The Buzby Berkeley Collection
First appeared in www.filmsinreview.com
First appeared in www.filmsinreview.com
THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION
by Glenn Andreiev
Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Includes 5 new documentary featurettes, 13 original era shorts, 9 cartoons, Radio promos, Trailer galleries.
There are a few images forever riveted and bolted into every movie-watcher’s memory-bank: Dorothy and
friends dancing to the land of Oz, Darth Vader, the burning of Atlanta in GONE WITH THE WIND, and the
geometric vision of dozens of dancing girls in a Busby Berkeley musical. Starting in the early 1930’s, Busby
Berkeley created, on film, compelling, and hypnotic dance numbers, composed of ever-shifting geometric
patterns of dozens of beautiful dancing girls. The tone of these musical numbers ranged from playful, downright
sexual, and at times, dark and sinister. He used amazing camera movement, jarring editing and wild camera
placement. Just as Hitchcock forever shaped all movie thrillers, Berkeley clearly gave way to the music video.
Berkeley’s best work came during the Great Depression (1932-1935). All of the dance numbers he created
were designed to soothe a nation going through its worst economic and spiritual downward spiral. His musical
numbers either spirited audiences away to glamorous, often very sexy fantasy worlds, or they were disturbing
reminders of harsh reality.
Warner Brothers just released an incredible box set of five Busby Berkeley films. The transfer work is
beautiful, and the films come with amazing extras that give away many secrets on how Berkeley synchronized
complicated camera movements with elaborate dancing (For example: he filmed many of the dance numbers in
reverse!) There are interviews with modern directors like John Landis and John Waters, who, like the audience,
are amazed and wonder how Busby Berkeley shot these epic, elaborate numbers involving swimmers, water,
rooftops, pools, fountains, etc. Landis compares Berkeley to Stanley Kubrick or David Lean, directors who
never compromised, who somehow got their vision, no matter how crazy it was, onto the screen.
FORTY-SECOND STREET
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren and Al Dupin
Produced by Hal Wallis
Written by Bradford Ropes
Cast: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, Ruby Keeler,
1933 Warner Brothers.
Even without Busby Berkeley’s amazing musical numbers, 42nd STREET is an entertaining, dead-on accurate
portrayal of the creation of a Broadway Musical. We follow the chorus girls, stagehands, and even the poor
investors, driven past exhaustion. We get to know Dorothy Brock, the diva-like leading lady of the play (Silent
star Bebe Daniels acting up a wallop here. Through her, Brock is high-strung, yet lovable), and best of all we
enter the head of the play’s director, the very stormy Julian Marsh (the superb Warner Baxter in his most
memorable role!) Very few films go into a director’s driven, quirky skull as 42nd STREET does.
This is the first film Busby Berkeley made at Warner Brothers, the studio where he did his best work. Before
Warners, he worked for Samuel Goldwyn on light, goofy Eddie Cantor musical comedies like WHOPPEE (1930)
and PALMY DAYS (1931).
Warner Brothers was famous for urban grit - their films reflected the dark side of city slickers. Director Marsh
has gangster buddies who keep suitors away from Dorothy Brock, and the film’s signature musical number is a
dark love song to city life. Ruby Keeler is true to the film’s most famous line, spoken by Warner Baxter before
she goes before an audience: “You’re going out there a dancer, but you’ve got to come back a star!” As she
sings the song “42nd Street”, her lyrics tell of sexy ladies, con-men, and crimes of passions. In fact, Berkeley’s
musical setting is a mock up of a midtown Manhattan street, where dancing murderers stalk victims amongst
juggling fruit-cart vendors and dancing girls.
This comes after a musical number titled “You’re Getting Go Be a Habit With Me,” which pretty much compares
romance and love to drug addiction! This cinematic anti-Valentine continues to fascinate.
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren and Al Dupin
Produced by Jack Warner
Written by David Boehm
Cast: Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks.
