The Great Ziegfeld Page #2

- Well, yes.

- And you were wrong again.

Well, aren't we the observer?

Do you always check the right

combinations for women?

- Always for beautiful women.

- Oh, well, that's nice. Thank you.

- How do I look today?

- Well, I don't like your hat.

- It shades your eyes, and I like your eyes.

- Thank you.

He ought to be packing his own clothes

instead of selecting yours.

- Come on, Ruth, we've got to go.

- Yes. Well, goodbye, then.

- I'll be seeing you around the grounds.

- Yes. Well, not after Saturday, you won't.

- That fella Billings makes me mad.

- Yes?

Even that music from his Little Egypt

drives me crazy.

You won't have to listen to it

much longer. Wait a minute.

Come away. For five weeks you've been

touching that elephant for luck...

...and now in five days, we get put out.

I know it's superstition, but an old Hindu

told me that if you touch...

...an elephant's trunk, and he raises it,

everything will be all right.

Wait, wait. We know we got hard luck

without that elephant should tell us.

Say, I know what's wrong. You should

touch him. You're the attraction.

- Me?

- Sure. Go on, go ahead.

It sounds silly, but all right, I'll do it.

Look, Florenz, would he do that for me?

The Great Sandow.

Sandow.

So that's what you call good luck, yeah?

Look, Sandow, you've got to expect

a little rain with the sunshine.

That was very embarrassing,

Florenz, very embarrassing.

Don't get your dander up.

Who knows?

Maybe that little shower

will bring us oodles of luck.

Well, I hope it brings us

so much business like that Little Egypt.

Look at those peoples, how they crowd

in to see that woman make wiggles...

...when yet they wouldn't come to see me

lift weights no other man in the world can.

Sandow, I'm afraid your trouble

is you developed the wrong muscles.

What you say? Every muscle

in Sandow's body is developed...

...even the toes, like that.

With one arm I make a better dance

than Little Egypt with the whole body.

Look, boss.

Good heavens!

- Are you Mr. Sandow, the strongman?

- Yes, madam, this is the Great Sandow.

Oh, look at those huge shoulders.

Aren't they marvelous?

- Yes, dear, come on.

- And that big chest.

- I never saw a chest like that before.

- Oh, come on.

And his waistline, oh,

it's simply magnificent.

- Precious, come on.

- Just a minute, dear.

Mr. Sandow, I think your muscles

are simply astounding.

Perhaps madam would like

to feel the muscles of Sandow.

- Oh, I'd love to.

- Sandow, your arm.

- Florenz, is she dead?

- No, she's only fainted.

- But, oh, what an idea. Come on!

- What? Wait a minute. What's wrong?

- Where are you going?

- The papers. To the newspapers.

I'll fill them so full,

women will fight to see you.

Not to watch you lift weights,

but simply to feel your muscles.

Why, you've got more sex appeal

in your one arm...

...than Little Egypt has in her whole...

Sandow, the modern Hercules.

The miracle of strength.

Watch his muscles quiver

in musical rhythm. Sandow, quiver.

Sufficient.

And now, ladies, if you want

to see more of the Great Sandow...

...if your hearts are strong enough

to stand the thrill...

...step up and buy your ticket.

The show starts in five minutes.

- Folks, this is the show...

- How's business, Jack?

All right?

- Doesn't it sparkle?

- Yes, doesn't it?

- You like it?

- I certainly do.

I'm glad.

- Dr. Ziegfeld.

- Yeah?

Can't I play my piece for you now?

I get awful tired of this...

I don't blame you, Mary Lou. So do I.

Go ahead, then.

Go on, play your little piece now.

- Dr. Ziegfeld?

- Yes, dear.

- Do you know I was mad at your son?

- What?

Mad at your best fella?

Oh, but why?

Because he left us

for that old World's Fair.

Oh, well, darling, you know

the fair closed yesterday.

And is he coming back here again?

Well, I hope so.

Go on. You go on with your lesson.

- Dr. Ziegfeld.

- Yes, dear.

Did you know I was

going to marry your son?

Well, well, this is so sudden.

- Are you?

- Oh, yes. We got that settled months ago.

Oh, yes, Father, didn't you know

Mary Lou and I are engaged?

Well, don't I get a kiss today?

Not even a smile?

Well, Father, what do you think of that?

My future wife won't even kiss me...

...and I brought her a present too.

- What?

- Kiss first.

- No, present first.

No, kiss first. I'll tell you what. We'll both

give at the same time. How's that?

I'll count three. Ready? One.

- Two.

- Same time, remember.

Three.

Thank you so much.

Dr. Ziegfeld, isn't it lovely?

- Beautiful.

- I'm going to open it right now.

- Right now. Yes.

- Oh, well, well, well.

Well, Florenz, what have

you decided to do?

Well, I'm going to New York

tomorrow, Dad.

With that Sandow, that strongman?

Father, I don't really belong here.

No, I don't like it.

You don't like it, huh? The greatest

music conservatory in the country.

I built it all myself. Students from

all over the world are coming here...

...and you... You don't like it.

You realize that maybe somewhere

in one of these rooms...

...we find a future

Beethoven or Liszt?

And you, my own son,

all you want is a circus.

A circus with a fellow that can

throw cannonballs.

Well, now, Dad, don't be upset.

- Sandow is a means to an end.

- Yeah, to your end.

When you was a little fellow, since then,

I've educated you in music and art.

From your mother, you got

the refinement, taste, culture.

What good has it all done?

What has it done you?

What are you now anyhow?

A muscle manager. A beef exhibitor.

Then you got to go on the outside,

and you gotta be...

You gotta act like a dog outside.

You act like a dog.

Wait a minute,

what do you mean, a dog?

You know what I mean. I don't mean

you're a dog, I mean you got...

You gotta go outside and be a barker.

That's a dog, ain't it?

Now let me tell you something.

If you go away from here...

...I'll never speak to you again

as long as I live.

- Oh, Dad, you don't mean that.

- Yes, I do mean it.

And I mean... I mean every word of it.

Hey, wait a minute here.

Now, you just stop that crying.

Now, you tell your fellow

why you're crying.

If you're my fellow,

why are you going away?

What...?

Now look here, you sit right up here,

and I'll tell you all about it.

Now, I'll be honest with you.

- I'm not really your fellow.

- You mean you don't like me anymore?

I not only like you, I love you.

But you know, I'm the funniest kind

of a fellow. I love all the girls.

How can you do that?

Do they let you?

Well, you didn't quite understand

what I mean, darling.

Look...

Some people like beautiful paintings.

- Like that one?

- Like that one.

Some people love beautiful flowers.

- Like those?

- Like those.

Now, I love beautiful little girls

like this one.

- You know what I'm going to do someday?

- What?

I'm going to take all the beautiful

little girls like you...

...and I'm going to put them together

and make pictures with them.

- Will I be in a picture?

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