A Parisian Model

A Parisian Model
Anna Held in A Parisian Model
Music	Max Hoffman, Sr.
Lyrics	Harry B. Smith
Book	Harry B. Smith
Productions	1906 Broadway 1908 Broadway

A Parisian Model is a 1906 Edwardian musical comedy with music by Max Hoffman, Sr. to a book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith. The story concerns a dressmaker's model who comes into a fortune. It opened on Broadway in 1906, ran with success and toured. It was produced by Frank McKee and Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., and starred Anna Held, Ziegfeld's common law wife. Soon after the success of this piece, Ziegfeld would launch his famous series of Ziegfeld Follies revues.

After sold out pre-Broadway tryouts in cities like Baltimore and Cleveland, the show ran for 179 performances at the Broadway Theatre on 41st Street in New York City from November 27, 1906 to June 29, 1907 and then went on tour in the US. It returned to Broadway for three more weeks in 1908. The musical was directed and choreographed by Julian P. Mitchell. Beside Held, it starred Henry Leoni, Truly Shattuck and Charles A. Bigelow; Gertrude Hoffman, the composer's wife, led the chorus dancers. Held's many onstage costume changes, especially in the song "A Gown for Each Hour of the Day", together with her dance with a cross-dressing Gertrude Hoffman and other slinky dancing by Held, Hoffman and the chorus, made the show provocative or "salacious".

Held's success in Ziegfeld's shows, especially A Parisian Model, cemented his popularity and led to his series of lavish revues, beginning in 1907, the Ziegfeld Follies. Held suggested the format for the Follies. The interpolated song I Just Can't Make My Eyes Behave, with lyrics by Will D. Cobb and music by Gus Edwards, became one of Held's greatest hits. In addition to Hoffman's score, several numbers were written by Vincent Bryan, Will D. Cobb, Gus Edwards, Paul Rubens and others.

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