Busby Berkeley Collections

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#51 Post by **Matt** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:07 pm

Yeah, Jolson's the least interesting thing about Wonder Bar. I'm looking forward to Warners' big Jazz Singer release, but only because it will undoubtedly contain a shitload of early sound rarities. I wonder if they'll ever get around to releasing a disc of Don Juan (the first feature with a synched Vitaphone soundtrack) with the program of shorts that played with it (which were far better than the feature). I thought we'd be getting that in August since it's the 80th anniversary of the premiere, but no dice.

Warners has said that they have no plans for a set of Vitaphone shorts, that they want to keep sticking them on DVDs as supplements. I suppose that works (there are certainly discs I've held onto or even bought just because of a particular short), but they're missing a real opportunity to provide something very historically important to libraries and what not.

Anyway, a few of those black Vitaphone shorts showed up on the recent spate of black musicals (Hallelujah, Cabin in the Sky, et al) released by Warner. Hallelujah has Pie, Pie Blackbird, which is my favorite because it has Eubie Blake and his band playing inside a giant pie. It also features the Nicholas Brothers and Nina Mae McKinney. They're also in the other short on the disc, The Black Network which is good, but not nearly as amusing.

The disc of Green Pastures has Rufus Jones for President on it as well as An All-Colored Vaudeville Show (with the Nicholas Brothers again and Eunice Wilson). This is a "Vitaphone Pepper Pot" short - a titling I love but which is unfortunately no doubt inspired by the common color of pepper. Maybe I just like it because it reminds me of when the New York Post called Monica Lewinsky a "portly pepper-pot."

The disc of Astaire and Rogers' Follow the Fleet has the short Melody Master: Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra and it is blazing hot.

#52 Post by **Matt** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:06 am

According to The Vitaphone Project (a project I adore but who site pains me), there were two LD sets, A 70th Anniversary Celebration and Swing, Swing Swing. I was a laserdisc buyer but I still never heard of these until years later. They must not have been in the Ken Crane's catalog.

tryavna · #53 Post by **tryavna** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:13 am

FWIW, TCM had an 80th Anniversary showing of the original Vitaphone premiere (Don Juan, the Will Hays prologue, and all the musical numbers). Not sure if this means anything at all, but could be that Warner might include those as extras on a Don Juan DVD -- or possibly The Jazz Singer.

BTW, I really dug Hays' delivery style -- especially the maniacal lifting of arms towards the end of his prologue. Reminded me of a Bond villain....

Lino · #54 Post by **Lino** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:11 pm

devlinnn wrote:Hollywood Hotel from 1937. The fetish-crazed production numbers are gone, but the energy and breeze remain as we run around backstage Hollywood with the giants of Swing. Warner own this one, but is rare indeed.

Your wishes are granted. Here's what Warner had to say about it on this week's online chat with the folks of HTF:

Busby Berkeley Vol 2 coming in 2008. Golddiggers of 1937, Golddiggers in Paris, Varsity Show and Hollywood Hotel.

Fingers crossed for the inclusion (and possible chat ommition) of Fashions of 1934. As for Wonder Bar, my bets are that it will be included on a future Al Jolson set.

#55 Post by **Matt** » Mon May 28, 2007 8:46 pm

I know this doesn't help you, Lino, but for any basic cable-equipped Americans wondering what all the fuss is about Wonder Bar, it's getting one of its increasingly rare airings on TCM in June.

djali999 · #56 Post by **djali999** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 4:41 pm

So my mate and I watched Wonder Bar this morning and you know what? It's pretty awesome and pretty ridiculous that such simple fun is being hidden like dirty laundry. Hardly the best of the Berkeley musicals - it's more or less on the level of Dames - but it's compact, charming and Jolson is, well unstoppable.

Cold Bishop · #57 Post by **Cold Bishop** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 8:35 pm

And why would that be (although I can already guess)?

shearerchic · #58 Post by **shearerchic** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:52 am

Cold Bishop wrote:And why would that be (although I can already guess)?

Going to Heaven on A Missouri Mule. That's saying a lot from me cause I usually don't find stuff like that offensive cause you have to look at it in context from that time and some of them I find amusing, but watching that number was the first time where something like that made me mad and hurt at the same time.

#59 Post by **Matt** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:51 pm

At this point, though, it's a historical artifact, and the 1930s feel about as remote and alien a time as the 1390s. Anyone associated with its creation and production is almost certainly dead, so it's like finding the Bayeux tapestry or The Canterbury Tales offensive. Can't we all just pat ourselves on the back for being so much more enlightened than our forebears and get over it?

#60 Post by **zedz** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:19 pm

Matt wrote:At this point, though, it's a historical artifact, and the 1930s feel about as remote and alien a time as the 1390s. Anyone associated with its creation and production is almost certainly dead, so it's like finding the Bayeux tapestry or The Canterbury Tales offensive. Can't we all just pat ourselves on the back for being so much more enlightened than our forebears and get over it?

