I believe I had a dream like this once...or it could have been when I got hit by a car....either way I remember hallucinating something of this nature.
In response to inguotta -- I also lost myself in this movie in San Francisco one afternoon in the Fall of 1972. I was unemployed, looking desperately for work. The audience gave it a standing ovation; I walked out humming this tune with a huge smile on my face. Great flick!
When I was young and unemployed in the LITTLE recession of the 1970s, I saw this in an art cinema in Atlanta and forgot all my troubles. I sat through for the second screening and walked out happy. Same with the audiences of 1933, no doubt.
The music here is just as important as the visuals. Harry Warren and Al Dubin were masters of the mid-30's musicals at Warner's. Without them, Busby Berkeley could not have attained his legendary statis.
Wonderful visuals, but this is such a horrible song, and it plays OVER AND OVER. For a much funnier version, find the Bonzo Dog Band recording from their "Tadpoles" album.
……. Awesomeness. Thank you, guat87, for uploading this gem. I my(s)elf had family in the theatre & the Silver Screen of this exact era. They must've all had the greatest time ~ (•8-D
6:41-7:23 Absolutely unbelievable choreography. I'd never even imagine this to even be remotely possible, let alone before the days of CGI and editing. This is absolutely spectacular!
@AwakenedSpring how is this *before the days of editing*. there is editing in this, you are staring at it. everytime the camera cuts to another angle is "editing".
@AwakenedSpring how is this *before the days of editing*. there is editing in this, you are staring at it. everytime the camera cuts to another angle it's "editing".
@corvus13 It was for the better. She got to perform in an absolutely great number, unencumbered by her love interest. Maybe Dick was tired from being in the tanning booth for too long (kidding).
Stunning, beautiful, majestic. I like this Berkeley number better than just about another, although my fave movie of the genre is Golddiggers of 1933. By A Waterfall, is sheer genius, no computers and so full of life. I believe it would be good for directors to go back to this style.
Keeler sings flatter than anyone in movies; her clunk-clunk tapping is heavy-footed and really miserable compared to Ginger Rodgers, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, and Ann Miller; why were people so entertained by her?
Absolutely fantastic. The only modern thing that can possibly compare is the "Like a Virgin" and ending number from Moulin Rouge. Still, the artistry and attention to detail is unparalleled. I much prefer this to the overblown special effects seen in movies today. What a shame the golden age of the Hollywood musical (and the true lighthearted but still moving character of that time) is gone, but at least there's these treasures to watch.
WOW...this is amazing that i got goose bumps watching it! fucking brilliant. I was born in the rong genoration! people don't do stuff like this anymore.
Synchronized swimming at its best. I first watched this film when I was a teenager and it has brought back many happy memories. The girls weren't exploited for most of them it was a job in those days when there weren't many around and a chance to be on film.
5058 - The Hays Office which operated movie moral controls at the time wouldn't have let this film through if there had been anything indecent in it. So 5058 - Judge not for with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged.
WHAT A SPECTACULAR MOVIE!!I always loved Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler as exemplifying innocent,noble,heart warming ROMANTIC LOVE!!!Oh if life were only that way,but we have seen this country go from the beautiful and noble to the grotesque and disgusting in the intervening 80 years.From the sweet and innocent to the the pornographic!!!God forgive our nation and bring us somehow to return to the ideals of this wonderful movie!!! Thank You guat87 and God Bless you!!!
@dholm5058 This may look innocent but this type of dance style suggests so many bad things. Berkeley used almost all women in all of his dances, and he seems to be using them as objects, but i guess during that time men did treat women more as objects. But my main point is, im sure men had just as many dirty thoughts watching this as they would while watching a porno. And if u look at Berkeley, he was married 6 times, i wonder what he did with all those pretty girls that would make him divorce.
@TheSallieHouseMovie Wow, you don't seem like a bitter, negative-minded feminist at all....try looking at the bright side of things! This was filmed during the Depression when jobs were more scarce than they are now...these women were probably able to make good money for themselves back then. Probably more than most men at the time. It's a beautiful movie, with beautiful dance numbers, so just leave it at that and quit trying to muddy it with absurd, petty claims.
Beautiful memories from the GREATEST era in film....the 1930s !!! starring my childhood hero, James Cagney,Joan Blondell,Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler....Spectacular Choreography from hollywood's roughest taskmaster and Genius, Busby Berkeley !
I completely agree. Cagney is a hero of mine as well. but I like how him, Joan blondell, Dick powell, Ruby keeler, Bebe daniels and etc instantly make me think of these recognizeable Warner Brothers pre-code musicals and gangster flicks from this era.
