautiful blonde who walks into his office. He can’t remember her name or where he met her. She gets on the piano and Ziggy realizes its Mary Lou all grown up*

W: NOW he can marry her….if he wasn’t already with Anna.

 

*Ziggy is excited to see her and she hops on his lap like she’s a child again. He asks how his father is and Mary Lou kisses him. He tells her he’s married now and Mary Lou says it doesn’t mean anything. He asks what she wants and she kisses him again*

W: She wants his dick.

 

*She says she’s been engaged to a guy named Jimmy and she wants to join the Follies. She wants to have dinner with him when Alice walks in. Ziggy tells her to put Mary Lou in the show as an extra. Mary forgives him for not marrying her. Meanwhile Danny has a new song for the show. Sam runs in and says Fanny Brice wants to join the show*

W: The real Fanny Brice was a famous performer.

 

*Fanny walks on stage and performs*

W: And that’s actually Fanny Brice.

 

*Girls walk on stage shaking their hips and singing*

W: Is this a Burlesque show?

 

*Fanny walks backstage and says Jim Boss is after her. Fanny’s friend says they’re never gonna get out of Burlesque. Fanny thinks Ziegfeld is a fake and introduces her friend Sarah Bernhardt to him. She dismisses him as a common peddler and hands him 40 dollars. Sarah says its stolen and Fanny freaks out*

W: Hahahha

 

*Fanny gets a letter saying to keep her 40 dollars and see Ziggy in his office tomorrow about the Follies. Fanny realizes it really was Ziegfeld and mock faints*

W: Was she a comedian too?

 

*Ziggy is upset at Fanny’s costume. She looks elegant when she’s supposed to be downtrodden in the show. Fanny scoffs saying even in the high class she’s still middle class*

W: Ok, I looked it up, she was a comedian.

 

*Fanny sings and Ziggy watches. Ziggy then holdss a conference with Sam, Gene, Herbert, Julian and Joe. Sam laughs at Gene and Ziggy says she wants Fanny to have a story as well as a song. Jerry walks in and Ziggy wants him to play the song on the piano he played earlier “Look For The Silver Lining”. Ziggy wants Fanny to perform this song. Meanwhile the financial backers want their money before the show*

W: Is this the haggle he really had to go through?

 

*The backers get excited when Ziggy namedrops Eddie Cantor. Audrey has a lot of champagne with her backstage and Ziggy tells Anna he’ll be right back. Ziggy finds half of the girls drinking and throws them all out*

W: For once I agree with him, drinking before a play is dangerous. You could hurt yourself and others.

 

*Audrey is smashed and she jumps in Ziggy’s arms. She goes to kiss him as Anna walks in. She says he could have at least closed the door. She doesn’t believe he’s innocent. Next frame is a newspaper headline saying Anna has left Ziggy*

W: Now he can have Mary Lou.

 

*Sidney relays a message from Sam saying the bank isn’t giving him any more money. He laments over Anna when Audrey walks in strutting*

W: Oh lovely.

 

*Audrey struts in and basks in his failed marriage and the fact he’s broke. She says she quits, smashes his elephant and never wants to see him again*

W: Well that gets her out of the way.

 

*Ziggy sends a wire to Jack who laughs at the telegram Miss Jones sends him. Jack says Ziegfeld needs money for his show and Jack’s boss says don’t do it. Jack says he already did. Next frame is the big show Sally, starring Fanny and Mary Lou*

W: Oh god, more blackface.

 

*An older looking Ziegfeld with gray hair walks into a ballroom. He spots Billie Burke with Jack and says she’s gorgeous*

W: We got an hour left.

 

*Jack is with Billie and knows Ziggy is trying to steal her*

W: Jack does so much for him and all Ziggy does is try to steal his women.

 

*Ziggy maneuvers his way to speak with Billie. Both him and Jack are trying to secure her services*

W: Hahaha this is actually funny especially with the way Jack is dressed.

 

*Billie has no idea he’s Ziegfeld and tells him that she love his shows but heard he’s a horrible person, fat with a big stomach*

W: Hahahahaha

 

*Jack walks up and gives away hes Ziegfeld. She says she doesn’t like him much to Jack’s delight. Later on Ziggy meets with Billie alone*

W: She doesn’t hate him that much apparently.

 

*Ziggy kisses Billie and Anna reads in the paper that they got married in New Jersey*

W: Serves you right for leaving.

 

*Marie asks if Anna wants to go to Paris but Anna says she’s too tired. Marie says Billie is performing close by and Anna cuts a promo on her before telling Marie she wants to congratulate him. Anna calls Ziggy and wishes him well before hanging up*

W: That went better than I expected.

 

*Anna faints on the bed crying*

W: You left him, dumbass.

