For me -- a lover of the old MGM musicals -- this film doesn't quite come together. The whole seems to be less than the sum of its parts.
For me, problem number one is that it seems to actually have little to do with Flo Ziegfeld. It may be the story of 3 young women who become Ziegfeld girls, but where exactly is there much about Flo Ziegfeld? The film is the sequel to the wonderful 1936 film "The Great Ziegfeld", but it just doesn't have the same sense of grandeur. I guess this is "The Sorta Good Ziegfeld".
James Stewart -- maybe it worked in 1941, but today -- with the persona of Jimmy Stewart in our minds -- this characterization just doesn't work. This is a good role for the still young Judy Garland (still in her Andy Hardy days), but not one of her best. Hedy Lamarr does fine here, although -- as usual -- her acting is more about her beauty. Lana Turner is lovely, but at this point in her career she hasn't yet become the fine actress she later was. Tony Martin...eeh! Jackie Cooper...well, nice to see him, although his career was already in sharp decline. Ian Hunter turns in a nice performance as a sophisticate. Charles Winninger is entertaining as Garland's "pop", a vaudeville entertainer. Eve Arden plays Eve Arden (and that's good). Edward Everett Horton is entertaining as one of Flo Ziegfeld's right hand men. Philip Dorn is boring as a violinist (he had other much better roles). Dan Dailey plays a boxer with a negative attitude; he has one very good scene.
In terms of the story, my first question is why are Jimmy Stewart and the other hoods wearing winter coats and hats in Palm Beach, Florida? But beyond that, the script follows 3 girls who each become Ziegfeld girls; how does each react to her fame? Garland -- the most successful of the three -- misses her vaudeville "Pop" who seems to have an outdated act. Turner turns out not so nice, dumping her boyfriend (Stewart), who wasn't very nice anyway, and he becomes a bootleg runner; meanwhile Turner gets fired from the show due to alcoholism. Lamarr...well, she floats around in the soup, but it was a bit difficult to figure out her issue, other than that she is the least dedicated to show business of the three. In terms of musical numbers, only two are striking -- "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" by Garland and "Mr. Gallagher & Mr. Shean" by Winninger and the real Al Shean! Overall, this musical just didn't catch my attention the way most MGM musicals do. And then they cheapened the finale by using segments from the fine 1938 film, which had spectacular sets, versus the vastly slimmed down 1941 sets...a mismatch. Not to mention the schmaltzy duck dream. This film was successful back in the day, but parts of it hardly held my attention.
For me, problem number one is that it seems to actually have little to do with Flo Ziegfeld. It may be the story of 3 young women who become Ziegfeld girls, but where exactly is there much about Flo Ziegfeld? The film is the sequel to the wonderful 1936 film "The Great Ziegfeld", but it just doesn't have the same sense of grandeur. I guess this is "The Sorta Good Ziegfeld".
James Stewart -- maybe it worked in 1941, but today -- with the persona of Jimmy Stewart in our minds -- this characterization just doesn't work. This is a good role for the still young Judy Garland (still in her Andy Hardy days), but not one of her best. Hedy Lamarr does fine here, although -- as usual -- her acting is more about her beauty. Lana Turner is lovely, but at this point in her career she hasn't yet become the fine actress she later was. Tony Martin...eeh! Jackie Cooper...well, nice to see him, although his career was already in sharp decline. Ian Hunter turns in a nice performance as a sophisticate. Charles Winninger is entertaining as Garland's "pop", a vaudeville entertainer. Eve Arden plays Eve Arden (and that's good). Edward Everett Horton is entertaining as one of Flo Ziegfeld's right hand men. Philip Dorn is boring as a violinist (he had other much better roles). Dan Dailey plays a boxer with a negative attitude; he has one very good scene.
In terms of the story, my first question is why are Jimmy Stewart and the other hoods wearing winter coats and hats in Palm Beach, Florida? But beyond that, the script follows 3 girls who each become Ziegfeld girls; how does each react to her fame? Garland -- the most successful of the three -- misses her vaudeville "Pop" who seems to have an outdated act. Turner turns out not so nice, dumping her boyfriend (Stewart), who wasn't very nice anyway, and he becomes a bootleg runner; meanwhile Turner gets fired from the show due to alcoholism. Lamarr...well, she floats around in the soup, but it was a bit difficult to figure out her issue, other than that she is the least dedicated to show business of the three. In terms of musical numbers, only two are striking -- "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" by Garland and "Mr. Gallagher & Mr. Shean" by Winninger and the real Al Shean! Overall, this musical just didn't catch my attention the way most MGM musicals do. And then they cheapened the finale by using segments from the fine 1938 film, which had spectacular sets, versus the vastly slimmed down 1941 sets...a mismatch. Not to mention the schmaltzy duck dream. This film was successful back in the day, but parts of it hardly held my attention.