Today, the spotlight shines on June 5, 1922, when the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
The Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 was arguably a watershed production for Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. It was the first Follies to run for longer than a consecutive year, finally closing after 424 performances on June 23, 1923, for a revised summer edition that racked up 96 performances of its own. Including the summer edition, the 1922-23 Follies is the third longest-running Ziegfeld production on Broadway, ranking closely behind the 561-performance run of Sally (1920-22, starring ex-Follies star Marilynn Miller) and the 572-performance run of the original Show Boat (1927-29, featuring future Follies star Helen Morgan).
Lasting as long as it did, the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 was bound to attract and cycle in talent. It appears to be true that at some point during its run, Barbara Stanwyck was one of the Ziegfeld Girls. It's also true that Will Rogers performed on opening night. I regret that I'm not better versed in the Ziegfeld Follies; my big thrill was finding the credits for Gilda Gray, proving that she wasn't made up for the party chatter in The Great Gatsby.
I kinda wish someone would roll the dice and try a revue on Broadway again. I guess they're irrelevant several times over: sketch comedy exists on TV and very few people apparently want unrelated songs in a row (so they settle for flimsy "jukebox musicals," which is a rant for another time).
Courtesy YouTube.
Also opening on this day:
The Rajah, or Wyncot's Ward, which opened in 1883 at the now-demolished Madison Square Theatre. William Young's play concerned "a hapless man (becoming) the guardian of his uncle's adopted daughter, and eventually (winning) her love." Eww.
Lysistrata, a revival of the Aristophanes comedy which opened in 1930 at the now-demolished 44th Street Theatre. As of 2025, it's the longest-running Broadway production of the play about making love, not war.
Next week, giving our dues to a funny girl.
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