1933. Warner Brothers
Very few films can match the shaky, unpredictable energy of THE GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933. It’s an amazing film
that tackles, head on, the despair and fear felt during the Great Depression. It begins with a mystery: a
struggling singer/songwriter (Dick Powell) manages to bankroll a Broadway musical. He refuses to appear in
the play, even though he’s the best performer for the role. With the mystery solved (about thirty minutes into the
film), GOLD-DIGGERS then becomes a frilly comedy where we watch, (and side with!) two chorus girls scamming
a pair of stuffy rich guys! The musical numbers here are Berkeley at his best and most diverse! The first is
“Petting in the Park” - a silly, often weird musical salute to flirting and sex. (Just wait until you see that little,
creepy mischievous baby unveiling all those chorus girls changing clothes! Goodness!) Then there’s the
technically stunning and beautiful ‘Shadow Waltz’ number, where dozens of dancing girls play neon-lit violins.
Very often Berkeley uses the violins as his only light source. It’s one of the reasons why we love black and
white! (The way Berkeley photographed women should be required viewing to anybody considering glamour
photography. He often used the best glamour cinematographers in the business, such as Sol Polito and
George Barnes.)
The final musical number always sends a chill up my spine - the “Forgotten Man” number. The film’s star, Joan
Blondell, sings about how many boyfriends and husbands were taken from their women to fight in World War I.
Those who weren’t killed or wounded came back to scarce employment, and were left to waste away on the
streets. Only Berkeley, and the film’s non-musical director, the amazingly talented Mervyn LeRoy, had the
courage to end a comedy on a truly frightening, sad note.
Hopefully those catching this incredible disc set will re-discover Joan Blondell. During the 1930’s, with her pixie
face and big blue eyes, Ms. Blondell played gangster’s molls, the perfect girlfriend or passionate chorus girl to
perfection. With a long, non-stop career, Ms. Blondell’s last film was 1978’s GREASE!
FOOTLIGHT PARADE
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren, Sammy Fain, and Al Dupin
Produced by Robert Lord
Written by Robert Lord
Cast: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Frank McHugh
1933. Warner Brothers
One of the fun elements of FOOTLIGHT PARADE is it’s star - James Cagney. Here he plays Chester Kent, the
producer of on-stage musical prologues for movie-houses. Before this film, audiences knew Cagney as the
cruel, fast-talking, yet charming gangster in films like THE PUBLIC ENEMY. Here he’s a driven dynamo trying to
stage the best prologues in the business. He’s given great support by musical stars Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler,
and Joan Blondell. Cigar chomping Frank McHugh is great as a tired dance chorographer, who often has to
stand in for curvy chorus girls during rehearsal numbers. (Wait until you see Dick Powell sing to him - funny
stuff!) The dialog is spoken in quick rhythms. Like Cagney himself, FOOTLIGHT PARADE abounds with dizzy
energy.
Cagney and Berkeley wow the audience at the film’s end when Cagney sings and tap dances with Ruby Keeler
in the exciting, climatic “Shanghai Lil” number.
Many of the camera angles (even during “Shanghai Lil’s” dramatic sequences) are off kilter and inventive.
Berkeley always saves his best and most powerful number for the end. The visual compositions and editing
here are pure Sergei Eisenstein!
DAMES
Directed by Ray Enright
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren and Sammy Fain
Produced by Hal Wallis
Written by Robert Lord
Cast: Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Hugh Herbert, Guy Kibbee, Zasu Pitts
1934 Warner Brothers.
The first half of DAMES builds comic suspense. There are low camera angles, constant danger, the fear of
getting caught, and mysteries on trains - as if Hitchcock had a hand in a Busby Berkeley musical. Elmer (Guy
Kibbee) is to inherit ten million dollars from his alarmingly weird and uber-rich cousin Ezra (Hugh Herbert). The
catch is, Elmer has to prove he has equally high morals. This is a little tough, because Elmer is being
blackmailed by a hottie chorus girl (Joan Blondell). Elmer is forced to invest in the Broadway Musical Joan is
starring in. Before the show goes on, Ezra plans to sabotage the show with an outburst of violence. (This is
almost like a cartoon version of Hitchcock’s THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH where an assassin is to strike
during a major concert) Before that happens, we are treated to one of Berkeley’s best musical scenes - the "I
Only have Eyes For You" number. This scene has often been compared to Kubrick's star-gate sequence from
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY in the way it ignores reality, time and space.
