Evening star., 1946-04-26

ton for an extravaganza. 1t is a
"Ziegfeld Follies,". no less, that
M-G-M has produced this time and
the old caliph of color-sitting up
there in Heaven, it is alleged-must
J himself be happy with the result
as spread on the screen of the Palace
Theater.
Extravaganza has rarely been pro-
duced so extravagantly, including a
few technicolor shots of Heaven it.
self. as Heaven probably would look
if designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Whatever it wants of beauty, music,
color, jest, or sinuous movement, the
audience may have without even the
asking or the pushing of a button.
1t is simply carnival time in the
land, in honor of st. Florenz, and
it is difficult to see how any citizen
can be less than highly pleased.
That goes even for the cynic whose
fevered brain probably will have no
trouble thinking of one or two ways
in which the picture could have
been improved. The standard brain,
of course, is supposed to be kept
out of such things which are de-
signed to give the senses an inno-
cent interval of riot.
'Ziegfeld Follies of 1946" tosses its
proud. beautiful head at the idea
that it might have story. 1t is
revue, in the masters own fashion.
1t calls upon the word revue" to
he hIOOpr fho1 hos
before, expanded to cover Fred AS
taire, Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, Fanny
Brice, Victor Moore, Red Shelton
and enough other stars and beauties
to comprise a downright census.
Some of the material these perform
ers use is old, and even looks weary
in its gorgeous new setting, but it
IS there to haunt you with a nos
talgia for life as it was when Zieg-
field shared it with his fellows. And
their girls.
Whatever continuity is to be
found in 'Ziegfeld Follies" is in it's
glittering color, as if the studios
artists were out to show Director
Vincente Minnelli they could
achieve anything he could dream.
Even when the Minnelli dream
turned ou to be plaid in the middle
of lavendar fog, the artists made
good.
The performer who stands out
most prominently in the colorful
swirl on the Palace screen is Fred
Astaire. That is no doubt a proper
thing for two reasons: one, that
Astaire was one of Ziegfeld's finest
discoveries and, two, that although
the master himself has gone to
eternity, Astaire's dancing has
grown ripper and better. His pres
ence in three brightly conceived
and technically impressive num-
bers also serves as potent reminder
that every Follies was a dancing
thing. Fantasy has it's inning in the
films most elaborate episode in
which "Limehouse Blues" finds it.
self set to the dancing feet of As
taire and Lucille Bremen. 1t is quite
possible, however, that you will be
dlsloyal enough to Minnelli's color
binge to prefer the comedy num-
Der which Astaire dances with Gene
Kelly, or the earlier romantic waltz
with Miss Bremen
The ultimate in grace, however.
probably is none of these but rather
the underwater ballet by Esther Will
liams. At his zenith, Ziegfeld never
conceived more lovely spectacle
than that Miss Williams makes of
herself in proving that water is the
most f1attering medium the human
body ever discovered. From the
sheer grace of it, you are inclined to
question mans wisdom in ever COM
ing up to that first tuft which lured
him from the so-called ooze and
slime
1t is in the comedy department.
or maybe it is just that comedy
does not come off we'll in vivid set
tings-that "ziegfeld Follies" finds
its greatest weakness.
The only exceptions to this among
the four comedy high lights of the
revue are Fanny Brices frantically
farcical episode over that sweep
stakes ticket and that equally old
wrong number" telephone act
which is handled with fropotic f,,r,,