TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Busby Berkeley (Dames / Gold Diggers of 1937 / Footlight Parade / 42nd Street)

The colored photos are from the 1934 short comedy starring Leon Errol and June Macloy seen spoofing Eve in the two-reeler, "Good Morning Eve," which is contained in the DVD "Dames." All four discs fit neatly on top of one another in the inner case and each disc has special features on them. All four musicals showcase the music and singing from the kaleidoscopic eyes of Busby Berkeley. "Dames" and "Footlight Parade" alone make this a collection worth having, and both "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1937" are well worth watching multiple times. Nineteen-thirty-fours, "Dames" opening number, "We're in the Money" with Ginger Rodgers singing the lead vocals accompanied by other luscious legged Berkely babes is a Hollywood gem of a musical number, especially the facial close-ups of the ladies, and Rodgers singing the song in both English and Pig Latin. "Dames" is truly a Pre-Code Hollywood classic, and Joan Blondell shows off lots of skin that wasn't allowed the following year in mainstream films. I'm still not a fan of the type of music that was popular in these movies, but "We're in the Money" is a catchy tune, and Berkeley's camera work captures the dazingly dancing, singing and sheer talent of the men and women who graced the Broadway stages in all four of these vintage classics. Both men and women dressed much nicer than our generation and Joan Blondell rocked her hats! I still laugh out loud when I watch 1934s "Dames." James Cagney shows off his dance moves in 1933s "Footlight Parade" and one of the musical numbers in this film depicts the use of hallucinogenic drugs and lots of cleavage is shown which was a big no-no come 1935. All four movies in this set made me laugh, and each movie is filled with the Berkely musical touch and the sexiness of the 1930s. "Dames" also has a special feature depicting briefly the history of Busby Berkey. "Footlight Parade" has a 1933 cartoon of a man and women getting in bed, winking at the camera, and then a Calander is shown nine months later with a baby picture on it. "Rambling Around Radio Row #8," one of the many special features in this set showcases 11-year-old Baby Rose Marie singing extremely well. All four movies are in crisp clear black and white, yet some of the cartoons and "Good Morning Eve" are in brilliant color. Extremely glad I added these movies to my collection.