It starts with a young man (Dick Powell) singing to his girlfriend (Ruby Keeler) on a subway. He looks at the
subway advertisements, and imagines Keeler’s face on all the subway ads. The camera tracks into the eye of
one of these mythical ads, and an elaborate stage is set, with dozens of girls, all resembling Keeler. The scene
comes back to the ad, and the subway car. It’s a lot for an audience to take in.
GOLD-DIGGERS OF 1935
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren
Produced by Hal Wallis
Written by Robert Lord
Cast: Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart, Wini Shaw.
GOLD-DIGGERS OF 1935 was released a year after the formation of the Hays Office, the governing body that
would censor and supervise American films until 1956. You would imagine this would soften Berkeley’s sensual
and sometimes dark vision. Think again! Like his other films, the focus is on the creation of a stage show, from
conception to actual performance. This is the first time Busby Berkeley directed the narrative sequences as
well as the musical sequences, and you sense it right away. There’s something more filmic to the dialog
sequences here. My special connection to this film is that Wini Shaw, a dark Hawaiian born singer/actress, who
stars in the film’s climatic “Lullaby of Broadway” number was a long-time family friend. I remember her at a family
gathering, actually performing. I also remember being shown GOLD-DIGGERS OF 1935, and seeing her face,
in a totally black field, morph into a map of midtown Manhattan. I was, and still am, amazed! The musical
number tells a story about a wealthy couple (Dick Powell and Wini Shaw) partying and drinking through the night
and into the next day. Berkeley cross cuts between an art deco Manhattan starting another business day, and
this couple finding more after-hours clubs. Powell and Shaw come off as the dark, even morbid side of Astaire
and Rogers! This musical number ends with dozens of dancers chasing (via dance) Shaw up to a penthouse
window and down to her death. Imagine being told “That’s Aunt Wini!”
The extra disc in the box set, is made up of musical numbers from these films and several other Berkeley films
not included here. Wini Shaw is the star attraction of the beautifully filmed "Lady In Red" number from IN
CALIENTE (1935), and there’s even a musical number from Berkeley’s most bizarre film - WONDER BAR
(1934) As John Waters notes on one of the many Busby Berkeley documentaries in this set “These films are
all classics. Modern audiences will be floored. Fifty Cent would love it!”
by Glenn Andreiev
Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Includes 5 new documentary featurettes, 13 original era shorts, 9 cartoons, Radio promos, Trailer galleries.
There are a few images forever riveted and bolted into every movie-watcher’s memory-bank: Dorothy and
friends dancing to the land of Oz, Darth Vader, the burning of Atlanta in GONE WITH THE WIND, and the
geometric vision of dozens of dancing girls in a Busby Berkeley musical. Starting in the early 1930’s, Busby
Berkeley created, on film, compelling, and hypnotic dance numbers, composed of ever-shifting geometric
patterns of dozens of beautiful dancing girls. The tone of these musical numbers ranged from playful, downright
sexual, and at times, dark and sinister. He used amazing camera movement, jarring editing and wild camera
placement. Just as Hitchcock forever shaped all movie thrillers, Berkeley clearly gave way to the music video.
Berkeley’s best work came during the Great Depression (1932-1935). All of the dance numbers he created
were designed to soothe a nation going through its worst economic and spiritual downward spiral. His musical
numbers either spirited audiences away to glamorous, often very sexy fantasy worlds, or they were disturbing
reminders of harsh reality.
Warner Brothers just released an incredible box set of five Busby Berkeley films. The transfer work is
beautiful, and the films come with amazing extras that give away many secrets on how Berkeley synchronized
complicated camera movements with elaborate dancing (For example: he filmed many of the dance numbers in
reverse!) There are interviews with modern directors like John Landis and John Waters, who, like the audience,
are amazed and wonder how Busby Berkeley shot these epic, elaborate numbers involving swimmers, water,
rooftops, pools, fountains, etc. Landis compares Berkeley to Stanley Kubrick or David Lean, directors who
never compromised, who somehow got their vision, no matter how crazy it was, onto the screen.