For the record, I think The Canterbury Tales is inexcusably anti-Pardoner.

Ashirg · #61 Post by **Ashirg** » Mon May 19, 2008 5:43 am

Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2 announced here:

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of the Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2 on 16th September 2008. The collection features four more Berkeley classics which are new to Region 1 DVD including Gold Diggers of 1937, Gold Diggers in Paris, Hollywood Hotel and Varsity Show. Following in the dancing footsteps of Warner’s successful 2006 collection, this second spectacular volume from one of the greatest motion picture choreographers of all time also includes musical shorts, featurettes and classic cartoons. Each feature in the collection has also been painstakingly restored from its original camera negative for this new DVD collection.

The 4-disc giftset will sell for $39.92 SRP and the single titles will be available for $19.97 SRP.

The Films

Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936)
Dick Powell plays an insurance agent with musical ambitions while Joan Blondell is a showgirl who gives up spangles for a stenographer’s pad. But the plot is secondary as dance creator Busby Berkeley turns a garden party into a tap-happy romp, and Blondell leads leggy soldiers in a banner-waving, precision-formation rendition of “All’s Fair in Love and War” that’s Berkeley spectacle at its showy best. Berkeley received an Academy nod for Best Dance Direction.

DVD Special Features:

* 1997 documentary Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
* Technicolor historical short The Romance of Louisiana
* Classic cartoons Plenty of Money and You and Speaking of the Weather
* Two excerpts from 1929’s Gold Diggers of Broadway
* Theatrical trailer

Gold Diggers in Paris (1938)
The Gold Diggers are headed for Paris, bringing their feathers, frills, and ballet shoes. A French diplomat has mistaken 43rd Street’s Club Ballé for the American Academy Ballet, and the chorus cuties aren’t going to turn down a free trip to the City of Light over such a tiny misunderstanding. Rudy Vallee stars as the club’s impresario and Busby Berkeley creates and directs the inventive musical numbers, both ‘magnifique’ and loaded with moxie.

DVD Special Features:

* Two Broadway Brevities musical shorts: The Candid Kid and Little Me
* Classic cartoon Love and Curses
* Theatrical trailer

Hollywood Hotel (1937)
The plot about a Hollywood newcomer (Dick Powell) caught between a spoiled star (Lola Lane) and her likeable look-alike (Lola’s look-alike sister Rosemary Lane) is secondary to watching Busby Berkeley’s ace direction – and music, music, music. The film opens with the jubilant debut of Tinseltown’s unofficial anthem Hooray for Hollywood. The jaunty Let That Be a Lesson to You shows off Berkeley’s mastery of editing and camera angles. And Benny Goodman and his Orchestra -- with Harry James on trumpet and Gene Krupa on drums – swing, swing, swing into Sing, Sing, Sing.

DVD Special Features:

* Technicolor historical short The Romance of Robert Burns
* Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy comedy short Double Talk
* Classic cartoon Porky’s Five & Ten
* Theatrical trailer

Varsity Show (1937)
Broadway impresario Chuck Daly (Dick Powell) leads an A+ cast of coeds and their guys, including film-debuting sisters Priscilla and Rosemary Lane and fluty-voiced comic character star Sterling Holloway, in this exuberant college musical. Oscar nominated for his dance direction in this film, Berkeley creates and directs a rah-rah, football-themed finale featuring high-style overhead shots, kinetic camerawork and hundreds of dancers on a 50 ft. by 60 ft. staircase.

DVD Special Features:

* Musical short Flowers from the Sky
* Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy comedy short A Neckin’ Party
* Classic cartoon Have You Got Any Castles
* Theatrical trailer

I guess they are saving Wonder Bar and Caliente for Volume 3 (Yeah, right!)

htdm · #62 Post by **htdm** » Wed May 21, 2008 11:41 am

box artwork

MadJack · #63 Post by **MadJack** » Wed May 21, 2008 4:14 pm

[sarcasm] What a great selection of films [/sarcasm]

shearerchic · #64 Post by **shearerchic** » Sat May 24, 2008 12:48 am

This doesn't make sense. Why didn't Warner just put 2 other films in the set?? It would've been better had they included Wonder Bar and Fashions of 1934.

#65 Post by **domino harvey** » Sat May 24, 2008 1:13 am

"Goin' to Heaven on a Mule" is up on YouTube in two parts. I was like, "Well, this isn't any more racist than usual"... and then I got to the pork chop trees and dancing watermelons. Still nothing that can't be properly contextualized and dealt with.

Lino · #66 Post by **Lino** » Sat May 24, 2008 9:42 pm

shearerchic wrote:This doesn't make sense. Why didn't Warner just put 2 other films in the set?? It would've been better had they included Wonder Bar and Fashions of 1934.