TCM has been doing big things with its Greatest Classic Films Collection. This time the focus is on Busby Berkeley musicals, and so we get four Berkeley favorites on two (double-sided) discs: 42ND STREET, GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937, FOOTLIGHT PARADE, and DAMES. Featured in all four musicals is Dicl< Powell. Powell, before he played those tough guy roles in film noir, was a consummate crooner and a dashing leading man of light musical comedies in the 1930s. He was often partnered with the sweet Ruby Keeler who, if you allow her, will tap dance into your heart. More so than not, the plots of Berkeley flicks are flimsy material at best and revolve around the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of a stage production, and no different here. Formula also dictates that these pictures culminate in extended musical sequences showcasing Berkeley's intricate, extravagant choreography. For those who were in the throes of the Great Depression, Berkeley's precision-marked show stoppers were welcome distractions.The quintessential "let's put on a show" plot gets an infusion of star power when Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler paired up for the first time in 1933's terrific 42ND STREET. Powell plays the juvenile and Keeler plays the ingenue, and the Warner Brothers studio knew honest to gosh chemistry when it bumped into one. Ginger Rogers has a choice supporting part as the sardonic, brassy "Anytime" Annie. Warner Baxter as the ailing tyrannical Broadway director and George Brent as the unwilling gigolo submit dramatic turns and provide story conflict.When Bebe Daniels' Broadway star fractures an ankle on the eve of the show's debut, how will the show go on? Time then for Ruby Keeler's ingenue to step in and step into musical cinema immortality, never mind that she's first exposed to Warner Baxter's awful pep talk. "Two hundred people. Two hundred jobs. Two hundred thousand dollars. Five weeks of grind and blood and sweat depend upon you," he intently says to Keeler, and you wouldn't have blamed her had she then ran for the hills. Highlight numbers include "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me," "Shuffle Off To Buffalo," and, of course, the title tune.Extras to 42ND STREET: 3 shorts: "Harry Warren: America's Foremost Composer," "Hollywood Newsreel," and "A Trip thru a Hollywood Studio"; cast & crew credits; and the 42ND STREET trailer."It's the root of all evil, of strife and upheaval. But I'm certain, honey, that life could be sunny with plenty of money and you." The zany GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937, which came out in1936, is the only film in this collection that doesn't feature Ruby Keeler, but it's still a fine entry in the Gold Diggers series. Powell is back, and sporting a caterpillar on his upper lip and peddling life insurance (but aspiring to be a singer on stage). This time, blue-eyed Joan Blondell is his leading lady and she plays an ex-chorus girl. She lights up the screen with Powell, even if she Rex Harrisons her verses, instead of singing them.There's a nefarious plot brewing. It involves gold-digging Glenda Farrell hoping to reel in a 59-year-old stage producer and cashing in when he croaks, and she's in cahoots with the guy's two sneaky partners. Accordingly, Powell is summoned to sell him a life insurance policy worth one million dollars. Except that the client turns out to be a hypochondriac and not at death's door. So cue the murder attempt to collect on the policy. And, somehow, someway, it all culminates with the participants putting on a musical show. There's plenty to like about this film. A likable cast. Some good comedy bits. And the songs, which are uniformly pretty good, with three stand-out numbers: the catchy "With Plenty of Money and You," the breezy "Speaking of the Weather," and the showstopping "All's Fair In Love And War." And, as usual, Busby Berkeley gets all fancy.Extras for GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937: Historical short "The Romance of Louisiana"; 2 cartoons - "Plenty of Money and You" and "Speaking of the Weather"; 2 excerpts from 1929's GOLD DIGGERS OF BROADWAY - "Tip Toe Through The Tulips" and the film's finale; and the GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937 theatrical trailer.The gangster movie's gain is the musical's loss. In a way, it's a shame that James Cagney so excelled in playing these gangster roles, because he was a hell of a dancer. 1933's FOOTLIGHT PARADE, my favorite in this set, allows Cagney one of his rare opportunities to play hoofer. Powell and Keeler provide terrific support, respectively playing a gigolo crooner and a frumpy secretary turned dancer. Joan Blondell plays Cagney's lovelorn secretary, but lest you think lovelorn and moxie are mutually exclusive, the best line in this film comes from Blondell when she tosses out her floozy roommate: "Outside, countess! As long as they have sidewalks, you've got a job.'We tend to forget that, in a bygone era, movie theaters used to augment their featured presentations with live entertainment. Anyway, with the advent of talking motion pictures, Chester Kent's days as a producer of stage musicals is numbered, seemingly. Except that Kent comes up with the idea of producing brief live musical prologues for films. It's hard work consistently trying to come up with creative original material, and he finds himself challenged as never before when he's forced to come up with three prologues which must all be performed on the same night. It doesn't help that his partners are cooking the books and that a mole for a rival production company is stealing his ideas. But since Chester Kent is being played by Cagney, we don't worry too much. But Frank McHugh worries. He plays the dance choreographer who seriously doubts Cagney could pull off this monster feat. McHugh's amusing running battle cry: "It can't be done! It can't be done!"Highlights galore. Cagney alone is a walking highlight, and he brings his usual tautly coiled energy, even to his dancing. There are three ridiculously lavish musical productions - "The Honeymoon Hotel," "By A Waterfall," and "Shanghai Lil" - all of which beg the question: how in hell do these epic sets consistently defy the space limitations of the average theater stage? As per normal with Busby Berkeley musicals, you need to suspend that sense of disbelief. My favorite is the riotous Shanghai Lil number which features Cagney singing and dancing and, later, Cagney and Keeler in a tap off on a bar counter.Extras to FOOTLIGHT PARADE: "Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades" featurette; 2 vintage shorts ("Rambling 'RoundRadio Row #8" and "Vaudeville Reel #1"); 2 vintage cartoons ("Honeymoon Hotel" and "Young and Healthy") and the FOOTLIGHT PARADE theatrical trailer.In 1934's DAMES struggling singer James Higgens (Powell) romances his thirteenth cousin removed, Barbara (Keeler), and faces the wrath of another relative, his cranky, crusading millionaire uncle, Ezra Ounce. Ezra Ounce is most concerned with elevating America's morals, and he sets his eye on stamping out New York's most recent musical stage show, Powell's play, titled Sweet & Hot. Joan Blondell has another nice supporting role as the savvy showgirl who blackmails Keeler's father into secretly financing Sweet & Hot.Running gags include Dr. Silver's Golden Elixir (it cures hiccups) and an always napping bodyguard. The songs aren't bad - "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips (and a Twinkle in Your Daddy's Eye)," "The Girl at the Ironing Board," "Dames," and "Try to See It My Way" - with the best being the classic "I Only Have Eyes For You." In fact, keep your eyes peeled for the big "I Only Have Eyes For You" number featuring a series of interludes in which all the showgirls are made up to look like Ruby Keeler, with the real Keeler strolling by in the foreground of each sequence. Ruby Keeler, by the way, lands what nowadays is a pretty eyebrow-raising (but back then is a fairly standard) line when she rebelliously professes her independence: "I don't care what either of you say. I'm free, white, and twenty-one. I love to dance, and I'm going to dance." We can only wish Ruby Keeler had danced more.Extras to DAMES: "Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes" featurette; 3 shorts ("And She Learned About Dames," "Good Morning, Eve," and "Melody Master: Don Redman and His Orchestra"); 2 cartoons ("I Only Have Eyes For You" and "Those Beautiful Dames"; Audio-Only Bonus: "Direct from Hollywood" radio promo previews audio excerpts from DAMES; and the DAMES theatrical trailer.

