W C Fields, Will Rogers, Bert Williams, Fanny Brice
W C Fields, Will Rogers, Bert Williams, Fanny Brice, Florenz Ziegfeld Junior [1867-1932 American Broadway impresario, producer of the Ziegfeld Follies]
THIRD ANNUAL FOLLIES BALL of 1916
Florenz Ziegfeld, Junior offers a combined performance of the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic and Ziegfeld Follies of 1916.
ZIEGFELD ROOF the meeting place of the World atop New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, April 10, 1917
Printed on silk, narrow folio, headed with a drawing by Nell Brikley of the iconic Brinkley Girls, a stylish character who appeared in her comics and became a popular symbol in songs, films and theatre
. 450 by 160mm (17¾ by 6¼ inches).
The Follies Ball, an annual event was an amalgam of the famous Follies and of the Midnight Frolic, and this year included members of the cast of ‘Century Girl’. Appearing at this Ball were a number of important artists of stage and screen in their earliest days:
W.C. Fields - though best known as a comedian and actor here he appears as a juggler, an act which he had perfected over many years, and was sometimes referred to as ‘the world’s greatest juggler’
Bert Williams - The best-selling black recording artist before 1920, Williams was Bahamian American entertainer described by his friend W. C. Fields as "the funniest man I ever saw – and the saddest man I ever knew."
Will Rogers - started with Ziegfeld in 1915 in the Midnight Frolic and by 1916 was a full time star in the Follies. He appeared on stage in his cowboy outfit, nonchalantly twirling his lasso, and said, "Well, what shall I talk about? I ain't got anything funny to say. All I know is what I read in the papers."
Ann Pennington - famous in later years for her version of the the dance’The black bottom’
Fanny Brice - whose fictionalised life was portrayed by Barbara Striesand in Funny Girl
In 1915, Florenz Ziegfeld introduced the Midnight Frolic on the roof of the New Amsterdam Theatre, the same building in which his famous Follies were staged below. It was a cabaret style revue, where guests ate, drank and smoked. There were intermissions for dancing. When it was time for the entertainment, the stage itself slid out over the dance floor. The Frolic [which the Ball incorporated] show itself was unlike any other production. There was a balcony level glass runway down which the acts made their entrances. The most in demand seats were those directly beneath the runway, prized for the views they afforded of the Ziegfeld girls as they made their multiple entrances during every performance. Each night, for one of their appearances, the Ziegfeld girls wore costumes adorned with balloons, which audience members were encouraged to pop with their lit cigars and cigarettes. Every table was provided with two small souvenir wooden mallet style hammers. Patrons were to express their appreciation for the entertainment by rapping on the tables with the little hammers. A few slight partings of the silk weave barely visible.
£475
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