I have a very, very special place in my heart for "Ziegfeld Girl."
I remember seeing it as a kid and being totally blown away by all the glitz and glamour -- by Judy and her pop and all the great songs she got to sing -- by the glory of Hedy Lamarr looking ethereal at every possible moment -- and the most special impression made on me was Lana Turner, who became consumptive at the end of the film. Her walk down that staircase before collapsing was one of THE GREAT STAR TURNS of the 1940s.
If I recall correctly, Lana credited that scene in her biography to Roger Edens, film musical wunderkind who was the true talent at the top in the Freed Unit. As I recall, there wasn't anything special in the original script. She was on her deathbed. But she overhears someone talking about a big Ziegfeld review and sorrow that she cannot go. Amazingly, Lana manages to elude her caretakers and goes to the theater. She's broke, but hopes to get a cheap seat, and the ticketseller lets her in because "Mr. Ziefgeld wouldn't like it if I took your money."
After that, she watches a review of great Ziegfeld shows of the past, including one in which she was a major star. Feeling ill, she gets up, leaves and collapses in the theater.
The way Edens envisioned it, the orchestra is playing the big "You Stepped Out of A Dream" number from her greatest hit and Lana, hearing it as she approaches the top of the stairs going down -- and ignoring her pain -- throws her shoulders back, lifts her head and begins her descent as she did on a spiral staircase when she was a showgirl. She takes a few steps, falters, clutches the handrail and THEN, she collapses.
AND THAT IS SCREEN HISTORY, my friends!
For me, Judy Garland made a major leap from child/teen star to adult film star singing "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows."
It's not exactly a major Garland vehicle, but it's top-notch soap opera dressed up in MGM musical glitz and glamour. It features a bad-boy-with-a-good-heart performance by Jimmy Stewart. And you won't believe how spectacular the young Dan Dailey looks as a prize fighter -- and you won't forget his line to Turner when he meets her in a skid-row bar: "I know you! You wuz there. You see me when I done it!" (meaning when he won the title...she was in the first row protecting herself from blood with a newspaper).
"Yeah," Turner snarls. "I seen you when you done it."
Movie magic at its greatest!
