Busby Berkeley

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Busby Berkeley

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Busby Berkeley , 1895-1975, American film director and choreographer, b. Los Angeles as William Berkeley Enos. He choreographed several Broadway revues before moving (1930) to Hollywood, where he achieved his greatest successes at Warner Bros. (1933-39). Berkeley became famous for staging elaborate dance numbers in which lines of showgirls performed synchronized movements which, photographed from innovative angles, particularly from above, created kaleidoscopic, often surreal patterns of moving figures. The height of his style was reached in the 1930s in such films as 42nd Street (1933), Dames (1934), and a series of Gold Diggers movies, for which he directed either the dance sequences or the entire production. Although his kind of spectacular became passé, he continued to direct other musicals during the 1940s, staged musical numbers for a few films into the 1960s, and returned to Broadway to direct a revival of No, No Nanette (1970).

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Berkeley, Busby

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | | © The Oxford Companion to American Theatre 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Berkeley, Busby [né William Berkeley Enos] (1895–1976), director and choreographer. Although best known for the mammoth precision dance routines he created in Warner Brothers films in the 1930s, he was briefly an important figure on Broadway. He came to New York from his native Los Angeles after touring in The Man Who Came Back (1917) and made his New York debut as a replacement for dress designer Madame Lucy in the original Irene (1919). After several years directing stock in New England and Canada, Berkeley returned to Broadway as choreographer for Holka Polka (1925), The Wild Rose (1926), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), The White Eagle (1927), Present Arms (1928), Earl Carroll Vanities (1928), Rainbow (1928), Pleasure Bound (1929), 9:15 Revue (1930), International Revue (1930), Sweet and Low (1930), and several others. While his Broadway routines featured the popular precision routines of the day, they were marked as well by an imaginative irreverence that sent dancers scampering over furniture and props. In 1970 Berkeley supervised the successful revival of No, No, Nanette.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Berkeley, Busby." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Berkeley, Busby." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (November 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-BerkeleyBusby.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Berkeley, Busby." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-BerkeleyBusby.html

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Busby, Baker, and the Ballerina: a parade of new releases on DVD.(The Busby Berkeley Collection Footlight Parade)(The Josephine Baker Collection Siren of the Tropics)(Margot)(Video recording review)
Magazine article from: Dance Magazine; 8/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; The Busby Berkeley Collection Footlight Parade; Gold...of 1935; Dames; 42nd Street; The Busby Berkeley Disc. Warner Home Video. Six DVDs $59.98 (all titles except The Busby Berkeley Disc available separately), $19...
DVD; Busby Berkeley Dreams
Magazine article from: The Stranger; 3/23/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...cinematic dance extravaganzas, Busby Berkeley finally gets his name on the top line. The Busby Berkeley Collection gathers five of the...beyond the requisite magnificent Busby Berkeley dance numbers, which, in the...
Musicals That Danced; On Cable, a Marvelous Busby Berkeley Marathon
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 1/24/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...spectacle. TCM is doing a tribute to Busby Berkeley, madcap master of the musical...seem to be another word for it. Busby Berkeley was a genre unto himself. In...documentary on the director's life: "Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof" premieres...
``The Busby Berkeley Collection'': ``Footlight Parade,'' ``Gold Diggers of 1933,'' ``Dames,'' ``Gold Diggers of 1935,'' ``42nd Street''.
Business Wire; 12/5/2005; 700+ words ; BURBANK, Calif. -- "The Busby Berkeley Collection" -- five remastered...keepcase" packaging) and "The Busby Berkeley Disc," a nearly three-hour...imitations. There was only one Busby Berkeley. Although he made his last contribution...
New in DVD box set: the fabulous choreography of Busby Berkeley
Newspaper article from: Deseret News (Salt Lake City); 3/24/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...Even if you don't know the name Busby Berkeley, you know his choreography...cinematic technology. -- "The Busby Berkeley Collection" (Warner, 1933...Broadway" sequence. -- "The Busby Berkeley Disc" (1933-37) is a compilation...
THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION
Magazine article from: The Village Voice; 3/29/2006; ; 470 words ; Gold digging: A treasure trove of Berkeley classics THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION Warner Genius of geometric pulchritude...maestro of the movie-land desiring machine, Busby Berkeley (1895-1976) was not just the reigning dance...
DVD set spotlights the genius of Busby Berkeley.
Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune; 3/24/2006; 700+ words ; ...out. Then Warner Brothers hired Busby Berkeley to choreograph the dance numbers...studio. Seventy years later, Berkeley's legendary routines haven...to anyone who samples the "The Busby Berkeley Collection" (Warner Home Video...
The Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2 Debuts September 16.
Business Wire; 5/19/2008; 557 words ; ...more musical extravaganzas in the Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2 on September...collection features four more Berkeley classics which are not only new...Lane) is secondary to watching Busby Berkeley's ace direction - and music...
Don't stop the dance!: the Busby Berkeley collection.(SPECIAL EDITION VIEWS)(Video recording review)
Magazine article from: Video Business; 3/13/2006; ; 680 words ; ...numbers by choreographer/director Busby Berkeley. A Broadway veteran who migrated...Hollywood with the coming of sound, Berkeley was the first of his profession...patterns and dizzying camera moves set Berkeley's musical extravaganzas apart...
Busby Berkeley meets the Bard
Newspaper article from: Jerusalem Post; 8/31/2001; ; 700+ words ; Adina Hoffman Jerusalem Post 08-31-2001 Headline: Busby Berkeley meets the Bard Byline: Adina Hoffman Edition; Daily Section: Arts Page: 15 Friday, August 31, 2001 -- LOVES LABOURS LOST...

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