Ziegfeld Girl

Starring: James Stewart, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Tony Martin
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Musical
1941

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three beautiful woman (Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr) join Flo Ziegfeld's broadway group as performers. They are shot to fame and wealth, but find that new problems arise.

Review:

Tim: This is really a movie about three women- Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Hedy Lamarr. They are the stars, and everything else just supports their stories. I can't think of too many films from the 40's with women as the central focus alone. Even the film's "biggest" star, James Stewart, really plays a supporting role.

This film follows the rise of its three stars as they become "Ziegfeld Girls" and have their lives transformed from obscure and ordinary into ones of seemingly unlimited fame and wealth. This is a transformation that has doomed many, and our three heroines find more money very often brings more problems.

Judy Garland is the standout here. Even in a cast practically exploding with talent, she best uses her charm to connect to the audience. Lana Turner is given the most to do, and she is generally good throughout, although not superb. Hedy Lamarr has less to do than Turner, and makes far less of an impact than Garland. Even so, the talents of these three women in one film is a sight to see. Add in a good supporting performance by James Stewart, and we are looking at quite a bit of talent.

Despite the star power and some amaing musical numbers, the film feels far too long at 132 minutes, and we lose our attention about halfway through. Even still, despite obvious flaws, this is a pretty good movie, and it is worth seeing once.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Come Live With Me, The Philadelphia Story, No Time for Comedy