The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-30
HolIywoods Staging Of Flo Ziegfe|ds
Life in Picture Form Far Out-DazzIes
Any Of GIorifiers Lavish Spectac|es
1872 Show Girls to Be Seen
In Shots Taken OF
Revolving Set.
MARCH 80, 1896.
BY fnvL HARRIsGS

HOLLYWOOD, March 30. -
(NEA)-Flo ziegfeld would be
proud, but perhaps little sbashed,
II he could return today and watch
the stupendous goings-on in the
vast barn-like structure which
M-G-M calls Stage IL.
The glorifier would be panied to
see that movie magic has far over
Swallowed his genius for staging
spectacles on gigantic and lavish
scale.
He would be proud because the
most astounding musical number
and settings conceived in Holly
wood constitute scene for his own
life story.
Studio Blaze Of Lights
Here's the effect
You scuttle into the place
through small, refrigerator like
door, and Immediately are blinded
by hundreds OF blazing lights. Re-
farming vision reveals a dazzling
stage setting far bigger than any
ever planned by ziegfeld. Or even
Billy Rose, for that matter.
Rising 30 feet above floor level is
a chalky white fiuted column, with
a spiral pathway to the top. 1t is
70 feet in diameter and is mounted
on a revolving stage made of struc-
tural steel.
The whole thing weighs 90 tons
and is balanced so perfectly that it
can be turned by hand. Actually,
though, it's operated by a syncho-
nized motor.
Show Girls Play in Tableaux
Around the base are grouped
dancers and show girls in tableau
style to illustrate excerpts from
songs of the show. AS the stage
turns, these scenes come into view,
and the audiences attention spirals
to the top of the column where
poses Virginia Bruce, most beauti-
ful of all the glorified gals.
In the background is blue cylo-
rama 260 feet long and as high as
a seven-story building. Here are
sky and stars-the latter consisting
OF 5000 automobile headlight bulbs
wired in series of 36. A pilot light
for each series instantly reveals the
location OF any trouble in the
Milky Way.
Dance Director Seymour Felix is
ready for another take of the scene
He barks out orders to 1872 girls and
% electricians, stagehands and me-
chanics.
He's Boss on Set
Felix Is little man whose wife
isn't afraid to reprimand him when
he comes home late for dinner. But
on this set he is the big boss.
Ready" yells Felix. Electricians
hit" the scene with all lights. The
stage turns. and in doing so un-
winds an 1800-pound curtain con-
tanning 1900 yards of silk. The out
side OF the curtain is a cleaning
white; the inside blends from white
to black in % shades.
The tableaux pass before the
camera, and the posing girls smile
their prettiest. Out of range of the
lens, though, they droop visibly. for
there have been almost countless
similar shots, and they're tired.
Nudity Noticeable by Absence
One of the things you notice is
the absence of nudity. Florenz
1iegfeld didn't have to worry about
the Hays office. but producers of
The Great ziegfeld" have been
very careful indeed.
When the stage revolves COM
pletely, Felix yells, "Cut!" and then
yawns He, too, is tired. There
have been six days of this. with
four more days of shooting REQUIRED
Five weeks were needed to build the
Dig set and solve perplexing cleo
trical problems.
This one finale number. It is
whispered about Hollywood. cost
s25O.OO0. Yet it will occupy the
screen for less than nine minutes