Awesome, awesome piece! The climax of the overhead shot of the human "tower of beauty" is purely surreal. Though "42nd Street" and "Goldiggers of 1933" are wonderful films from 1933, this is the best of the three.
thought i'd share this w busby berley fans . this was filmed at the old columbia lot on sunset blvd. since been turned into a rehersal space for bands or entertainers doing large stage productions . this soundstage still has all the water faucets on the walls to flood the pool . nowadays the sunkin pool is covered over .this is also the room the 3 stooges and the monkees were filmed at. . at this point the beautiful girls you see here would be about 110 yrs old
I may be reading too much into this, but I just noticed that 4:00-4:16 looks suspiciously like an opening and closing zipper. Hopefully Buzby donated his brain to science. Mine's committed.
This number, in Footlight Parade, is supposedly a live number (prologue) to fill in between the, then, new talkies (movies) at the show. Hmm... and what turnip truck did you fall off of?
One of my favorite musical numbers. Total fantasy accompanied by an equally fantastic score. Just when you get used to a certain shot, Busby throws in something totally different. Great editing. Very erotic. As a sidenote, those of you that are into watersports (not me) will not be disappointed.
This is the great production number to end all production numbers!! Stupendous!! But having seen several films starring Ruby Keeler it is a complete mystery to me how she got the lead in anything. Her acting is wooden and amateur and her singing is worse. Decent tapdancer. I suppose something about her captured the american public. Thank goodness she had Busby Berkely to make her look better!!
I have long pondered people's questions about Ruby Keeler, and my professional opinion is that her acting style is that of a simple, innocent sweet type of girl, and I happen to really like her style. She conveyed a charm to America, as you mentioned. I believe that she is a good actress, and that it is her personality, only, not really wooden. She is one of my favorites, if for the charm, and innocence. In fact, I am going to make a remake of Golddiggers of 1933.
i would love to see motion pictures start using the indoor sets again at the studos. the bad thing is, all of the sets are almost tore down. there are very few left. so mabey some day, it will happen again. my grandfather use to design all those old sets.
this is one of the most amazing things i've ever seen! my jaw dropped open several times. i can't imagine the production value that went into this - such talent. even in black and white, this far surpasses anything we could produce today. even if we tried, 3/4 of it would be CGI and plastic-looking anyway. i give credit where credit is due. this is fantastic. kudos to busby berkeley.
Busby's best all round spectacle number, Jack Warner nearly sacked Berkeley when he saw the bills.. lack of CGI?, in fact there are lots of camera tricks in Berkeley's work, and this one has 15 trick shots, the way his designs seem to assemble so perfectly, they were done in reverse. Berkeley had worked with Gregg Toland on other films and learned all the camera tricks. He was good at making the simple look good on screen. long rehearsals, and few takes to contain costs as far as possible.
No way. Those were the days of the wholesome. Or "hole-some" in this case? I doubt all those girls had to be on the couch for those parts. Isn't that for the bigger rolls, I mean roles?
I'm guessing this was pre-code, which is to say, before the institution of the Hayes code by which Hollywood agreed to censor itself for the good of nation's moral fibre. I think it was instituted in like '34 or '35, maybe, but I'm not sure. You can google it.
I remember catching AIDS off Chlamydia Filthound by a waterfall one summer. I soon after caught rabies off her mother then shot her father through his buttocks-ah, happy days!
Total fantasy, with real people, no CGI, what a concept. If only Hollywood would attempt to seriously recreate this type of musical, I would be happy to see it. "Pennies from Heaven" with Steve Martin doesn't quite cut it. It's just so damn depressing.
@errolfan Thanks for the thumbs up, even though I have no real answers to non- creativity. This is the best of American musical cinema, to date. If I see something better in the next few years that is close to being this good, I'll be in Art Deco heaven.
@valaurwen I've seen this clip more times than I can remember, and this is the first time I've actually seen foliage in the bathing suit designs. Thanks for pointing that out. I guess that we see what we want to (unless otherwise informed).
Bravo, stunning***!!!:):):) It's amazing the tutta bella production that was produced and filmed in 1933***!!!:):):) Now this is what you call numero uno!!!***:):):) Loamo "Chin Chin" Chente Anni Salute Ciao:):):)***:):):)***
Nothing is permanent, everything changes. A person is born, a person dies. It is the "Great Cycle of Life." Don't be afraid. It is a natural process. Appreciate this great number for what it is. Appreciate the fact that it was filmed and recorded and that we can enjoy it today. I'm sure they didn't think 80 years, "let's record this for the people of 2009." But isn't it wonderful that they did?!
my favour magnetic fields song and also the best album ever. if your readind this comment get the the album "69 love songs" greetings from waterford, Ireland
The orchestral arrangements for this, and other Berkeley numbers, I don't think they've ever been matched. This is one of the best, although I think "Dames" just beats it. I don't think sheet music scores for thgese have ever been made available. I wonder if they still exist?
Busby Berkeley planned all the shots meticulously, all laid out before hand, and these routines were amongst the most costly ever shot in terms of the 1930's. Jack Warner is said to have lived in fear of the costs, but reaped the rewards in takings later on. Busby made an art of keeping the costs low , until the bills arrived later , when the film was finished. Warners put up with him as he delivered results!
