MGM's spectacular, three-hour-plus The Great Ziegfeld remains one of the best and most successful biopics ever turned out during the "studio system" days. William Powell stars as the titular theatrical impresario, whose show business empire begins when he stage-manages a tour for legendary strongman Sandow (Nat Pendleton). With nary a penny in the bank, he charms European stage star Anna Held (Luise Rainer) to headline his "Follies", and later marries the luscious Ms. Held. From 1907 onward, Ziegfeld stages annual editions of Broadway's most fabulous revue, dedicated to "Glorifying the American Girl" but also giving ample time to develop the comic talents of Fanny Brice (played by herself), Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor and many others. Eventually, Ziegfeld abandons Ms. Held in favor of other beauties, setting the stage for the unforgettable "telephone scene" which won Luise Rainer the first of her Oscars. Ziegfeld comes to realize that his new romance with hard-bitten, avaricious Follies-girl Audrey Dane (played as a composite of Lillian Lorraine and Marilyn Miller by Virginia Bruce),is all wrong, settling instead for good-natured actress Billie Burke (Myrna Loy). Bankrupted by the Depression, Ziegfeld dies as he plans a spectacular comeback. The highlight of the Oscar-winning The Great Ziegfeld is the stupendous production number "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody;" when the film was originally released, this number appeared just before Intermission time, priming the audiences to want and expect even more of the same in Part Two (they were not disappointed).