FORTY-SECOND STREET
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren and Al Dupin
Produced by Hal Wallis
Written by Bradford Ropes
Cast: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, Ruby Keeler,
1933 Warner Brothers.
Even without Busby Berkeley’s amazing musical numbers, 42nd STREET is an entertaining, dead-on accurate
portrayal of the creation of a Broadway Musical. We follow the chorus girls, stagehands, and even the poor
investors, driven past exhaustion. We get to know Dorothy Brock, the diva-like leading lady of the play (Silent
star Bebe Daniels acting up a wallop here. Through her, Brock is high-strung, yet lovable), and best of all we
enter the head of the play’s director, the very stormy Julian Marsh (the superb Warner Baxter in his most
memorable role!) Very few films go into a director’s driven, quirky skull as 42nd STREET does.
This is the first film Busby Berkeley made at Warner Brothers, the studio where he did his best work. Before
Warners, he worked for Samuel Goldwyn on light, goofy Eddie Cantor musical comedies like WHOPPEE (1930)
and PALMY DAYS (1931).
Warner Brothers was famous for urban grit - their films reflected the dark side of city slickers. Director Marsh
has gangster buddies who keep suitors away from Dorothy Brock, and the film’s signature musical number is a
dark love song to city life. Ruby Keeler is true to the film’s most famous line, spoken by Warner Baxter before
she goes before an audience: “You’re going out there a dancer, but you’ve got to come back a star!” As she
sings the song “42nd Street”, her lyrics tell of sexy ladies, con-men, and crimes of passions. In fact, Berkeley’s
musical setting is a mock up of a midtown Manhattan street, where dancing murderers stalk victims amongst
juggling fruit-cart vendors and dancing girls.
This comes after a musical number titled “You’re Getting Go Be a Habit With Me,” which pretty much compares
romance and love to drug addiction! This cinematic anti-Valentine continues to fascinate.
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren and Al Dupin
Produced by Jack Warner
Written by David Boehm
Cast: Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks.
1933. Warner Brothers
Very few films can match the shaky, unpredictable energy of THE GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933. It’s an amazing film
that tackles, head on, the despair and fear felt during the Great Depression. It begins with a mystery: a
struggling singer/songwriter (Dick Powell) manages to bankroll a Broadway musical. He refuses to appear in
the play, even though he’s the best performer for the role. With the mystery solved (about thirty minutes into the
film), GOLD-DIGGERS then becomes a frilly comedy where we watch, (and side with!) two chorus girls scamming
a pair of stuffy rich guys! The musical numbers here are Berkeley at his best and most diverse! The first is
“Petting in the Park” - a silly, often weird musical salute to flirting and sex. (Just wait until you see that little,
creepy mischievous baby unveiling all those chorus girls changing clothes! Goodness!) Then there’s the
technically stunning and beautiful ‘Shadow Waltz’ number, where dozens of dancing girls play neon-lit violins.
Very often Berkeley uses the violins as his only light source. It’s one of the reasons why we love black and
white! (The way Berkeley photographed women should be required viewing to anybody considering glamour
photography. He often used the best glamour cinematographers in the business, such as Sol Polito and
George Barnes.)
The final musical number always sends a chill up my spine - the “Forgotten Man” number. The film’s star, Joan
Blondell, sings about how many boyfriends and husbands were taken from their women to fight in World War I.
Those who weren’t killed or wounded came back to scarce employment, and were left to waste away on the
streets. Only Berkeley, and the film’s non-musical director, the amazingly talented Mervyn LeRoy, had the
courage to end a comedy on a truly frightening, sad note.
Hopefully those catching this incredible disc set will re-discover Joan Blondell. During the 1930’s, with her pixie
face and big blue eyes, Ms. Blondell played gangster’s molls, the perfect girlfriend or passionate chorus girl to
perfection. With a long, non-stop career, Ms. Blondell’s last film was 1978’s GREASE!
FOOTLIGHT PARADE
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren, Sammy Fain, and Al Dupin
Produced by Robert Lord
Written by Robert Lord
Cast: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Frank McHugh
1933. Warner Brothers
One of the fun elements of FOOTLIGHT PARADE is it’s star - James Cagney. Here he plays Chester Kent, the
producer of on-stage musical prologues for movie-houses. Before this film, audiences knew Cagney as the
cruel, fast-talking, yet charming gangster in films like THE PUBLIC ENEMY. Here he’s a driven dynamo trying to
stage the best prologues in the business. He’s given great support by musical stars Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler,
and Joan Blondell. Cigar chomping Frank McHugh is great as a tired dance chorographer, who often has to
stand in for curvy chorus girls during rehearsal numbers. (Wait until you see Dick Powell sing to him - funny
stuff!) The dialog is spoken in quick rhythms. Like Cagney himself, FOOTLIGHT PARADE abounds with dizzy
energy.
