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hundred seventy-five. And many a day, Ziegfeld stopped at Tiffany's en route to the theatre and picked up a bracelet or two, a brooch or bauble for his girls.
Better than the bangles was his gift of showmanship. He'd made a star of Lillian Lorraine; he'd made a star of Fanny Brice. The song ''Mon Homme" was something he'd picked up in Paris, intending it for prima donna Vera Mitchellini; at the last minute, Ziegfeld gave the song to Fanny. Over her violent protests, he dressed her in cotton stockings and old shoes, tore her skirt, smeared her face, and heartbroken Fanny (she had wanted to wear red velvet) gave "My Man" the heartbreak that made her famous.
The years had passed, Ziegfeld and Anna had been divorced; he was married now to beautiful Billie Burke and the Follies, housed in its own New Amsterdam Theatre, had become a national institution. On the New Amsterdam Roof was the new Midnight Frolics, swankest of cabarets. It was to Ziegfeld's office on the Roof that Marilyn brought Mae Murray.
Everything had grandeur here: the polished wood, the deep carpet, the tiny ivory and bronze elephants parading across the width of the desk; most impressive of all was the man. Prematurely silver hair gave him dignity, the soft sing-song voice demanded close attention, there was a sense of power. His face was impassive, yet the light eyes were full of life, the long nose slightly quizzical; he had a sure way of taking your hand, observing you from under the broad-arched brow.
"You've certainly been making a lot of noise on Broadway, young lady, and I expect you to make a lot more. We have something very special for you in the Follies, an East Indian number. You will be a Persian princess carried on stage wrapped in a rug. You'll dance beside a pool with a background of circular gold walls, a cobalt-blue sky."
She felt like a princess, seated in a deep soft chair, while he introduced Gene Buck, the man he relied on for advice and companionship. It was up to Buck to find top comedians and persuade Ziegfeld to give them a try. Where other shows could
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