Ziegfeld Club Inc.
By Appointment Only
Watching over the fascinating conversation that I was engaged in with Emily Lansbury, chairwoman of the board and Laurie Sanderson, executive director, was a blue elephant statue, once Florenz Ziegfeld’s personal mascot. Today, it guards this small office where a hidden piece of theatrical history lies. Located on the fifth floor of the Central Presbyterian Church – where the women who originally founded the Ziegfeld Club were members – are a few remnants of old show posters and photographs of Mr. Ziegfeld and his “girls.”
I learned from Emily and Laurie that the club was founded in 1936 by Billie Burke, the widow of Florenz Ziegfeld – and the actress who played Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. During a time when there was no social security or unions and there were no safety nets for many women in the theater world, the Ziegfeld Club was founded in an effort to raise awareness and finances for the dancers who became destitute. Yes, some of these women married well, usually to men in the business, but many suffered great hardships when they were no longer able to perform.
Once upon a time, the Ziegfeld Club was a million dollar charity. Although they have managed to maintain its office inside the church all these years, Emily and Laurie have now taken on the task of deciding what should happen next. Together, they are firmly focused on the future, and are working hard to find a balance between honoring the group’s past, and finding its place in the present day Broadway community.