FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, Jr. 1869-1932

The Ziegfeld Follies, a product of the great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., were considered to have the most stunning showgirls in the world during their Broadway reign from 1907 until Ziegfeld's death in 1932. Inspired in part by Paris's Les Folies Bergère, the show featured chorus girls performing variety-style musical numbers with elaborate staging and sensational costumes. Ziegfeld was born in Chicago, where he and his father opened a variety hall in 1893. Three years later, while scouting talent in Europe, Ziegfeld met the stunning Anna Held. A year later, he convinced her to marry him and to perform in the first Follies in New York. Many Ziegfeld Girls, such as Fannie Brice, Billie Burke and Barbara Stanwyck, went on to have successful Hollywood careers. ds Copyright Dance Spirit Susie Eisner Eley, formerly a member of the Feld Ballet, is a freelance writer in New York City.