Author Archives: Sara and Cynthia Brideson

Five Fun Facts About The Dolly Sisters

Five Fun Facts About The Dolly Sisters Classic flapper girls! “They’re Beautiful…They’re Glamorous…They’re Scandalous!” So read the tagline for Twentieth Century Fox’s glossy, highly fictionalized biopic about the famous (and infamous) Dolly Sisters. In the film, Betty Grable and June … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged | 6 Comments

The Many Sides of Eddie Cantor: Five Anecdotes

The Many Sides of Eddie Cantor… Eddie making his trademark pop-eyed expression According to writer H.L. Mencken, Eddie Cantor’s work in the 1930s did more to pull America out of the Great Depression than all government measures combined. He was … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged | Leave a comment

Opera: Just as Fun as Swing!

Opera: Just as Fun as Swing! If you’ve watched enough musicals from the 1930s and 1940s, you’ll find the issue of opera vs. swing popping up quite often. In Judy Garland’s first short film, Every Sunday (1935), MGM paired her … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Leave a comment

Five Character Actors Who Were Once Ziegfeld Stars

Five Character Actors Who Were Once Ziegfeld Stars We, as classic film fans, have likely all experienced feelings of déjà vu after seeing the same supporting actors and actresses enough, seemingly doing the same things each time we see them. … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Top Ten Songs You Didn’t Know Came From Ziegfeld Shows

Top Ten Songs You Didn’t Know Came From Ziegfeld Shows You’ve probably heard certain songs a million times without knowing they are a lot older than you think! A large portion of American standards originated in one producer’s shows: Florenz … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Billie Burke: The Good Witch For Cats

Billie Burke: The Good Witch For Cats In common folklore and throughout history, witches and animals have been inextricably linked. Particularly ubiquitous are the images of a cackling hag stirring a brew with a black cat at her feet or … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

5 Fun Facts about Florenz Ziegfeld

5 Fun Facts about Florenz Ziegfeld Our recent book, Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway’s Greatest Producer (University Press of Kentucky, 2015) tells the story of the real Ziegfeld—someone quite different from the great impresario as portrayed by William … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged | 1 Comment

Gene Kelly: Ballet Dancer and Swaggering Tough

Gene Kelly: Ballet Dancer and Swaggering Tough “There is about him and his artistry the wonderment of childhood, the sad searching loneliness which seeks companionship in the fairyland of the imagination. It is an abiding, cherished faith in make-believe…”[i] Gene … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged | 5 Comments

Marilyn Miller: The Jazz Age’s Forgotten Heroine

Marilyn Miller: The Jazz Age’s Forgotten Heroine In the 1920s there were two types of girls in the movies. First, there were the angelic waifs. Second, there were the flapper girls brimming with ‘It.’ One diminutive, blonde actress embodied both … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Ziegfeld and the Showgirl

Sara and Cynthia Brideson — and The Great Ziegfeld…  Classic Movie Hub is very happy to welcome our two newest CMH Blog Contributors — Sara and Cynthia Brideson — twin sisters and co-authors of the soon-to-be-released Ziegfeld and His Follies: … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Sara and Cynthia Brideson | Tagged , | 3 Comments