The first hour of this movie is a complete waste of time. The usual 1930s Hollywood clichés about the young woman who dreams of making it big on Broadway.
The last half hour has four numbers of varied interest, including three star turns. For me, the best was Helen Morgan's forgettable new song. It sounds like an imitation of "Bill", her hit number from Showboat. It's interesting to watch and hear her put the number across, though, even if the song itself is forgettable.
Next is Rudy Vallee singing one of his big hits, "Vagabond Lover." Of mild historical interest, I guess. He's much better in later movies.
Eddie Cantor's number, a scene in a clothing store, goes on way too long and isn't funny. It's mean-spirited, actually.
And then there is the last 5 minutes of the movie, the big musical number supervised by Ziegfeld himself. It is very slow, and not impressive. Nothing at all like the magnificent finale in "The Great Ziegfeld" from 1939. I don't know how representative this is of a Ziegfeld show from the era. I suspect in the actual Follies shows the women wore less. I certainly hope they looked more comfortable in their costumes. Did they really wear such huge headpieces? All in all, a real disappointment of a movie.
The last half hour has four numbers of varied interest, including three star turns. For me, the best was Helen Morgan's forgettable new song. It sounds like an imitation of "Bill", her hit number from Showboat. It's interesting to watch and hear her put the number across, though, even if the song itself is forgettable.
Next is Rudy Vallee singing one of his big hits, "Vagabond Lover." Of mild historical interest, I guess. He's much better in later movies.
Eddie Cantor's number, a scene in a clothing store, goes on way too long and isn't funny. It's mean-spirited, actually.
And then there is the last 5 minutes of the movie, the big musical number supervised by Ziegfeld himself. It is very slow, and not impressive. Nothing at all like the magnificent finale in "The Great Ziegfeld" from 1939. I don't know how representative this is of a Ziegfeld show from the era. I suspect in the actual Follies shows the women wore less. I certainly hope they looked more comfortable in their costumes. Did they really wear such huge headpieces? All in all, a real disappointment of a movie.