Whenever we have a chance, we at GVN like to shine a spotlight on the classic cinema that shaped the way movies are made today. June 10, 2022 marks the centennial of the one and only Judy Garland, a singular performer whose presence is still keenly felt to this day. In honor of this milestone, throughout the month we are going to take the opportunity to explore beyond her most popular titles such as The Wizard of Oz and A Star Is Born and reflect back on some of our lesser-known favorites from the Warner Archive.
Check out our previous entry on Strike Up The Band.
Despite her rising popularity post Oz and in musical collaborations with Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland was still not always being treated like the capital “S” star we remember her to be. Continuing just a year after Strike Up The Band, Garland was tasked with joining the ensemble of 1941’s Ziegfeld Girl from acclaimed director Robert Z. Leonard (In The Good Old Summertime). Yet, this time out Judy would find herself to be overshadowed in prominence with the “bombshells” of the time like Lana Turner (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah). This had to be especially painful, seeing as Turner triumphed over her both on-screen and off for the affections of Rooney, her unrequited love. Yet, the opportunity to be in this film was too grand to pass up; the feature was developed as a sequel to the Best Picture-winning The Great Ziegfeld and Busby Berkeley was on board to deliver the goods with the musical numbers. Garland may not have been the main draw, but as always she left an impression by the end of the credits.
The actual story is not incredibly innovative, operating on the same wavelength as Gold Diggers Of 1933 which also featured some dazzling Berkeley choreography. This time, though, the framing is in the shadow of real-life impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, whose Broadway revues were the stuff of legend. The narrative primarily follows three young women, Sandra Kolter (Lamarr), Susan Gallagher (Garland), and Sheila Regan (Turner), who are chosen to join the famous Ziegfeld Follies (also turned into a 1945 film) during one of rare periods of talent scouting. It is heartening to see these three mostly support one another along their journey, but the entertainment world does prove to be every bit as treacherous as advertised along the way.
The three diverging scenarios each of these talented women find themselves emanating from are equally engaging. Lamarr softens her image somewhat as Susan, a classic European beauty who becomes an unintended recruit upon accompanying her violin virtuoso husband Franz to his audition for the show. While he is understandably frustrated that he does not get the same invitation due to being “too good” for the show, his fragile ego leads them down a rocky path of jealousy and compromise. Turner gets the most screen time as Sheila, a working class girl torn between the appeal of her new lavish lifestyle and the life she has known with truck driver Gil Young (Jimmy Stewart, The Naked Spur). It is this storyline that feels most in line with the darker pre-Code material in the aforementioned Gold Diggers.
Garland may not be the focal character of this narrative, but once again she provides much of the heart. The character of Susan finds herself with mixed feelings as she emerges from a vaudeville background with her father (Charles Winninger), but she gets recruited as a solo act. Despite her young age of 17, Susan plays the role of caretaker throughout much of the film, be it trying to ensure her father is taken care of or trying to keep her fellow “Ziegfeld Girls” in a good place. Susan does get to be on the receiving end of some heartfelt moments as she is coached through her nervousness by her new friends. Her dramatic lows on the way to becoming a star are not as dour, but the emotional charge she brings to every scene along with the soaring tunes makes her an indispensable part of the ensemble.
Like Strike Up The Band, the runtime of Ziegfeld Girl is quite lengthy at 132 minutes, yet it feels shorter than that feature due to the actual depth of the narrative. Having three fairly engrossing storylines makes one more amenable to spending time in the world, and that compounds when you factor in the opulent musical sequences from Busby Berkeley. True, the famed choreographer does not go as absolutely mad as he did in Gold Diggers, but you get your money’s worth both in the quality of the songs and the intricacy of the footwork, not to mention the production design. Even so, this is a film where the drama offstage is every bit as captivating as the precision musical numbers. Ziegfeld Girl may not give Garland the juiciest role in the picture, but it proves she can still create some magic within an ensemble.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents Ziegfeld Girl for the first time on Blu-Ray with 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the best preservation elements. Garland fans are truly in for a treat as they offer up this film with a flawless transfer. This disc has absolutely no trace of digital anomalies such as sharpening or compression artifacts, always running at a high bit rate. Print damage has been banished from this sterling picture. This black and white feature has the perfect amount of natural film grain throughout that provides a stunning amount of detail to the image. The picture has an amazing amount of depth to it including in the darker portions of the theatre where there is no evidence of any black crush. Never doubt Warner Archive when it comes to preservation efforts.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this story without issue. Music is the obvious driving force of the film from a narrative standpoint, and this track delivers these tunes to your living room with perfect fidelity. The track balances the stirring vocals with the accompanying orchestra with tremendous clarity. Dialogue comes through clearly even with the occasionally rapid-fire delivery. There are moments of hustle and bustle when you might expect sounds to swirl all together, but this track keeps each element distinct. Warner Archive has provided a great audio presentation that does not exhibit any signs of age-related wear-and-tear. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.
Special Features
- Introduction By John Fricke: A five-minute introduction from historian John Fricke in which he reflects on the film in the context of the Ziegfeld story, the ensemble talent, the spectacle of Busby Berkeley, the legacy of the film and more.
- MGM Promo Short – We Must Have Music: An 11-minute documentary short which shows off Garland performing the titular tune along with an exploration of the creation of the song and highlights from The Great Ziegfeld.
- Our Gang Short – Melodies Old and New: An 11-minute Our Gang short from 1942 during the MGM era is provided here which finds the kids staging a fundraising musical show filled with some tunes.
- Audio-Only Outtake – Too Beautiful To Last (Tony Martin): An option to hear the nearly four-minute number as sung by Tony Martin.
- Audio-Only Outtake – We Must Have Music Finale (Tony Martin & Judy Garland): An option to hear the two-minute unused number as sung by Tony Martin and Judy Garland.
- Theatrical Trailer: The four-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Ziegfeld Girl is a dramatically strong narrative depicting the darker side of chasing fame. The three leading ladies all bring something special to their roles, delivering a heartbreaking poignancy when they are on stage and a complex dynamism when they are off. The spectacle from Busby Berkeley is not his all-time best work, but you get plenty of memorable numbers nonetheless. This particular picture seems more focused on the character work than the spectacle. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and a charming array of supplemental features. This is highly recommended for musical fans or those with an appreciation for these performers. Recommended
Ziegfeld Girl can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.