The Great Ziegfeld Page #7

You're using the same scenery you used

20 years ago, wood wings and flats.

I want to do a show with silk drapes,

with lace, with beautiful girls.

I won't dress them

for the men in the front...

...but for the women in the back.

I want to surround them with

glamour, glitter. Glorify them.

Say...

There's a good word, Jack. "Glorify. "

Sounds all right

if you know what it means.

It'll look all right too.

"Glorifying the American Girl. "

Where you gonna find

these beautiful girls?

I'll take them from homes,

from stores, from shops...

From offices.

I beg your pardon.

Mr. Erlanger would like to see you now.

Oh, all right.

- Yes, well, that'll do, Miss Drake.

- Yes, sir.

Now, listen, Ziggy, not her.

She's the best stenographer I ever had.

- All right, Jack.

- Here, here.

- You will buzz the little giant?

- I'll tell him...

...but I doubt he'll be interested.

- He's missing a great opportunity.

Yes, I know.

But, well, I'll drop you a line about it.

Perhaps tomorrow.

Wire me, will you?

Well, if you'd rather hear

the sad news sooner, I'll wire.

Yes.

What's that? They won't give us

our share of the profits?

All right! Open him in Boston...

...jump him to New Orleans,

and then on to Frisco.

Funny thing, Billings.

You just can't be nice to some people.

Yes, that's what I was thinking.

Ziegfeld was just here.

What did he want?

Remember when he stole Anna Held

right from under my nose?

Then, so I couldn't get her back,

he married her and made enough to retire.

Now he comes back, broke again...

...asking me to ask you for the money

to put on a new show!

Well, that's nerve.

What do you want me to do?

Give him the money.

- Cantor and Will Rogers!

- $50 a pair!

- Best show in town!

- Tickets, boys? And gentlemen?

Standing room only.

Come on, girls, come on, come on!

Get up those steps! Come on!

You realize this is opening night?

You take that brace and put it down here!

What is it?

I've only got two minutes.

You ready to go in with those steps?

I've built so many steps for Ziegfeld,

they go in by themselves.

- What follows this number?

- The...

I know, Greg Williams.

Have the finale costumes arrived?

Mr. Sampston's talking

to the costumer now.

Oh, I see. Trouble again.

You can't do this!

It's an unheard-of procedure!

I'm very sorry, Mr. Sampston,

I want my money.

It's preposterous! Ridiculous!

- No money, no finale costumes.

- It's a holdup! Oh, hello.

You can't do this to Mr. Ziegfeld.

Wait here a minute.

- Allen!

- Yes, sir.

- Where's Ziegfeld?

- Haven't seen him in 10 minutes.

- See if he's in the front.

- Yes, sir.

No, no, I'll go.

No, no, you go.

- No, no, send somebody else.

- Yes, sir. Joe!

Tell him I must see him immediately.

The show depends on it.

This is going to be the death of me.

This is awful.

Wait here for me. You will wait?

You bet I will.

Yes?

- Hello, Sam. How are y'all?

- Mr. Rogers?

You look kind of worried.

What's on your mind, Sam?

I was looking for Mr. Ziegfeld.

Just a minute, Sam.

Mr. Ziegfeld, it's very important.

The costumer's...

Will, the audiences love

to hear you talk.

Well, shucks, Flo.

I can't talk any more than I do.

Gotta get the rope tricks in, don't I?

I think they like to hear

your wisecracks better.

Perhaps, but what will I talk about?

I ain't got anything to say that's funny.

- Mr. Ziegfeld...

- Now wait a minute, Sam.

Your wife tells me you keep

her laughing all the time...

...just about things

you read in the papers.

I catch on. Betty's been putting

you up to this, huh?

Well, I got a sort of a habit of telling her

all I know is what I read in the papers...

...and she says that's what I ought

to tell the audience.

Just sort of be kind

of a running gag item.

- She's right.

- Oh, sure, Betty's always right.

But she don't have to stand on the stage

and catch those overripe tomatoes...

...if the gag don't work.

- Mr. Ziegfeld, I must interrupt you.

- The finale costumes are here.

- Oh, good.

- Will you do it?

- I might.

- They won't leave without the money.

- Give them a check.

- Will you do it tonight?

- They want the cash.

They sent the costumes

for this show COD?

No, sir, not this show.

They want some money on the last show.

Reckon you got your shows mixed up?

Well, I reckon. A little.

If I can help you out on anything,

why, let me know.

Thanks, Bill. I'm all right.

Well, tell me if I can.

Of course, I don't suppose it makes

a lot of difference, because...

...even with the costumes on,

girls in this show...

...ain't exactly overdressed.

You save your wisecracks

for the audience, Bill.

- Hey, buddy! Hey!

- Yes?

Your opening night, your big chance,

and you're still moving scenery?

I can't help it, Mr. Ziegfeld.

It gets in the blood.

Besides, I don't know how

I'm gonna go over tonight.

I don't wanna lose a job

till I'm sure of the other.

When I hired you as an actor,

I fired you as a stagehand.

Better make good.

You'll find yourself without any job.

- Well, what seems to be the trouble?

- No trouble, I hope, except...

Except he's holding us up!

- He refuses to leave the costumes unless...

- Unless he gets money, and he's right.

Let me see them first.

At once, Mr. Ziegfeld.

Open up the basket.

I tell you, Mr. Ziegfeld,

these dresses are wonderful.

The finest work I have ever done.

Look, Mr. Ziegfeld, isn't it stunning?

Perhaps you made a mistake.

This isn't for me.

Oh, yes, Mr. Ziegfeld, for the finale.

Not my finale.

Mr. Schutz, this is the

New Amsterdam Theatre.

This is the Follies.

I know, Mr. Ziegfeld,

and this is the costume for the finale.

Well, not for my show.

Why, I couldn't let my girls appear

in a thing like that. That's horrible!

Oh, take it away.

But, Mr. Ziegfeld, they were made from

the sketches of your own designer.

You yourself made the changes on

the sketches when you gave me the order.

I never ordered that. That's terrible!

Take it away, take it out of my theater!

But, Mr. Ziegfeld, I worked over

three weeks on these dresses.

I have plenty of money

invested in them.

I'm sorry, but I can't help that.

What do you want to do? Disgrace me?

No, no, Mr. Ziegfeld. But please

do not disgrace me.

I mean, Mr. Ziegfeld, please

let your girls wear my costumes tonight.

No, I wouldn't humiliate them.

If you aren't satisfied, I'll make it up to

you, but don't make me take them back.

All right, but just this once.

Send them up to the dressing rooms.

See me in my office next week.

- Next month.

- Next month.

Thank you very much, Mr. Ziegfeld.

- They are beautiful, aren't they?

- Awfully expensive.

All right, girls,

places for the melody number!

He's singing very well

tonight, Mr. Ziegfeld.

He's all right,

but there's too much white.

Merv, he's too white.

Bring up the pink in your footlights.

Are the steps high enough

for you this time, Mr. Ziegfeld?

No, I don't think so.

We could use more, a lot more.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes