Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway's Greatest Producer

by Cynthia Brideson, Sara Brideson

The name Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (1867--1932) is synonymous with the decadent revues that the legendary impresario produced at the turn of the twentieth century. These extravagant performances were filled with catchy tunes, high-kicking chorus girls, striking costumes, and talented stars such as Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Marilyn Miller, W. C. Fields, and Will Rogers. After the success of his Follies, Ziegfeld revolutionized theater performance with the musical "Show Boat" (1927) and continued making Broadway hits -- including "Sally" (1920), "Rio Rita" (1927), and "The Three Musketeers "(1928) -- several of which were adapted for the silver screen.

In this definitive biography, authors Cynthia Brideson and Sara Brideson offer a comprehensive look at both the life and legacy of the famous producer. Drawing on a wide range of sources -- including Ziegfield's previously unpublished letters to his second wife, Billie Burke (who later played Glinda the Good Witch in "The Wizard of Oz"), and to his daughter Patricia -- the Bridesons shed new light on this enigmatic man. They provide a lively and well-rounded account of Ziegfeld as a father, a husband, a son, a friend, a lover, and an alternately ruthless and benevolent employer. Lavishly illustrated with over seventy-five images, this meticulously researched book presents an intimate and in-depth portrait of a figure who profoundly changed American entertainment.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Theatre

576 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2015

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld was the giant of Broadway during the 20s and early 30s and his "glorifying of the American girl" (his words) was all the rage.He found the most beautiful chorus girls/models he could find for his shows and they didn't have to possess talent, just walk the "Ziegfeld walk" in stunning and unbelievably expensive gowns and head dresses. He made stars out of some dancers/singers whose names are not familiar to the modern ear but were the biggest stars on Broadway; Anna Held, Marilyn Miller, Olive Thomas, Lillian Lorraine, et al. He mixed vaudeville acts in his Follies and cemented the lasting reputations of such comedians as W.C.Fields, Will Rogers, and Eddie Cantor.

He was a gambler, spendthrift, and womanizer but still had time to put in 20 hour days to keep a hold on Broadway as the king of the great white way, Sadly, in the end, he was practically bankrupt and had failed to change with times. But, oh what glory days he had!

Informative, interesting and simply an entertaining book that gives us a peek at the early days of Broadway. An extra added attraction is the inclusion of some great photographs. Recommended.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know deeply all that is able to be known about Florenz Ziegfeld and get an insider's look at the Follies and its performers, this has to be the go-to book. Because I like Fanny Brice (Funny Girl, anyone?)and I love looking at photos of the Art Deco sets and costumes from the Follies and because I have enjoyed the movies about Ziegfeld and the follies, I was eager to read this book. However, it is for the hard core Broadway buff and Jazz Age devotee because the author meticulously examines all there is to know about Ziegfeld the man and if you aren't interested in delving that deeply, a shallower book with more pictures might be for you. I fall into that category it would seem. I would have appreciated triple the amount of pictures; the book described lush sets and gorgeous, outlandish costumes with nary a picture to go with the text at hand. I was saddened to learn that the man who created so much glamour was a selfish philanderer with no self control, or business sense, who cheated on his wives and gambled away fortunes while not paying his song writers and other employees and tormenting others with his weird superstitions and phobias.

The writer's footnotes and indices are fantastic and the writing is approachable, yet intelligent, and clearly she is an expert about which she speaks.

[BookishStitcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom introduced me to musicals as a child and I have loved them ever since. I came to learning about Ziegfeld in a roundabout way from the movie Funny Girl, which is the story of Fanny Brice. This book was a great deep dive into the man behind the Broadway legend.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine another Ziegfeld book ever coming close to the breadth and depth and sheer liveliness of this biography! Yes, it's about Ziegfeld, but it's also about his entire orbit of stars, lovers, wives, etc. It's like getting many biographies in one-- with two glossy photo sections. This book is that rare animal that will serve the lay reader as well as a staunch scholar-- readable and informative!
The book itself is gorgeous enough to grace the nicest coffee tables, too.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took this book out of the library and read about 50 pages. Chose not to finish. Just too much ponderous detail to wade through. I am still giving it 3 stars however, in appreciation of the effort made by the authors.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of the follies with accounts of the many stars. Helpful list of all the productions with casts and musical numbers. Good b/w illustrations.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read.

This book provides a lot of insight into the origins of 20th Century musical comedy, and even serves as a precursor of the spectacles performed by Rock musicians of today.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very indepth look at this incredible person. Sometimes too indepth, and a little too much conjecture on feelings and reasonings that don't necessarily have any basis. However, lots of incredible info about the era and the stars.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really interesting but a little long winded. There was so much info, which shows the work of research, but it was too much.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book of the life of Florenz Ziegfeld. Ziegfeld was truly a great American Broadway producer. But it goes beyond telling the life story of Ziegfeld. It relates the life of others greats including Fanny Brice, Irving Berlin, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, George and Ira Gershwin, Billie Burke and Fred Astaire to name a few. Ziegfeld lived a life style, which could have come directly from a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. In fact, Ziegfeld was a contemporary of Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had dinner multiple times at Ziegfeld’s home. The book is well written. It reads more like a novel then a biography. And it does a great job of describing the era of Ziegfeld. I do recommend this book.

[Marylisa Sullivan]

So hard to read. Long and drawn out but I learned a lot about Florenz Ziegfeld and his many loves and the era.

[Lynn Gates]

took a while to get through, but a wonderful read!