 

*Marie asks why she divorced him and Anna says she thought he’d come back*

W: You have…NO IDEA how men work do you?

 

*Billie, Ziggy and their daughter hold an elaborate party for the Christmas presents he got for the daughter, Patricia*

W: Jesus Christ, she would have been happy with a stick.

 

*Billie and Ziggy exchange presents, Billie says its too much. Ziggy does an impromptu circus act to make Patricia laugh. Next frame his next show being circus themed*

W: The Triple H of the 1920’s, making shows to cater to his children.

 

*Newspaper montage of Ziggy going broke due to the outrageous production costs, splitting from Erlanger and his lower production shows fail to be hits. Eddie Cantor is mentioned as the lone star of the failed productions*

W: This actually happened.

 

*Hollywood hires Ziggy, Cantor and Will Rogers. The production “Betsy” fails to entertain. People in the barber shop say Ziegfeld is washed up, getting old and hes broke. Ziegfeld promises the hecklers he’s going to have 4 Broadway hits*

W: We got 24 minutes left, there’s still time.

 

*Ziggy whines to Billie about his problems with the barbershop patrons. He’s mad they said he’d never produce another hit. Ziggy is also mad about the new play being a failure and Billie says she’s disappointed he’s losing his confidence. What drew her to him to begin with was his unwavering arrogance even when he was broke*

W: She wants the OLDDDD STONE COLD!

 

*Ziggy’s new show is Whoopee*

W: Heh, he made Whoopee.

 

*Ziggy has 2 additional shows with Whoopee. Meanwhile Inspector Doyle of the police wants to see him. He has a lineup for him and four men are brought in. They’re being charged with “murder”. These were the guys that heckled him in the barber shop and Ziggy gives them tickets to his 4 hit shows and says to watch them and still say if he’s washed up after*

W: Ha!

 

*Ziggy tells Sam that he’s bought a million dollars worth of stocks*

W: Oh is he in for a surprise.

 

*Croyden calls Ziggy and tells him the Stock Market crashed*

W: Right on schedule.

 

*Ziggy is 300 grand in the hole. Ziggy says to find Jack and he’s at Wall Street. Jack’s been cleaned out too but he’s less worried. Jack finds out Ziggy is screwed and he laughs his way out*

W: Yeah he’s fucked.

 

*Montage of Ziggy’s shows being cancelled*

W: Well that sucks.

 

*Sidney calls Billie who says Ziggy just got out of the doctors and is okay. Ziggy looks at a picture of Billie and Patricia and thanks Billie for working so he can get by. He can’t get ahold of Eddie Cantor and he wants him for his shows. He says he hasn’t had a show in 2 years*

W: This must be 1931.

 

*Jack visits Ziggy who’s actually sick. Jack tries to give him a pep talk by saying they can take a trip like old times. Ziggy can’t do it but Jack says if he snaps out of his funk, he’ll feel alive again. Jack says its time to split 50/50 and Ziggy says the Depression took everything. Jack says he got out of the Market Crash unscathed. Jack continues to joke with him and privately tells Sidney before he leaves he really doesn’t wish harm on Ziggy*

W: He was always a good guy.

 

*Ziggy staggers to the window and wants to make one more show but nearly collapses. He tells Sidney he’s lost the will to live and only has memories. Sidney tells Billie he’s resting comfortably. All of a sudden Ziggy goes limp*

W: Yeah he ain’t gonna make it.

 

*Sidney calls the doctor as we get silhouettes of shows over the screen of the dead Ziggy. He drops the rose, THE END*

W: I MADE ITT!!!!!!!

 

*Exit Music*

W: Oh no, fuck this.

 

 

The Warlock’s Assessment: You now what, it was too damn long but at least it was watchable for the most part. The acting was good and the production value was top notch for its time. As a standalone movie they could have shortened it by a full half hour because 3 hours was too much. All in all I still give it a 6 because its good, just too long.

Final Grade: 6 out of 10 – Good.

 

*Warlock rises from one of Mr. America’s thrones*

W: That was a fucking marathon but its over. I don’t have a clue what the real Ziegfeld was like or his works so I’m not going to squawk about inaccuracies. As a stand alone movie it was good for the most part. To answer the million dollar question of was this good enough to win Best Picture…no. A long time ago I saw San Fransisco with Clark Gable and that was better than this. Ironically Gable would have been the only actor in history to 3-Peat a Best Picture had San Fransisco beat out Ziegfeld. Now the question is can I recommend this movie. Yes and no. I can’t recommend it because its a black and white movie with blackface and its 3 hours long. I can recommend it because if you can look past all that, its till a good story with good acting. William Powell in the lead role was great and Frank Morgan was terrific as well. That about wraps up another edition of Oscar’s Month here at the Realm. Now get outta here before I give ya a slap!