Berkeley rarely did re-takes, he rehearsed until it was right and did as few takes as possible due to cost, also Warners could not find out the cost if he only rehearsed, as the film rushes would have revealed the cost to Jack Warner, who Busby tried to keep from finding the daily cost of his routines till they were in the can. Berkeley played this method on most of the Warner musicals, and usually got away with it.
Some of Berkeley's later extravaganzas, like the title number from "Dames" (1934), were enhanced by the use of postproduction composite shots (opticals). Maybe he felt he had reached the limits of what could be staged live in front of the camera, and wanted to create visual compositions using the still fairly new technology of the optical printer.
In the early 70's, while doing "No No Nanette", Ruby Keeler confessed to being totally baffled by her popularity in movies in the 30"s. She knew better than anyone she was a good dancer who couldn't sing or act worth a nickel.
On another note, I find it sad so many seem to have lost the willingness to be charmed by things like this. Movies like these just want to make you smile - why not let them?
I am amazed every time I watch this that it got past the censors of this era. A good many movies had a good many pieces cut from them. However, it seems that BB missed the big crackdown (among several) of 1934. I believe the organization was called the Movie Production Board, or something like that. Out of NY. The movie business could have turned out so much differently without all that!
The American film industry's self-censorship body was the Production Code Administration of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, later shortened to Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The Production Code, often called the Hays Code after MPAA chairman Will Hays, was actually written in 1930, but the industry didn't seriously enforce it until halfway through 1934.
I have the movie and the music track is much much better. I think that something happened between the disc and the clip you are watching. Sometimes things happen which you cannot avoid or fix.
The guy is Dick Powell and he had a great voice. So get your copy of this and check it out!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Crikey! that geezer's one awful singer! He'd set off a troupe of howler monkeys in the forest canopy with that caterwauling. And she's woeful too, while we're at it.
It appears to me that he simply moved too fast for the camera to keep up. If there is a splice, it is an awfully good one given the era when this was filmed...have replayed it a number of times and really can't see it.
Tolik krásy na tak malém prostoru. Nádherná hudba, překrásné dívky. Film "Přehlídka v záplavě světel" je ukázka, jaká se odváděla filmařská práce před třičtvrtě stoletím. Těm kráskám by dnes bylo kolem jednoho sta roků. Kdo by tomu věřil?
WOW! WOW! WOW!
Nekofemme 1 year ago
I believe I had a dream like this once...or it could have been when I got hit by a car....either way I remember hallucinating something of this nature.
noirtriptyline 1 year ago
Fantastic!
hobbshouse 1 year ago
which swimming styles if done regularly will make you grow taller?
TheLeilisa 1 year ago
The swimmers' formations from 6:36 to 7:26 -- unprecedentedly look like meiosing chromosomes under a microscope. Submicroscopic subliminal seduction!
JudgeJulieLit 1 year ago
Pre- Esther Williams . . . mothers of ?
JudgeJulieLit 1 year ago
In response to inguotta -- I also lost myself in this movie in San Francisco one afternoon in the Fall of 1972. I was unemployed, looking desperately for work. The audience gave it a standing ovation; I walked out humming this tune with a huge smile on my face. Great flick!
cpgeiger 1 year ago
No animation, special effects or a blue screen. Busby a true genius!
hobbshouse 1 year ago
@hobbshouse How do you know this; after all you could very much be wrong.
SatchmoSings 1 year ago
When I was young and unemployed in the LITTLE recession of the 1970s, I saw this in an art cinema in Atlanta and forgot all my troubles. I sat through for the second screening and walked out happy. Same with the audiences of 1933, no doubt.
inguotta 1 year ago
We have lost so much when comparing the cinema of today!
David10brook 1 year ago
The music here is just as important as the visuals. Harry Warren and Al Dubin were masters of the mid-30's musicals at Warner's. Without them, Busby Berkeley could not have attained his legendary statis.
errolfan 1 year ago
You think this is good? Hah!
You are looking at this on You Tube.
I saw this in the early 1970s at a revival theatre in New York City called Theatre 80 St. Marks.
It was a crystal clear print, high fidelity sound, and a big, big screen. This was absolutely, positively spectacular.
But, as always, thanks for this post. In any size, it is without equal.
73SuperDuty455Red 1 year ago
I love this number.
errolfan 1 year ago
now thats what you call syncronised swimming
MrHendrix1959 1 year ago
Wonderful visuals, but this is such a horrible song, and it plays OVER AND OVER. For a much funnier version, find the Bonzo Dog Band recording from their "Tadpoles" album.
LShackley 1 year ago
WOW!!! Love it!!
Celluloidkid 1 year ago
if you don't like By A Waterfall, you don't know SHIT about piss fetishes.
