Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley

Photo Gallery

(Above) Buzz in front of the white ribbon staircase for “Shadow Waltz” before the earthquake. Publicity photo from Gold Diggers of 1933. Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1933. (Right) September 8, 1935. Hours after the car accident, his wracking ordeal had just begun. Photofest, New York. (Above) Nellie Gertrude Berkeley, actress, mother of Buzz, circa the Gay Nineties. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts/Billy Rose Theatre Division. (Right) Francis Enos, director, actor, father of Buzz. He went by the name Frank and, at times, Wilson Enos. The Etta and Busby Berkeley private collection. (Left) Amy Busby, soubrette. Her surname launched a legend. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts/Billy Rose Theatre Division. (Right) William Gillette , distinguished actor and family friend. His forename rests comfortably in Buzz’s between the last names of his mother and father. Publicity photo of William Gillette, photographer unknown. Second Lieutenant Enos, World War I. The Etta and Busby Berkeley private collection, from The Busby Berkeley Book by Tony Thomas and Jim Terry. Busby Berkeley William Enos. The Etta and Busby Berkeley private collection, from The Busby Berkeley Book by Tony Thomas and Jim Terry. War Brides, 1916, a “photodrama” starring Gertrude Berkeley and Nazimova. (Left) Busby Berkeley: “Buzz” to everyone except Mother. Studio publicity photo, circa mid-1930s. (Right) Esther Muir, the first of a half-dozen spouses. Publicity photo from A Day at the Races, copyright Loew’s Incorporated, 1937. Realizing perspective while setting a shot for Whoopee! 1930. Top shot from Whoopee! 1930. Buzz didn’t invent it; he mastered it. Flying High top shot, 1931. Dismal receipts kept the film earthbound. Buzz posed and pointing to the calf owned by a Flying High chorine who has his eye, 1931. Buzz (in back) at the rehearsal of “Who’s Your Little Who-Zis” for Night World, 1932. The Kid from Spain, 1932. His first water ballet, a foreshadowing of grandiose cinematic aquacades. Buzz’s patent, owned by Warner Brothers and inspired by Sam Goldwyn’s frugality. Patent filed December 27, 1932. The world takes notice of Busby Berkeley. The first top shot of “Young and Healthy,” from 42nd Street, 1933. More inventiveness with movable platters. The second top shot of “Young and Healthy,” from 42nd Street, 1933. Women, violins, and the elegant raised kick. “Shadow Waltz” from Gold Diggers of 1933. A violin of violins. “Shadow Waltz,” from Gold Diggers of 1933. A neon violin saved from the earthquake. Tilting the camera on a reflective floor from “Shadow Waltz,” in Gold Diggers of 1933. Social consciousness in the cinema. The powerful final image of “Remember My Forgotten Man,” from Gold Diggers of 1933. Merna Kennedy and Busby Berkeley, the official wedding photograph, February 10, 1934. The Etta and Busby Berkeley private collection. Roman Scandals, 1933. The Goldwyn Girls agreed on nudity, but only if they were filmed at night. Buzz diagrams his water ballet for his apprehensive “swimmers” in Footlight Parade, 1933. The finest of all water ballets, “By a Waterfall,” from Footlight Parade, 1933. Tier and set for “By a Waterfall,” from Footlight Parade, 1933. Above the tier, looking downward, in “By a Waterfall,” from Footlight Parade, 1933. Studio and director’s patriotism worn on their sleeves. The thirty-second president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, reproduced in “Shanghai Lil,” from Footlight Parade, 1933. (Above) Magnificent detail—top shot from Dames, 1934. (Left) Buzz on the makeshift Ferris wheel directs Ruby Keeler in “I Only Have Eyes for You,” from Dames, 1934. Image infinity. “Don’t Say Goodnight,” from Wonder Bar, 1934. An empty monogrammed chair, Buzz, Dick Powell, and Dorothy Dare, Gold Diggers of 1935. The original Woman Smoking a Cigarette (Man Ray, 1920). Copyright Man Ray Trust/ARS-ADAGP, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California. Buzz does Man Ray: “Lullaby of Broadway,” from Gold Diggers of 1935. “Lullaby of Broadway,” a nightmare musical number, and Buzz’s favorite, from Gold Diggers of 1935. An exploitative entrance? Buzz listens on a stretcher as William Hudson testifies that he smelled liquor on the defendant’s breath the night of September 8, 1935. Acme Newspictures, Inc., 1935. New York World-Telegram and the...