Cagney and Berkeley wow the audience at the film’s end when Cagney sings and tap dances with Ruby Keeler
in the exciting, climatic “Shanghai Lil” number.
Many of the camera angles (even during “Shanghai Lil’s” dramatic sequences) are off kilter and inventive.
Berkeley always saves his best and most powerful number for the end. The visual compositions and editing
here are pure Sergei Eisenstein!
DAMES
Directed by Ray Enright
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren and Sammy Fain
Produced by Hal Wallis
Written by Robert Lord
Cast: Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Hugh Herbert, Guy Kibbee, Zasu Pitts
1934 Warner Brothers.
The first half of DAMES builds comic suspense. There are low camera angles, constant danger, the fear of
getting caught, and mysteries on trains - as if Hitchcock had a hand in a Busby Berkeley musical. Elmer (Guy
Kibbee) is to inherit ten million dollars from his alarmingly weird and uber-rich cousin Ezra (Hugh Herbert). The
catch is, Elmer has to prove he has equally high morals. This is a little tough, because Elmer is being
blackmailed by a hottie chorus girl (Joan Blondell). Elmer is forced to invest in the Broadway Musical Joan is
starring in. Before the show goes on, Ezra plans to sabotage the show with an outburst of violence. (This is
almost like a cartoon version of Hitchcock’s THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH where an assassin is to strike
during a major concert) Before that happens, we are treated to one of Berkeley’s best musical scenes - the "I
Only have Eyes For You" number. This scene has often been compared to Kubrick's star-gate sequence from
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY in the way it ignores reality, time and space.
It starts with a young man (Dick Powell) singing to his girlfriend (Ruby Keeler) on a subway. He looks at the
subway advertisements, and imagines Keeler’s face on all the subway ads. The camera tracks into the eye of
one of these mythical ads, and an elaborate stage is set, with dozens of girls, all resembling Keeler. The scene
comes back to the ad, and the subway car. It’s a lot for an audience to take in.
GOLD-DIGGERS OF 1935
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Musical numbers by Busby Berkeley
Lyrics written by Harry Warren
Produced by Hal Wallis
Written by Robert Lord
Cast: Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart, Wini Shaw.
GOLD-DIGGERS OF 1935 was released a year after the formation of the Hays Office, the governing body that
would censor and supervise American films until 1956. You would imagine this would soften Berkeley’s sensual
and sometimes dark vision. Think again! Like his other films, the focus is on the creation of a stage show, from
conception to actual performance. This is the first time Busby Berkeley directed the narrative sequences as
well as the musical sequences, and you sense it right away. There’s something more filmic to the dialog
sequences here. My special connection to this film is that Wini Shaw, a dark Hawaiian born singer/actress, who
stars in the film’s climatic “Lullaby of Broadway” number was a long-time family friend. I remember her at a family
gathering, actually performing. I also remember being shown GOLD-DIGGERS OF 1935, and seeing her face,
in a totally black field, morph into a map of midtown Manhattan. I was, and still am, amazed! The musical
number tells a story about a wealthy couple (Dick Powell and Wini Shaw) partying and drinking through the night
and into the next day. Berkeley cross cuts between an art deco Manhattan starting another business day, and
this couple finding more after-hours clubs. Powell and Shaw come off as the dark, even morbid side of Astaire
and Rogers! This musical number ends with dozens of dancers chasing (via dance) Shaw up to a penthouse
window and down to her death. Imagine being told “That’s Aunt Wini!”
The extra disc in the box set, is made up of musical numbers from these films and several other Berkeley films
not included here. Wini Shaw is the star attraction of the beautifully filmed "Lady In Red" number from IN
CALIENTE (1935), and there’s even a musical number from Berkeley’s most bizarre film - WONDER BAR
(1934) As John Waters notes on one of the many Busby Berkeley documentaries in this set “These films are
all classics. Modern audiences will be floored. Fifty Cent would love it!”
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