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From his lavish apartment in the heavenly spheres, world
famous showman Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. recalls the early days of his career
and the first performance of his follies show in 1907. While
reminiscing about his past shows, Ziegfeld recalls dancer Marilyn Miller,
singer
Fanny Brice, entertainer Will Rogers and others. He then imagines
what it would be like to produce just one more of his follies, which would
begin with a special introduction by dancer and singer
Fred Astaire. Astaire honors the Ziegfeld tradition in a song
about the beautiful showgirls who were always the centerpiece of Ziegfeld's
shows. While Fred sings, the showgirls, dressed in pink, dance on a
set featuring a carousel. Ziegfeld then considers the rest of his
show, noting each successive sequence.
Esther Williams in "A Water Ballet" -
Esther displays her swimming talents in an underwater show.
Keenan Wynn in "Number Please," directed by
Robert Lewis - a man makes repeated attempts to place a telephone
call to Louie Sebastian's Cigar Store but is unable to get help from the
operator. When the man sees a southerner succeed in placing a
call, he eats the telephone in frustration.
James Melton and Marion Bell sing "Traviata"
Two opera stars sing and dance to "Libiamo" from the
Giuseppe Verdi opera Traviata.
Victor Moore wants Edward Arnold to "Pay the Two
Dollars" - when a man riding a subway train with his lawyer is fined
two dollars for spitting, the lawyer instructs him to refuse to pay the
fine. A police officer arrests the lawyer's client, who is later
ordered by a judge to pay the fine or serve a jail sentence. The
lawyer instructs his client to accept the sentence, and promises to
appeal the judge's decision. Twelve days after the client is
imprisoned, the lawyer arrives with news that a judge has agreed to hear
his appeal. When the client learns that his lawyer has spent
hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend him, he begs his lawyer to
simply pay the two-dollar fine. Though an appeals court reverses
the ruling, the client is sentenced to death for killing two subway
passengers who died as a result of an illness spread by his germs.
The governor pardons the client, but his life is ruined as a result of
his lawyer's actions. Following his release from prison, the
client is arrested again on the subway when he spits out his cigar tip.
Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer in a dance story "This Heart of
Mine - a gentleman jewel thief posing as a dancer dances with a
beautiful princess and steals her bracelet as they kiss. The
princess realizes that she has been robbed, but she ignores the theft
until they finish their dance. The princess then removes her
necklace and gives it to the impostor, who, stunned by the noble
gesture, embraces her.
Fanny Brice wins "A Sweepstakes Ticket" with the help of Hume
Cronyn and William Frawley - Norma Edelman wins the Irish Sweepstakes,
but when she tells her husband Monty the good news, he informs her that
he gave the winning sweepstakes ticket to their landlord, Mr. Martin, to
help pay the rent. In the hope that Martin does not yet know that
he possesses the winning ticket, Norma and Monty invite him to their
apartment and offer to press his suit. When that strategy fails,
Norma tries to get the ticket by flirting with Martin. Norma
eventually tells Martin the truth, and when he faints, she takes the
ticket.
"Love" with
Lena Horne - in a West Indian cabaret bar, singer
Lena Horne sings a song about the nature of love.
Red Skelton will show you what will happen "When
Television Comes" - an announcer for the Clumsy Television
Broadcast System introduces a program called the Guzzler's Gin Program
and nearly chokes on a swallow of gin. The announcer then
impersonates "J. Newton Numskull," a doctor of poetry, and reads two
short poems. Between poems, Red takes a drink from his gin bottle
and grows increasingly drunk. He eventually gets so drunk that he
collapses.
"Limehouse Blues" dramatic pantomime with
Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer - Tai Long, a Chinese man,
enters a saloon in London's Limehouse district and falls instantly in
love with a beautiful Chinese woman named Moy Ling. Moments after
Tai peers into a shop window to look at a fan that he saw Moy admire,
thieves shatter the store's window and steal some merchandise. In
the ensuing chaos, gunshots are fired and Tai is struck by a bullet.
While laying unconscious on the sidewalk, Tai dreams of dancing a fan
dance with Moy. Tai is eventually brought inside the shop, where
Moy helps him regain consciousness by touching the fan that she admired.
A great lady has "An Interview," played by
Judy Garland - a group of journalists arrive at the home of a
movie star known as the "Great Lady." Tribbins, the Great Lady's
butler, escorts the men of the press into her living room, where she is
interviewed. The Great Lady talks about her next film, in which
she will play "Madame Crematon," the inventor of the safety pin.
Fred Astaire meets
Gene Kelly in "The Babbitt and the Bromide," - they
meet in a park and decide to perform a song and tap dance routine
together.
"Beauty," sung by
Kathryn Grayson - she sings
about beauty in a varying landscape as ballet dancers pose and dance
around her. |
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