0999b 1 year ago
I so miss the Sirens Whispering adaptation of this scene
dje29490 1 year ago
If these gals were 18-20 years old, they would be in their 90s now, which makes me wonder, was great-grandma a HOTTIE ????
carpetcowboy58 1 year ago
@carpetcowboy58 Another poster says they'd be 110 which means that they were all at least 30 when this was done.
SatchmoSings 1 year ago
t have the cutest pic of ruby on the beach with my grandfather
suzyrain2000us 1 year ago
……. Awesomeness. Thank you, guat87, for uploading this gem. I my(s)elf had family in the theatre & the Silver Screen of this exact era. They must've all had the greatest time ~ (•8-D
Clematisian 1 year ago
6:41-7:23 Absolutely unbelievable choreography. I'd never even imagine this to even be remotely possible, let alone before the days of CGI and editing. This is absolutely spectacular!
AwakenedSpring 1 year ago
@AwakenedSpring how is this *before the days of editing*. there is editing in this, you are staring at it. everytime the camera cuts to another angle is "editing".
jinnaboy 1 year ago
@jinnaboy I know that, I'm talking about CGI. I think it's mind blowing that every dancer could do this all at the same time as the other dancers.
AwakenedSpring 1 year ago
@AwakenedSpring they rehearsed it over and over again dim wit
donnylovesayesha1 1 year ago
@jinnaboy i was gonna say sumthin to him bout that but im at a lose for words smh
donnylovesayesha1 1 year ago
@AwakenedSpring how is this *before the days of editing*. there is editing in this, you are staring at it. everytime the camera cuts to another angle it's "editing".
jinnaboy 1 year ago
Magical!!! Busby Berekely leaves me speechless... Can't get enough of it...
baabaagreensheep 1 year ago
Absolutely stunning. I mean, CGI effects are "great" and all; but this Busby Berkeley shit is just incomparable (and way-sexier too!)
vonbontee 1 year ago
You just can't beat this.
tigranvartanovitch 1 year ago
hi!! do you have the "Shanghai lil" video from this film??
bLoodboX1 1 year ago
This is fancier than O.
waterskippers 1 year ago
Wow.
chuckyboots60 1 year ago
Splendid Grand Magical truely Awe Inspiring Great Wish they made these type of things today!
greekyct 1 year ago
How did they manage to smile under the water?
Christina5Archer 1 year ago
@Christina5Archer They did it as a "special effect;" even in "those days" they did have "blue screen."
SatchmoSings 1 year ago
Busby Berkley was a genius.
mickram23 1 year ago
I feast on Busby Berkeley, Dickie Powell and Ruby Keeler!
HerrBaron8r 1 year ago
@HerrBaron8r No wonder only skeletal remains are left.
errolfan 1 year ago
You'd think Ruby Keeler would be a little miffed that Dick Powell fell asleep while she was singing to him. :)
corvus13 1 year ago
@corvus13 It was for the better. She got to perform in an absolutely great number, unencumbered by her love interest. Maybe Dick was tired from being in the tanning booth for too long (kidding).
errolfan 1 year ago
this guy is/was/will be a god....lol @ Hollywood
soulsick2 1 year ago
Busby Berkely was truly a genius! IT is sad that we lost most,Golden Era
Stars Whom we cannot, Ever Replace! Also we will never,ever see Musicals
like Hollywood produced in the Golden Era.
adam5170 1 year ago
Stunning, beautiful, majestic. I like this Berkeley number better than just about another, although my fave movie of the genre is Golddiggers of 1933. By A Waterfall, is sheer genius, no computers and so full of life. I believe it would be good for directors to go back to this style.
SeattleLA 1 year ago
Suxual innuendo? Sounds a little too kinky for me.
errolfan 1 year ago
is sending cooling wishes, and appologies to those who may have seen this already.
Here's a pre-code film. Those of you with dirty minds can find all sorts of hidden-and some obvious-suxual innuendo.
Justinhartz 1 year ago
Quite saucy for 1933, considering the bikini didn't become acceptable until after WW2.
closertofiftythanyew 1 year ago
I like the musicals of today, but they're nothing like they once were
v1de0gamr 1 year ago
Wonder if the water was cold.....
redbaroniii 1 year ago
@redbaroniii I'm sure that they didn't care. How could you not enjoy doing this stuff?
errolfan 1 year ago
@redbaroniii Considering it took 6 days to film this, I hope they kept the water *clean*
corvus13 1 year ago
Keeler sings flatter than anyone in movies; her clunk-clunk tapping is heavy-footed and really miserable compared to Ginger Rodgers, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, and Ann Miller; why were people so entertained by her?
unclealand 1 year ago
@unclealand Two words: AL JOLSON, the power behind Keeler's throne.
