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Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfeld's Broadway
Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfeld's Broadway Author:Eve Golden Anna Held (1870?-1918), the most popular musical comedy star in America during the two decades preceding World War I, epitomized everything that was glamorous, sophisticated, and suggestive about turn-of-the-century Broadway. Famous as the first wife of legendary producer Florenz Ziegfeld, Held is less well-known as the brains and inspiration b... more »ehind his Follies. Overcoming an impoverished life as an orphan to become a music-hall star in Paris, she rocketed to stardom in the U.S. From 1896-1910 she starred in hit after hit and quickly replaced Lillian Russell as the darling of the theatrical world. Helds life was not without turmoil. She concealed her Jewish background and her resentful daughter (tucked away in European convents) and suffered through Ziegfelds gambling problems and blatant affairs with showgirls. After her divorce, Held returned to France. She braved the trenches to bring medical supplies and entertainment to the troops and was once briefly captured by the Germans. She returned to the U.S. to raise funds and star in one last show before dying of bone-marrow cancer one month before the armistice was signed. With access to previously unseen family records and photographs, and careful research in libraries and archives, Eve Golden has uncovered the details of an extraordinary life. Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfelds Broadway reveals the truth about one of the most remarkable women in the history of theatrical entertainment.« less