Busby Berkeley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Busby Berkeley
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Busby Berkeley c. 1935
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Berkeley William Enos
November 29, 1895 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | March 14, 1976 (aged 80) Palm Desert, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California |
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| Years active | 1927–1971 |
Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was a famous American film director and choreographer. He was known for creating amazing musical scenes in movies. These scenes often featured many dancers and props. He arranged them into complex, beautiful patterns, like a giant kaleidoscope.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Berkeley was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Gertrude Berkeley, was a stage actress. Busby started acting on stage when he was just five years old.
During World War I, Berkeley served in the military. He was a field artillery lieutenant. Interestingly, he used his skills to drill 1,200 soldiers. He made them move in complex, choreographed patterns. This experience might have helped him later with his movie work.
Career Highlights
Broadway and Early Films
In the 1920s, Busby Berkeley worked as a dance director for many Broadway musicals. He helped create popular shows like A Connecticut Yankee. As a choreographer, he cared less about how well each dancer moved. Instead, he focused on how groups of dancers could form beautiful shapes and patterns. His musical numbers on Broadway were very grand and well-organized.
He soon started working in films. He developed special techniques, like showing close-ups of each chorus girl. He also moved his dancers all over the set. This created those amazing kaleidoscopic patterns he became famous for. He often filmed these scenes from above. This "top shot" view made the patterns look even more impressive.
Groundbreaking Movie Musicals
Berkeley's movie musical numbers were truly unique. They often started on a stage, but then seemed to magically expand beyond it. They would move into a world that only movies could create. He used just one camera to film these scenes. This allowed him to control every detail of his artistic vision.
His musical numbers were usually very upbeat and focused on stunning visuals. They sometimes cost a lot of money to make. One special exception was the song "Remember My Forgotten Man" from Gold Diggers of 1933. This song was more serious. It showed the struggles of World War I veterans during the Great Depression.
Berkeley became very popular with audiences during the Depression. People loved his big, exciting musicals. He choreographed five hit musicals in a row for Warner Bros.. These included 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, and Gold Diggers of 1933. He always said his goal was to create something new and never repeat himself.
Later Work in Hollywood
As huge musicals became less popular, Berkeley started directing other types of films. He directed They Made Me a Criminal in 1939. This was a successful movie, but it was his only non-musical film.
Berkeley also had some disagreements with movie stars. For example, he had issues with Judy Garland at MGM. In 1943, he was removed from directing Girl Crazy. However, the famous musical number "I Got Rhythm", which he directed, stayed in the movie.
He then worked at 20th Century-Fox. There, he choreographed the "Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat" number for Carmen Miranda in The Gang's All Here (1943). Later, he returned to MGM. He created the colorful final scenes for movies starring Esther Williams. His last film as a choreographer was Billy Rose's Jumbo in 1962.
Return to Broadway
In the late 1960s, people rediscovered Berkeley's old musicals. He became popular again. He even directed a TV commercial for cold medicine. It was made in his classic 1930s style.
At 75 years old, Berkeley returned to Broadway. He directed a very successful new version of No No Nanette. This show starred Ruby Keeler, who had worked with him in 42nd Street.
Personal Life
Busby Berkeley was married six times. His last wife, Etta Dunn, lived longer than him.
He passed away peacefully on March 14, 1976. He was 80 years old. He is buried in the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.
Legacy
Busby Berkeley's amazing work is still remembered today. In 1988, he was honored. He was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame. His unique style of filmmaking continues to inspire artists.
Broadway Credits
- A Connecticut Yankee (1927, choreographer)
- Whoopee! (1928, choreographer)
- No, No, Nanette (1971, production supervisor)
Filmography
- Whoopee! (1930, choreographer)
- Kiki (1931, choreographer)
- Palmy Days (1931, choreographer)
- Flying High (1931, choreographer)
- Sky Devils (1932, dance director)
- The Kid from Spain (1932, choreographer)
- Night World (1932, choreographer)
- Bird of Paradise (1932, choreographer, native dances)
- She Had to Say Yes (1933, directorial debut)
- 42nd Street (1933, choreographer)
- Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933, choreographer)
- Footlight Parade (1933, choreographer)
- Roman Scandals (1933, choreographer)
- Fashions of 1934 (1934, director/choreographer of musical numbers)
- Wonder Bar (1934, designer of musical numbers)
- Dames (1934, director/choreographer of musical numbers)
- Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935, director/also created and staged dances)
- In Caliente (1935, director/choreographer of musical numbers)
- I Live for Love (1935, director)
- Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936, director/choreographer of musical numbers)
- Stage Struck (1936, director)
- The Go Getter (1937, director)
- The Singing Marine (1937, director/choreographer of musical numbers)
- Hollywood Hotel (1937, director)
- Varsity Show (1937, director of finale)
- Gold Diggers in Paris (1938, director/choreographer of musical numbers)
- Men Are Such Fools (1938, director)
- Comet Over Broadway (1938, director, replaced by John Farrow)
- Garden of the Moon (1938, director)
- They Made Me a Criminal (1939, director)
- Fast and Furious (1939, director)
- Broadway Serenade (1939, director of finale)
- Babes in Arms (1939, director)
- Strike Up the Band (1940, director)
- Forty Little Mothers (1940, director)
- Ziegfeld Girl (1941, director of musical numbers)
- Babes on Broadway (1941, director)
- Lady Be Good (1941, director of musical numbers)
- For Me and My Gal (1942, director)
- Cabin in the Sky (1943, director of "Shine" sequence)
- Girl Crazy (1943, director of "I Got Rhythm" finale)
- The Gang's All Here (1943, director)
- Cinderella Jones (1946, director)
- Romance on the High Seas (1948, choreographer)
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949, director)
- Annie Get Your Gun (1950, uncredited director)
- Two Weeks with Love (1950, choreographer)
- Call Me Mister (1951, choreographer)
- Two Tickets to Broadway (1951, choreographer)
- Million Dollar Mermaid (1952, choreographer)
- Small Town Girl (1953, choreographer)
- Easy to Love (1953, choreographer)
- Rose Marie (1954, choreographer)
- Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962, choreographer)
Images for kids
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Busby Berkeley being carried on a stretcher, September 1935
See also
In Spanish: Busby Berkeley para niños
- How Busby Berkeley used different film takes to get around censorship
