(Footlight Parade / Gold Diggers of 1933 / Dames / Gold Diggers of 1935 / 42nd Street) (1933)
Review by Gary Geyer
Busby Berkeley’s over-the-top quality has to be experienced to be believed.
Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berkeley’s quintessential works used legions of showgirls and props as fantastic elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances.
But it’s that Warner Brothers stamp on the musical genre that makes these films so amazing. It’s toughness, a rawness, a gangster film-like quality and performances by actors like Jimmy Cagney, Joan Blondell, and Ginger Rogers that give these films an edge that MGM musicals never had. And then couple them with the boy-girl sweetness of Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, and the combination can’t be beat.
Some of my favorite highlights:
Watching Ginger Rogers, Una Merkel and the rest of the showgirls engage in witty, bitchy banter in 42ND STREET or Gold Diggers of 1933 is worth the price of admission.
Joan Blondell was always outstanding and her rapport with Cagney is right on the money.
And speaking of money — if you haven’t seen Ginger Rodgers sing “We’re in the Money” in Pig Latin, well then, you ain’t seen nothin’.
Then, of courses, there is that 15 minute “My Forgotten Man” production number (a film masterpiece in itself) at the end of “Footlight Parade.” You never forget that these people are in the middle of a Depression and are always on the verge of starving. Berkeley can’t let you forget it either. The number is great!
This is absolutely the best DVD set yet to become available. The prints are superior. Best of all, there are hours, yes hours of extra features, including a bonus disc of more than 20 of Berkeley’s musical spectaculars.
Nobody approached movie musicals like Busby Berkeley. If you love musicals, then I highly recommend these films because they are the works of a true original.
Gary Geyer is Editor-in-Chief of LetLifeIn.com (Editor@LetLifeIn.com) as well as editor of the People & Entertainment section and the Fun Stuff section. Reach him at Gary@LetLifeIn.com
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