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Great Events from History: American History, 1850–1918 War, Peace & Growth

First Performance of The Follies of 1907 by Florenz Ziegfeld

by Betty Richardson

The first decade of the twentieth century was the beginning of the end for the vaudeville stage, witnessing its transition away from the bawdy burlesque of the nineteenth century saloon to the lavish production numbers of the Broadway —and Hollywood—musical, exemplified in this period by the perennially popular Ziegfeld Follies.

Date: 1907

Locale: New York City

KEY FIGURES

Edward Franklin Albee

Benjamin Franklin Keith

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.

SUMMARY OF EVENT

The turn of the twentieth century marked the beginning of widespread professionalization in popular theater, which had been dominated by ad hoc lowbrow entertainment such as saloon burlesque and the vaudeville review. The professionalization of vaudeville itself helped in this transition: meeting during the mid-1880s, vaudeville impresarios Edward Franklin Albee and Benjamin Franklin Keith shared a common vision of creating and exploiting a mass market by assembling a sufficient variety of acts to appeal to audiences of any type, anywhere. They built theaters that were massive and elegant, designed to give audiences the impression that, for a few hours, they lived in luxury, thus elevating the experience of viewing a vaudeville performance to something more like a formal play.

By 1900, Keith and Albee controlled the eastern and western vaudeville circuits under the Association of Vaudeville Managers of the United States. The association collected a percentage of every performer’s salary; performers had to provide their own costumes, sets, casts, and materials. The 1906 creation of the United Booking Office of America gave Keith and Albee virtual control of vaudeville engagements. Attempts at unionization against their management failed, because, despite their controls, aspiring performers were eager to join the circuit. Primarily the children of poverty, performers found in vaudeville the promise of remarkable salaries and futures beyond the dreams of their immigrant parents. Keith and Albee could arrange better schedules than individual performers could negotiate by themselves and could provide steady work for the most successful among them.

Keith and Albee’s systematic approach to booking and managing the vaudeville shows on their circuit was similar in structure and function to the Theatrical Syndicate of Mark Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlinger, based in New York’s Broadway theater district. The Theatrical Syndicate used aggressive tactics such as exclusivity contracts and blacklisting competitors, and thus wielded significant influence over theatrical productions, touring companies, and booking arrangements. They established an effective monopoly on the theater market in many cities, and eventually were disbanded under the new system of anti-trust laws. Klaw and Erlanger’s business practices were controversial, but the structure they provided helped to professionalize and standardize theatrical production, contributing significantly to the growth and development of American theater during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Front cover of sheet music for waltzes from the show Follies of 1907.

GEAmer3_p0437_0001.jpg

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. [Public domain.]

In 1907, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived by the visionary showman Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., known as the “Great Glorifier.” Ziegfeld launched the Follies with the ambition of creating a new type of theatrical revue that would combine the best elements of vaudeville, burlesque, and musical theater, and he succeeded, transforming the revue format into a showcase of glamour, sophistication, and star power. The Follies captivated audiences with their extravagant productions, dazzling performances, and lavish spectacles.

Klaw and Erlinger produced the first show at the Jardins de Paris rooftop stage of Oscar Hammerstein’s Olympia theater in New York and the Follies ran there for much of their “golden age” between 1907 and the advent of the First World War. With access to Klaw and Erlinger’s Syndicate, the early editions of the Follies featured a diverse lineup of performers, including comedians, singers, dancers, and specialty acts, all curated and choreographed to perfection by Ziegfeld himself. Artists such as Bert Williams came from the segregated Black vaudeville stage, Ziegfeld propelled him to stardom. The Follies welcomed existing stars as well: W.C. Fields, Josephine Baker, and Louise Brooks. Bob Hope and Will Rogers appeared. Each Follies production was a lavish extravaganza, with elaborate sets, stunning costumes, and breathtaking production numbers that transported audiences to a world of glamour and fantasy.

One of the hallmarks of the Ziegfeld Follies was its celebration of the female form, with Ziegfeld famously presenting a lineup of “glorified girls” known as the Ziegfeld Girls. These statuesque beauties, carefully selected for their beauty, grace, and stage presence, became synonymous with the Follies and were featured prominently in its promotional materials and publicity campaigns. Ziegfeld’s showgirls revealed their bodies, but he made these productions respectable by hiring innocent young girls who could at least pass as middle or upper class, providing them with expensive costumes, and ensuring that their performances were seductive, not subversive. In doing so, Ziegfeld pointed the direction for early musical films.

SIGNIFICANCE

The golden age of the Ziegfeld Follies came to an end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The war disrupted travel and commerce, making it increasingly difficult to stage elaborate productions like the Follies. In 1915, Ziegfeld produced his last Follies show before temporarily suspending the production due to the war. While the Follies would eventually return in the years that followed, the magic and grandeur of its early years would never be quite the same.

Further Reading

1 

Allen, Robert C. Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture. University of North Carolina Press, 1991.

2 

Brideson, Cynthia, and Sara Brideson. Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway’s Greatest Producer. The University Press of Kentucky, 2018.

3 

Cary, David. A Bit of Burlesque. Tecolote, 1997.

4 

Erdman, Andrew L. Blue Vaudeville: Sex, Morals, and the Mass Marketing of Amusement, 1895–1915. McFarland, 2004.

5 

Glenn, Susan A. Female Spectacle: The Theatrical Roots of Modern Feminism. Harvard University Press, 2000.

6 

Tomars, Adolph S. The First Oscar Hammerstein and New York’s Golden Age of Theater and Music. McFarland Books, 2020.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Richardson, Betty. "First Performance Of The Follies Of 1907 By Florenz Ziegfeld." Great Events from History: American History, 1850–1918 War, Peace & Growth, edited by Michael J. O’Neal, Salem Press, 2025. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GEAmer3_0147.
APA 7th
Richardson, B. (2025). First Performance of The Follies of 1907 by Florenz Ziegfeld. In M. J. O’Neal (Ed.), Great Events from History: American History, 1850–1918 War, Peace & Growth. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Richardson, Betty. "First Performance Of The Follies Of 1907 By Florenz Ziegfeld." Edited by Michael J. O’Neal. Great Events from History: American History, 1850–1918 War, Peace & Growth. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2025. Accessed December 07, 2025. online.salempress.com.