Fiftiesflashback 1 year ago
how are there even 6 dislikes on this video?
xseasoninreverse 1 year ago 2
Absolutely fantastic. The only modern thing that can possibly compare is the "Like a Virgin" and ending number from Moulin Rouge. Still, the artistry and attention to detail is unparalleled. I much prefer this to the overblown special effects seen in movies today. What a shame the golden age of the Hollywood musical (and the true lighthearted but still moving character of that time) is gone, but at least there's these treasures to watch.
thestartinglineups 1 year ago 5
They could never produce a number like this today. Far too expensive and far to much like very hard work!
Mousepie999 1 year ago
what a masterpiece! and to think ... my 90 year old grandma was my age when this was new .... and still, nothing can compare. =)
lunadaisy223 1 year ago 2
amazing! nothing computer generated can compare to this classic masterpiece.
lpguy12 1 year ago
@lpguy12 Nor liposuctioned! And looks like they did it in one take.
JudgeJulieLit 1 year ago
3:28 hahahaha. funny. hop hop.
SeagullsDiarrhea 1 year ago
WOW...this is amazing that i got goose bumps watching it! fucking brilliant. I was born in the rong genoration! people don't do stuff like this anymore.
SeagullsDiarrhea 1 year ago
すご
esproctaf 1 year ago
oh this is soooo wonderful!!! i can just smile :):):):)
horsters 1 year ago
Still astonishing and of its time, after nearly 80 year
hoxtonstrangler 1 year ago
Still astonishing and ahead of its time, after nearly 80 years.
coralarch 1 year ago
Wow that was an experience.
LastTree 1 year ago
@LastTree You got chopped down? Tis the season...
errolfan 1 year ago
@errolfan huh?
LastTree 1 year ago
@LastTree I'm calling you. Where's your channel?
errolfan 1 year ago
@errolfan you...who...who?
LastTree 1 year ago
Synchronized swimming at its best. I first watched this film when I was a teenager and it has brought back many happy memories. The girls weren't exploited for most of them it was a job in those days when there weren't many around and a chance to be on film.
5058 - The Hays Office which operated movie moral controls at the time wouldn't have let this film through if there had been anything indecent in it. So 5058 - Judge not for with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged.
hamishray 1 year ago
The greatest musical ever filmed. Cagney SO ruled.
Kramnosnits 1 year ago
Mesmerizing. Between Busby Berkeley and the Fred and Ginger movies, I think the 1930's might have been the best time for musicals in Hollywood :)
MissHazelFlagg 1 year ago
:-)
moonlightnoir 1 year ago
WHAT A SPECTACULAR MOVIE!!I always loved Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler as exemplifying innocent,noble,heart warming ROMANTIC LOVE!!!Oh if life were only that way,but we have seen this country go from the beautiful and noble to the grotesque and disgusting in the intervening 80 years.From the sweet and innocent to the the pornographic!!!God forgive our nation and bring us somehow to return to the ideals of this wonderful movie!!! Thank You guat87 and God Bless you!!!
dholm5058 1 year ago
@dholm5058 This may look innocent but this type of dance style suggests so many bad things. Berkeley used almost all women in all of his dances, and he seems to be using them as objects, but i guess during that time men did treat women more as objects. But my main point is, im sure men had just as many dirty thoughts watching this as they would while watching a porno. And if u look at Berkeley, he was married 6 times, i wonder what he did with all those pretty girls that would make him divorce.
TheSallieHouseMovie 1 year ago
@TheSallieHouseMovie You're very new-fashioned. SHAME on you.
Kramnosnits 1 year ago
Comment removed
MsCasati 1 year ago
@TheSallieHouseMovie Wow, you don't seem like a bitter, negative-minded feminist at all....try looking at the bright side of things! This was filmed during the Depression when jobs were more scarce than they are now...these women were probably able to make good money for themselves back then. Probably more than most men at the time. It's a beautiful movie, with beautiful dance numbers, so just leave it at that and quit trying to muddy it with absurd, petty claims.
dcoursey82 1 year ago 2
Can you imagine this done today in 3D color and the girls nude!
Geostrum2 1 year ago
footage from this sequence is in the vid for MGMT's Kids.
Great song!
andeaver1937 1 year ago
outstanding vid. thx 4 the post.
dcracker2 1 year ago
3:18 - 3:30 , 4:20, 5:28 - 6:20 , 7:00-7:35 ,
greenlawntiger 1 year ago
I love all the old black and white movies, but it's a shame b/c THIS should have been in color.
oohyllab 1 year ago
The poor dears must have been so wrinkled at the end of each day on this set! lol
cuberland17a 2 years ago 2
Beautiful memories from the GREATEST era in film....the 1930s !!! starring my childhood hero, James Cagney,Joan Blondell,Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler....Spectacular Choreography from hollywood's roughest taskmaster and Genius, Busby Berkeley !
alzahad 1 year ago
@alzahad
I completely agree. Cagney is a hero of mine as well. but I like how him, Joan blondell, Dick powell, Ruby keeler, Bebe daniels and etc instantly make me think of these recognizeable Warner Brothers pre-code musicals and gangster flicks from this era.
