Evening star., 1932-07-23
|z|EGFE[D IS DEAD
| OF HEART ATTACK
Noted Theatrical Producer
Thought Recovering From
Lung AiIment.
Continued From First Page.)

fined for several days. He was reported
on the verge of nervous breakdown
after strenuous season with his Fol-
lies IN New York When he entered the
hospital his physicians described his
condition as serious, but not critical"
Mr.. ziegfeld had seemed to be much
improved said DR.. Marcus Radwin
after the producers death. we looked
Tor him to gain complete recovery
and did not expect the heart attack, al
though he has suffered from heart trou-
BILE for many years.
TIE death of Ziegfeld ended his plan
to bring his Follies to Los Angeles dur
ing the Olympic games. Reports also
were that Ziegfeld contemplated produc-
ing picture in Hollywood. Miss Burke
recently said she hoped it would be pos
| sible for her husband to retire to Cali
fornia farm.
Friends said funeral services prob
ably will be held in Los Angeles
Began With Buffalo Bill.
ziegfeld was born in Chicago on
March 81. 1863 He made his debut
at the age of l3 years, and in his
career Was reputed to have amassed a
fortune. His first venture into the show
business was with Buffalo Bills shows.
His parents objected to this and he
left the show to become general man.
ager and director of the Chicago Musi-
cal College, of which his father was
conductor.
During the worlds fair in Chicago
in 1892 he gained his first experience
as an impressario. His first important
step in the producing world came when
he introduced Anna Held to America
few years later. In 1907 he became
Identified with his follies. So great was
his care in selecting the beautiful girls
for these shows that this feature soon
became a watchword among theater-
goers.
Among the many stage productions
OF Ziegfeld we're "Showboat." Rio
Rita Whoopee." Smiles" Sally"
Louie tie Fourteenth" kid Boots, ;"
and Hot Cha -
Three Shows in Year.
During the season of 1926 ziegfeld
brought out three musical shows. They
were No Foolin," Betsy" and The
Nine O'Clock Frolics."
In 1927 he opened the new Ziegfeld
Theater on Sixth avenue and mounted
in it as the opening piece the musical
show which bid fair to eclipse even the
fame Of the follies That was Show
Boat" musical piece based on Edna
Ferber's novel of the same name. 1t
ren in New York for three years before
taking to the road. 1t was in Show
Boat that Broadway theatergoers first
became acutely conscious of Helen
Morgan and Norma Terris.
That same year Ziegfeld brought out
Resale In 1923 came Three Mus
keteers." 'Whoopee,' another 1923
production. met with mild success, but
through these years theatergoers
thought Of Ziegfeld in terms of Show
| Boat"
Then there was "Show Girl" and
Sweet Adeline' and his last produc-
| Spring with Bert Lahr and the former
motion picture star, Lupe Valez.
Early this season Ziegfeld announced
that he intended to take sophistication
out OF his shows and produce for the
! 'unsophiSticated.' His revival o. Show
Boat which is now running on Broad
way. was. hailed by the critics as a
master stroke.
Trend Toward Nudity.
His "Follies" led the trend toward
NUDITY on the stage. A few years ago
he insisted he had set out to present
nuoity 'artlsticaliy," and, deploring
what he described as the daring and
coarseness of other producers. he de-
cided his glorifled American girl was
/ to be almost fully clad.
Influenced by seeming popular de-
mand, however, his last "Follies" yeered
again to daring.
He was married to Billie Burke, stage
ana screen actress. in 1914 Their
daughter was born two years later
previously Ziegfeld had been married to
Anna Held. stage favorite of a genera
tlon ago. They were divorced.