Yeah, it looks very squalid to my eyes, too. Let's only hope they include Wonder Bar on a future Al Jolson set. Still, don't forget we're getting a full length documentary on Busby in the set. This (almost) makes it up for the lack of feature films in comparison with the first set released last year.

The trouble is, Warner set the bar too high with last year's set and we're left expecting much more than we're being offered here. Hey, even I was expecting something more akin to the treatment they gave to Astaire & Rogers, with the Ultimate Collection. But maybe that was asking too much, I guess.

Lino · #67 Post by **Lino** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:41 pm

Singles artwork.

myrnaloyisdope · #68 Post by **myrnaloyisdope** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 7:51 pm

Those covers are pure class. I love that WB uses the original poster art.

htdm · #69 Post by **htdm** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:09 pm

Just got this and disappointed to find that a big reason for my buying the set, the documentary "Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof" is not on it as originally announced.

DVD Talk

myrnaloyisdope · #70 Post by **myrnaloyisdope** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:49 pm

Of the films in the new boxset I've only seen Gold Diggers of 1937, which isn't particularly good, though the final musical number "All's Fair in Love and War" is a definite highlight. The annoying thing is that that number is including on the best of disc in volume 1.

I'm curious to see the other films in the set, but probably not enough to actually buy the set. I adore Busby Berkeley, but it's a shame that the boxset doesn't include Wonder Bar (which is phenomenal), Fashions of 1934 (which is ok, but has Bette Davis and William Powell), or In Caliente (which I haven't seen but have heard is quite good, and number included in volume 1 is quite entertaining).

I'm not sure what factors affected the selection, though I'm pretty sure Wonder Bar was overlooked due to the "Goin' To Heaven on a Mule" number.

And dammit where's Night World? It's Universal I know, but I want it on DVD.

Michael · #71 Post by **Michael** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:24 am

Finally made through Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Whoa, what to say? I found it very fascinating to notice the differences between the pre-codes and the codes. 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933, both pre-code, are unquestionably my faves of both sets. I really loved the flirty, naughty, free-fun-feeling nature of those two films complete with the explosion of feminine beauty that all unfortunately dimmed down in the coded films. Aline MacMahone was really a sight to behold in Gold Diggers. Impossible to take my eyes off her and she made me forget I was watching a movie. Joan Blondell was a knock out too.

HerrSchreck · #72 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:15 pm

The Lullaby of Broadway sequence is one of the high points of the entire frigging human race!

Michael · #73 Post by **Michael** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:14 pm

I agree with you both about the 14-minute sequence (available in two parts on youtube) but what about the rest of Gold Diggers of 1935? I thought it was very average, lacking the electrifying sparks and humor of 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933.

Michael · #74 Post by **Michael** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 11:23 am

I haven't seen Gang's All Here yet.

But I'm planning to pick up the disc in a day or two. The only BB musicals I've seen are those two volumes and For Me and My Gal. The latter with Judy and Gene, although very different from BB's 30s musicals, is still amazing. Someone from this forum recommended me to watch My Gal and Summer Stock, back to back and I followed his advise. Doing that really makes both films even more poignant and moving. My Gal was Gene's first film and Judy mentored him and in Summer Stock, with Judy going through personal shit, suffering from illnesses, Gene helped her to get through the production. You will never see a more compassionate and sensitive side of Gene in Summer Stock.

HerrSchreck · #75 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:57 pm

Michael wrote:I agree with you both about the 14-minute sequence (available in two parts on youtube) but what about the rest of Gold Diggers of 1935? I thought it was very average, lacking the electrifying sparks and humor of 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933.

Well, sure. The movies themselves are more or less programmers (some of the earlier ones lot of fun Depression Era Uplifters, though). And this is why the set is the Busby Berkeley Collection and not the Lloyd Bacon, Mervyn LeRoy, Ray Enright collection.

There's just so much in Lullaby... the tune itself, the beautiful poetry of it's lyrics, it's wonderful nostalgia for both the high and the low, and the sympathy and lack of judgement the lyrics have for the lifestyle of Winnie's character. I think it's wonderful that her character lives in a slum tenement and not a typical Riverside or Park Ave French - style flat, as is usually seen in glamorpics of the era.

Her delivery, his mise en scene, especially viz the opening shot, gets to something that I worship worship worship in art: the sublime levels of eternal power achieved in the piece border on what I'd call almost "heroic" (having nothing to do with anybody's behavior being heroic or somesuch). There's a level of majesty about the thing, it's right there in Winni's face, her confidence w the cigaret, the whole thing is just so utterly confident and masterful, the power it contains... it's like Berkeley and his songwriters, his performers, etc, they all come together onscreen and for that strip of time captured forever become Heroes of the Universe.

It's a very childlike impression I'm relating, but that's what great art should do to you-- awe you to the fullest and cause you to bow. And fill you with great enthusiasms. And that's what Lullaby does to me. One of mankind's finest moments on earth furchrissakes!

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