Long live the thirties =]
andeaver1937 1 year ago
But seriously.
Busby Berkeley must either have been seriously drunk or seriously crazy.
But if he was drunk, I want a case of what ever he was drinking!
kenrfc 2 years ago
Ahh, a beuatiful Pre-Code number.
But of course nowadays it wouldn't fly because it "objectifies" women.
Seems you can't win.
Well, I'm Gay and I "objectify" women.
So put that in your PC pipe and smoke it!
Glorious Number!
God Bless Busby Berkeley
kenrfc 2 years ago
Awesome, awesome piece! The climax of the overhead shot of the human "tower of beauty" is purely surreal. Though "42nd Street" and "Goldiggers of 1933" are wonderful films from 1933, this is the best of the three.
BusbyRocks1 2 years ago
I've been looking for this song for something like 7 years...
chun64 2 years ago 2
thought i'd share this w busby berley fans . this was filmed at the old columbia lot on sunset blvd. since been turned into a rehersal space for bands or entertainers doing large stage productions . this soundstage still has all the water faucets on the walls to flood the pool . nowadays the sunkin pool is covered over .this is also the room the 3 stooges and the monkees were filmed at. . at this point the beautiful girls you see here would be about 110 yrs old
harck1 2 years ago 4
This is so elaborately designed and awesome....
ob1js 2 years ago
I love this aquacade!
MerleOberon 2 years ago
I may be reading too much into this, but I just noticed that 4:00-4:16 looks suspiciously like an opening and closing zipper. Hopefully Buzby donated his brain to science. Mine's committed.
errolfan 2 years ago 2
This number, in Footlight Parade, is supposedly a live number (prologue) to fill in between the, then, new talkies (movies) at the show. Hmm... and what turnip truck did you fall off of?
errolfan 2 years ago
One of my favorite musical numbers. Total fantasy accompanied by an equally fantastic score. Just when you get used to a certain shot, Busby throws in something totally different. Great editing. Very erotic. As a sidenote, those of you that are into watersports (not me) will not be disappointed.
errolfan 2 years ago
Busby Berkeley.
Never anything like him before or since. One of the unique visionaries of Cinema.
kenrfc 2 years ago 28
I love Ruby Keeler!
tawnteens 2 years ago 6
@tawnteens Ditto
GrandAlbo 1 year ago
@tawnteens As do i ,and Joan Blondell!
colinwells4 1 year ago
I wonder if the water was warm =-)
cobolsaurus 2 years ago
GREG YOU ARE SO SEXY!
Volcone 2 years ago
in this movie(footlight parade) these opening numbers were "previews" that were supposed to be shown in theatres to patrons before a movie started.
IMO this number is wayyyy too lavish to be a mere 'preview" lol
andeaver1937 2 years ago
This is the great production number to end all production numbers!! Stupendous!! But having seen several films starring Ruby Keeler it is a complete mystery to me how she got the lead in anything. Her acting is wooden and amateur and her singing is worse. Decent tapdancer. I suppose something about her captured the american public. Thank goodness she had Busby Berkely to make her look better!!
talmadge1926 2 years ago
I have long pondered people's questions about Ruby Keeler, and my professional opinion is that her acting style is that of a simple, innocent sweet type of girl, and I happen to really like her style. She conveyed a charm to America, as you mentioned. I believe that she is a good actress, and that it is her personality, only, not really wooden. She is one of my favorites, if for the charm, and innocence. In fact, I am going to make a remake of Golddiggers of 1933.
SeattleLA 2 years ago 3
My favorite part, 6:39 to 7:27 is all one angle, one shot.
JackTheFossilMan 2 years ago
is that Ruby Keeler?
tawnteens 2 years ago
yes
thecurlsofrage 2 years ago
Is that Dick Powell....?
anothercrusader 2 years ago
yes
thecurlsofrage 2 years ago
Can you imagine what it looked like in color while filming! Awesome!!!
amarelisg 2 years ago 2
To Howard
Localulu27 2 years ago
Was synchronized swimming invented before Berkeley's time? Either way it doesn't diminish the awesomeness of this scene though.
spaz9i2 2 years ago
Where the heck is Jackie Gleason? Visions of the June Taylor Dancers prance through my addled brain...
iggyono 2 years ago
Where is "I Only Have Eyes For You"?