[[ASIN:B00406UJWE TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Busby Berkeley (Dames / Gold Diggers of 1937 / Footlight Parade / 42nd Street)Aaah...The 1930's. What a great time! Oh yeah, this was the decade of the Great Depression when suicides and soup kitchens were the rage.Now that "talking pictures" had been invented, Warner Brothers' movie studios were going to put it to good use. The theme was "we're going to put on a show and despite the existing challenges, we're gonna succeed."When Busby Berkeley collaborated with the studio, movie history was made. "42nd Street", the first of the four, became a huge box office success. People wanted to get rid of the "blues" and become happy,hopeful and optimistic.These 4 films displayed Berkley's ingenuity as a choreographer and director where rows of beautiful young women dancers as seen from above formed fascinating geometrical shapes to match the music. Last but not least, were the lovely songs and dance numbers that made these films to become great classics.It is small wonder that many of today's audiences say that "they don't make movies like they used to". You'll want to see them over and over again.

"Come & meet those dancing feet" warbles Ruby Keeler in "42nd Stree". Just one of the 4 best WB musicals directed (with help from Lloyd Bacon etc.) by the legendary Busy Berkeley. Sound and picture quality are quite outstanding.The highlight is probably the title number from "Dames", though "By a waterfall" (from "Footlight Parade" featuring Cagney in one of his all-too-rare musicals)runs it a close second, both with imaginative camera angles and the use of dancers for kaleidoscopic effects. How those poor girls must have suffered! All of this performed on a cinema stage!The extra programmes include fascinating behind-the-scenes footage of Berkeley in action creating dance routines.Only slight niggle is a double disc case to accomodate four DVDs. BUT a very valuable package at a reasonable price nevertheless.

As some of the other reviews said all the double sided DVDs play without any problems except for 42nd Street. I was aware of this but lucky me I already had that particular movie in my collection. What more can I say about the Busby Berkeley sections of these films simply AWSOME.RMM.

I think most of the other reviews tell you everything you need to know about the quality of these truly fabulous musicals. One thing I did think worth mentioning is that only "42nd Street" is region 1 coded in my set; the other three titles all play on a standard region 2 UK player.

What a wonderful thing to see these amazing routines again. Thank goodness for multi region dvd players !! Highly recommended to all lovers of musicals.

Four excellent 1930 film musicals - spent a most emjoyable weekend watching these."Footlight Parade" my favourite of the four.