Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfeld's Broadway

April 3, 2000
Thanks to the Ziegfeld Follies, a wildly popular string of revues from the early 1900s, the name of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. is familiar to many theater devotees. Somewhat less well known, however, is Anna Held, a musical performer who blazed brightly in those early days of Broadway--and who for many years was Ziegfeld's common-law wife. In this extravagantly entertaining biography, Golden places Held squarely center stage--in a colorful career that spanned more than 20 years--while painting a meticulously detailed portrait of the dawn of the last century. Dishy show-biz gossip (much of which strikes such a note of d j vu that it might well come from today's star-glazed 'zines) is smartly placed within a serious but never dry framework that incorporates historical events and society's evolving mores. The abundant use of newspaper articles, critics' reviews and excerpts from Held's many interviews draws the reader into the scene. Though Held was known as a Parisian, she was in fact from Warsaw, born probably in 1870. (Like many figures in the entertainment world, Golden notes, "Anna Held's birthdate and hometown are a dark mystery, thanks to her own mythmaking.") Her early years were spent in Paris and London, where she began her theatrical pursuits. In 1896, the impresario Ziegfeld sailed for Europe to scout new talent; when he encountered Held at London's Palace Theater, "it was like nitro meeting glycerin for the first time." In the words of a later Ziegfeld star, Eddie Cantor, "For a generation, America succumbed to the Anna Held craze." So too will readers succumb to her vibrantly told tale. 69 b&w photos.

March 15, 2000
Journalist/biographer Golden (Platinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow; Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara) presents a fascinating look at a dynamic period in Western history through the life of one extraordinary woman. Anna Held (1870?-1918), "the brains and inspiration" behind Ziegfeld's Follies, is followed from her Jewish roots in prepogrom Warsaw, through her years as one of the most popular musical comedy stars in America, and on to her life as a World War I heroine. An exhaustive researcher, Golden offers an attention to detail that is remarkable. However, this would be a difficult book to use for research, as Golden tends to go off on tangents about historical events and individuals. Still, it is an enjoyable read, with generous use of quotes and conversations--all taken directly from published interviews, autobiographies, or private correspondence--adding life to the narrative. Recommended for theater history and biography collections.--Laura A. Ewald, Murray State Univ. Lib., KY

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2000
Early-twentieth-century Broadway couldn't get enough of Anna Held. On the road, things weren't much different for the diminutive woman with a mild French accent, big eyes, and oh-so-flirty ways. Local authorities leveled sanctions for immorality for, say, her tight stage clothing or the posters displaying her bare feet and ankles, but that only increased her box office allure. At the height of her popularity, Anna Held soaps, corsets, dolls, cigar boxes, gum packages, etc., flooded the market. Golden's nicely researched, sprightly biography recounts Held's childhood in Poland as the daughter of working-class Jews; her adolescence in France, the family's refuge from the pogroms; and her rise in show business, begun in Paris, from music hall novelty act to Broadway star. Half of the book's fun comes from watching Held's theater-dabbling second husband, Florenz Ziegfeld, become the dynamic producer he is remembered as today. Held had much to do with his transformation. Her shows full of the Anna Held Girls in showstopping costumes were the crucial precursors of the extravagant Ziegfeld Follies. ((Reviewed March 15, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)