SatchmoSings 2 years ago
i would love to see motion pictures start using the indoor sets again at the studos. the bad thing is, all of the sets are almost tore down. there are very few left. so mabey some day, it will happen again. my grandfather use to design all those old sets.
patsysisk1 2 years ago 3
this is one of the most amazing things i've ever seen! my jaw dropped open several times. i can't imagine the production value that went into this - such talent. even in black and white, this far surpasses anything we could produce today. even if we tried, 3/4 of it would be CGI and plastic-looking anyway. i give credit where credit is due. this is fantastic. kudos to busby berkeley.
chrisaclark 2 years ago 2
i totally agree with your comments. they dont do things like this anymore/ too bad.
fweisblat 2 years ago
I could watch this for hours
-Henry
myhairiswaving 2 years ago 2
Grat Mr Berkeley...beautiful coreografiy
thanks for this video!! :-)
DughiPlace 2 years ago
Busby's best all round spectacle number, Jack Warner nearly sacked Berkeley when he saw the bills.. lack of CGI?, in fact there are lots of camera tricks in Berkeley's work, and this one has 15 trick shots, the way his designs seem to assemble so perfectly, they were done in reverse. Berkeley had worked with Gregg Toland on other films and learned all the camera tricks. He was good at making the simple look good on screen. long rehearsals, and few takes to contain costs as far as possible.
swallin19 2 years ago 3
Some thoughts...
1. Never knew they showed that much skin in the 30's!
2. Never knew synchronized swimming could be so precise
3. Modern movies should those huge sets, instead of CGI !
JiveTaxi 2 years ago 4
surprise! and every one of those girls had to audition on the "casting couch" to get on film! yikes!
lindaterbush 2 years ago
No way. Those were the days of the wholesome. Or "hole-some" in this case? I doubt all those girls had to be on the couch for those parts. Isn't that for the bigger rolls, I mean roles?
JiveTaxi 2 years ago
Hey, you have a great sense of wit...AND if a girl wanted to be on screen, well it took some extra talent...Cheers
lindaterbush 2 years ago
I'm guessing this was pre-code, which is to say, before the institution of the Hayes code by which Hollywood agreed to censor itself for the good of nation's moral fibre. I think it was instituted in like '34 or '35, maybe, but I'm not sure. You can google it.
weepingforbrunnhilde 2 years ago
You're right about the Code thing. It was inacted July 1934.
1940semochild 2 years ago
Yes 1934. One year made all the difference.
issyvoo2 2 years ago
yeah
eggedBORN 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I remember catching AIDS off Chlamydia Filthound by a waterfall one summer. I soon after caught rabies off her mother then shot her father through his buttocks-ah, happy days!
RumBuboe 2 years ago
pure magic,awesome!
bumfancyer 2 years ago 3
I don't know, but why would someone use fishhead for their name here. Something smells.
errolfan 2 years ago
Total fantasy, with real people, no CGI, what a concept. If only Hollywood would attempt to seriously recreate this type of musical, I would be happy to see it. "Pennies from Heaven" with Steve Martin doesn't quite cut it. It's just so damn depressing.
errolfan 2 years ago 25
@errolfan Thanks for the thumbs up, even though I have no real answers to non- creativity. This is the best of American musical cinema, to date. If I see something better in the next few years that is close to being this good, I'll be in Art Deco heaven.
errolfan 1 year ago
@errolfan
What a fantasy. An ocean of women playing together, soaking wet and wearing nothing but their hair and plants. lol go go Busby Berkeley!
valaurwen 1 year ago
@valaurwen I've seen this clip more times than I can remember, and this is the first time I've actually seen foliage in the bathing suit designs. Thanks for pointing that out. I guess that we see what we want to (unless otherwise informed).
errolfan 1 year ago
@errolfan
lol I was actually admiring the swimsuits - only reason I noticed ;) So lovely though.
valaurwen 1 year ago
Bravo, stunning***!!!:):):) It's amazing the tutta bella production that was produced and filmed in 1933***!!!:):):) Now this is what you call numero uno!!!***:):):) Loamo "Chin Chin" Chente Anni Salute Ciao:):):)***:):):)***
WithMyLittleSpoon 2 years ago
absolute genius!!!!!!
sgoodyear2003 2 years ago
Nothing is permanent, everything changes. A person is born, a person dies. It is the "Great Cycle of Life." Don't be afraid. It is a natural process. Appreciate this great number for what it is. Appreciate the fact that it was filmed and recorded and that we can enjoy it today. I'm sure they didn't think 80 years, "let's record this for the people of 2009." But isn't it wonderful that they did?!
chem100 2 years ago 6
I guess the youngest of them would be in her mid-90s now. Ah, the vagaries of time!
fishhead06 2 years ago 2
my favour magnetic fields song and also the best album ever. if your readind this comment get the the album "69 love songs" greetings from waterford, Ireland
rian058 2 years ago
That guy`s choreography has never been matched. Whenever I see his name on movie cedits, I know there will be some spectacular dance sequences.
re6356 2 years ago 2
The orchestral arrangements for this, and other Berkeley numbers, I don't think they've ever been matched. This is one of the best, although I think "Dames" just beats it. I don't think sheet music scores for thgese have ever been made available. I wonder if they still exist?
vietgrove 2 years ago
Busby Berkeley planned all the shots meticulously, all laid out before hand, and these routines were amongst the most costly ever shot in terms of the 1930's. Jack Warner is said to have lived in fear of the costs, but reaped the rewards in takings later on. Busby made an art of keeping the costs low , until the bills arrived later , when the film was finished. Warners put up with him as he delivered results!
swallin19 2 years ago
It's almost psychedelic. I wonder how many takes they had to get this.
