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Warner Home Video has released Vol. 2 of the Busby Berkeley Collection in a boxed set containing four titles new to DVD. Here are the details from the official press release.
The
“Buzz†continues when word gets around that Warner Home Video will debut more
musical extravaganzas in the Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2
on September 16. The collection features four more Berkeley classics which are not only new-to-DVD titles, but are making their long-awaited home
video debut. Included in the collection are 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. It’s musical entertainment
magic at its toe-tapping, finger-snapping best by the Oscar® nominated
master.
The 4-disc giftset will sell for $39.92
SRP and the single titles will be
available for $19.97 SRP.
Busby Berkeley
William Berkeley Enos was
born in Los Angeles
on November 29, 1895.
He began his career in the U.S. Army conducting and directing parades and then
staging shows for the soldiers. After returning to civilian life, he became a
stage actor and assistant director for smaller acting troupes. He found his
calling in 1925 when he was forced to take the reins of the Broadway musical
“Holka Polka,†and with his talent for staging lavish and complex dance routines
he soon became one of Broadway’s top dance directors. Samuel Goldwyn brought
him to Hollywood
in 1930 to stage the musical numbers for several Eddie Cantor musicals but his
contribution raised little awareness with audiences or the industry.
Darryl F. Zanuck,
then head of production at Warner Bros., gave “Buzz†his first huge film break
-- directing the musical numbers of Warner’s then newest project, 42nd
Street. The studio took a huge gamble on both the property and Berkeley; but a snappy script and a story that has become
known as the granddaddy of backstage musicals made the film a massive hit, primarily
as a result of the amazing, kaleidoscopic and fascinating choreography Berkeley created for the
end of the film. It wasn’t long before he was given a seven-year contract at
the studio.
Berkeley
went on to work on almost every great Warner musical produced in the ‘30s,
receiving three Oscar® nominations for Best Dance Direction.
Using only one camera, he was fearless about getting just the right shot, even
if it meant drilling holes in roofs and floors to achieve his vision. He
dressed his chorus girls in outlandish costumes -- as coins or musical
instruments or in nothing but wisps of gauzy material. There was no limit to
his imagination.
Many studios tried to
copy Berkeley’s
style but their efforts were pale imitations. There was only one Busby
Berkeley. Although he made his last contribution to cinema more than 40 years
ago, Berkeley
remains an icon in American culture.
(Continue reading for specific details about each film being released.)