Girls in the spotlight
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Girls in the spotlight |
| Original title | Ziegfeld girl |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1941 |
| length | 132 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Z. Leonard |
| script |
Marguerite Roberts Sonya Levien based on an idea by William Anthony McGuire |
| production |
Pandro S. Berman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| music | Herbert Stothart |
| camera |
Ray June Joseph Ruttenberg |
| cut | Blanche Sewell |
| occupation | |
| |
Girls in the Spotlight is an American film musical with drama elements by Robert Z. Leonard, shot in 1940, starring Judy Garland , Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner in the three title roles. The male lead is played by James Stewart .
action
New York in the 1920s. Many young women dream of a show business career on Broadway. Three of them are at the center of this story: Susan Gallagher, Sandra Kolter and Sheila Regan, and all of them strive to become one of the coveted “ Ziegfeld Girls ”, one of the dancers of the great show entrepreneur Florenz Ziegfeld . Every year he brings a new revue to the stage, which is to become the talk of the town of the east coast metropolis. Nothing is too expensive for him and every year he looks for new faces. The Central European Sandra, Sheila, the elevator operator who did not fall on her mouth and who in fact has no entertainment experience, and Susan, who had already tried her hand at the vaudeville show at the side of her aging father and who believes she will achieve artistic advancement here - they too are driven by their hope of making the breakthrough as “ Ziegfeld Girl ” (the original film title).
Soon the three women have to realize that behind the facade not all is gold. Again and again there are setbacks, aching limbs and sometimes tears flow. Their commitment and commitment ends differently for each of the three: Sandra gives up her show career for a loving husband, a talented violinist, whom she got to know behind the scenes. Sheila's loyal friend Gilbert, who got involved with crooks, black marketeers and smugglers in order to impress Sheila, turns away from her and she turns to a rich patron before she is abandoned by this soon-to-be disappointed lover. Then Sheila, blinded by the illusionary belief in a life of luxury, falls into a drunkenness. Only Susan will be able to realize her dream: She bites through and becomes one of the "girls in the spotlight" as the new "Ziegfeld Girl ". And on top of that, she can even accommodate her father in the revue. Sheila wants to breathe show air again and watches Susan's triumph from the balcony during the performance. When Sheila tries to get up, she feels a stabbing pain, collapses and slides dead on the floor.
Production notes
Girls in the Spotlight , a typical 1940s MGM musical with melodramatic undertones, was created in the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios in Culver City and premiered on April 25, 1941. The film opened in Germany on April 1, 1947.
The experienced choreographer Busby Berkeley designed the dance and music numbers. The film structures were designed by Cedric Gibbons , Edwin B. Willis provided the equipment. Adrian created the costumes. Douglas Shearer was monitoring the sound .
Costing $ 1,468,000, the film grossed $ 1,891,000 in North America and an additional $ 1,210,000 in the rest of the world, according to MGM records, and made an after-tax profit of $ 532,000.
Music track
- Overture. Voiced by the orchestra and choir
- Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides. Music and text by Roger Edens , performed and danced by Judy Garland and Charles Winninger
- You stepped out of a dream. Music by Nacio Herb Brown , text by Gus Kahn , sung by Tony Martin and the choir
- I'm Always Chasing Rainbows. Music by Harry Carroll , text by Joseph McCarthy . Presented by Judy Garland
- Caribbean love song. Music by Roger Edens, text by Ralph Freed . Sung by Martin and the choir
- Minnie from Trinidad. Music by Roger Edens. Sung by the choir and danced by Antonio and Rosario , then sung and danced by Judy Garland and the choir
- Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean. Presented by Charles Winninger and Al Shean
- Ziegfeld Girls / You Gotta Pull Strings. Music by Roger Edens. Performed by Judy Garland and the choir
- You Stepped Out of a Dream (see above).
- You Never Looked So Beautiful. Music by Walter Donaldson , text by Harold Adamson . Performed by Judy Garland and the choir
Reviews
The Movie & Video Guide found: "Large-scale musical drama begins brilliantly, then sinks into melodrama and the resolution of an absurd subplot".
Halliwell's Film Guide found the film to be "an appropriate, costly drama with music."
"Sentimental-pathetic revue film with self-critical features."
Moviepilot wrote, "The musical opens easily and lively, then turns into melodramatic".
Cinema found: "Glamorous MGM musical with young James Stewart and spectacular dance numbers by Busby Berkeley."
Individual evidence
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 1496
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 1149
- ↑ Girls in the Spotlight in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed January 11, 2019
- ^ Criticism on moviepilot.de
- ↑ Critique on cinema.de
Web links
- Girls in the spotlight in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Background report in: Der Spiegel , No. 11/1947