Truth614 2 years ago 2
Berkeley rarely did re-takes, he rehearsed until it was right and did as few takes as possible due to cost, also Warners could not find out the cost if he only rehearsed, as the film rushes would have revealed the cost to Jack Warner, who Busby tried to keep from finding the daily cost of his routines till they were in the can. Berkeley played this method on most of the Warner musicals, and usually got away with it.
swallin19 2 years ago
Knowing that makes me like him more. That is so cool. I think a lot of what Berkeley actually did would have been done by CG today.
Truth614 2 years ago 2
Some of Berkeley's later extravaganzas, like the title number from "Dames" (1934), were enhanced by the use of postproduction composite shots (opticals). Maybe he felt he had reached the limits of what could be staged live in front of the camera, and wanted to create visual compositions using the still fairly new technology of the optical printer.
scotpens 2 years ago
I love Busby Berkeley....
but the guy must have been seriously drunk....or seriously crazy!
I guess they just don't make booze like they used to...
kenrfc 2 years ago
Shanghai Lil is incredible.
bearestir 2 years ago
Mind watering and enchanting. As a dream has taken over this world from some strange event that some how exists. Throughout space and time.
maninwhitedress 2 years ago 2
Ah, Busby! ;)) King of Bananas and the uncensored crotch-shot! Gotta love it! Thanks for adding this!
seaweed2007 2 years ago
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maninwhitedress 2 years ago
That is definitly not Dick Powell singing. It is so good though.
faronthefiddler 2 years ago
It definitely is Dick Powell!!! An excellent singer.
swallin19 2 years ago 2
In the early 70's, while doing "No No Nanette", Ruby Keeler confessed to being totally baffled by her popularity in movies in the 30"s. She knew better than anyone she was a good dancer who couldn't sing or act worth a nickel.
On another note, I find it sad so many seem to have lost the willingness to be charmed by things like this. Movies like these just want to make you smile - why not let them?
gtlfb 2 years ago 4
This is as naughty as you can get, 1933. And naughty it is, if you get the symbolism! And gorgeous!
edlengel 2 years ago
I am amazed every time I watch this that it got past the censors of this era. A good many movies had a good many pieces cut from them. However, it seems that BB missed the big crackdown (among several) of 1934. I believe the organization was called the Movie Production Board, or something like that. Out of NY. The movie business could have turned out so much differently without all that!
Huckabeezer 2 years ago
The American film industry's self-censorship body was the Production Code Administration of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, later shortened to Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The Production Code, often called the Hays Code after MPAA chairman Will Hays, was actually written in 1930, but the industry didn't seriously enforce it until halfway through 1934.
scotpens 2 years ago
i watched this because deep sea arcade told me to
a0d1m 2 years ago
Soberbio ¡
enrykkke 2 years ago
To BeenCaughtFeelin,
I have the movie and the music track is much much better. I think that something happened between the disc and the clip you are watching. Sometimes things happen which you cannot avoid or fix.
The guy is Dick Powell and he had a great voice. So get your copy of this and check it out!
toebonian 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Crikey! that geezer's one awful singer! He'd set off a troupe of howler monkeys in the forest canopy with that caterwauling. And she's woeful too, while we're at it.
BeenCaughtFeelin 2 years ago
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enrykkke 3 years ago
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enrykkke 3 years ago
magnificent!
sleeve51 3 years ago 2
the best age of musical films.
agelsanchez 3 years ago 4
Is this Ruby Keyler? Inspite of her, Berkeley blows me away with his genious! What great shots of ambulatory art.
srvinfinity 3 years ago
this is why i am who i am
grooveduchess 3 years ago
Found this clip a couple of days ago and although a bit corney the sheer size of the production is superb considering when it was filmed
hollyandtheivybhx 3 years ago 2
What does Dick Powell do with his lips/mouth right around 9:43-9:44? What's all THAT about? Can someone explain it?
Rapture1987 3 years ago
It appears to me that he simply moved too fast for the camera to keep up. If there is a splice, it is an awfully good one given the era when this was filmed...have replayed it a number of times and really can't see it.
Huckabeezer 2 years ago
Comment removed
SeattleLA 2 years ago
Tolik krásy na tak malém prostoru. Nádherná hudba, překrásné dívky. Film "Přehlídka v záplavě světel" je ukázka, jaká se odváděla filmařská práce před třičtvrtě stoletím. Těm kráskám by dnes bylo kolem jednoho sta roků. Kdo by tomu věřil?
Achmed1948 3 years ago