The Show GIrl

The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison  400 pages

Olive McCormick is an extremely ambitious nineteen year old in 1927 with dreams that equal her ambition. She wants to be a “Ziegfeld girl,” no matter what it takes. Her parents are bitterly against her moving to New York from Minnesota. But before she can get her bags packed, an event occurs that sets her plans back, but re-enforces her desires, no matter the cost.

Olive met Flo Ziegfeld once and told her if she was ever in New York to come see him, that she was talented. It took a while, but she finally made it. After she bullies her way into his office, she is stunned that he has no memory of her or her talents. But Olive is tough; she shakes off his rejection and works even harder. Her work pays off, as soon she is a “Ziegfeld girl” in the Ziegfeld Follies, wearing the amazing headdresses that are the show’s trademark.

 Olive makes friends with several of the other girls, and they become a click---partying around Manhattan until the wee small hours of the morning. When her parents come to see her perform, they are disgusted by what she is doing. To their eyes, it’s immoral and disgusting. Olive is happy and won’t let her parents’ influence her, but her father disowns her. Olive does stay in irregular contact with her mother, but only when she is almost at the end of her rope.

Ziegfeld moves Olive from the Follies to a lesser known show, Midnight Frolics. Olive is dismayed at that turn of events but continues to work hard. Soon she is the toast of Manhattan. Then Olive meets Archie Carmichael and falls in love, head over heels in love. As her love deepens, she realizes that some of the decisions that she made in the past were bad decisions, but nothing can change the past. Or can it?

I really enjoyed reading about Olive’s days as a “Ziegfeld girl.” The late 1920s seem to be such a fun time to be young. Another part that I really like was what we call today glamping. Ziegfeld sends Olive and some of the girls to entertain at some of the wealthy’s camps in the Adirondacks. The campers have all the modern conveniences of the day. Imagine wearing evening gowns to dinner in the middle of the forest! 

“The Show Girl” is a fun read and receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.