Some men just have an eye for razzle dazzle. Busby Berkeley was doubtless such a man. As one of Hollywood's most respected choreographers and dance directors, he wowed audiences with his inventive staging and unique use of the camera.
Born William Berkeley Enos on November 29, 1895, his first exposure to staging musical numbers came in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army, directing and conducting parades. He later performed and directed for a number of smaller companies in New York until the opportunity to create the dances for the musical Holka Polka was presented to him. It was there that Berkeley discovered his knack for devising extravagant dance routines, and his reputation as a Broadway dance director took off. He had another huge success choreographing the dance sequences in Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's A Connecticut Yankee, and was shortly lured to Hollywood by Samuel Goldwyn to choreograph Eddie Cantor's Whoopee!
Once there, Berkeley reinvented the way dance was seen on film. In classics like 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1935, his use of the camera was revolutionary: he jackhammered into floors and cut away ceilings so he could get his camera low or high enough to capture spectacular overhead shots, and wove in and out of his scantily-clad chorines.
He employed hundreds of dancing girls dripping in spangles (and not much else) to create dazzling kaleidoscopic routines and surreal patterns of flesh tailor-made for the camera. He worked tirelessly throughout the 30s and 40s, until tastes in musicals changed and his brand of over-the-top excess was no longer in fashion.
His later years were peppered with grief and tragedy -- a string of unsuccessful marriages, problems with alcoholism, and a highly publicized drunk-driving accident that killed two motorists. He was acquitted of all charges but never emotionally recovered from the event. He had an unusually close relationship with his mother and after her death, Berkeley attempted unsuccessfully to take his own life. Despite a brief return to Broadway "supervising" a revival of No, No, Nanette, he fell into relative obscurity and passed away in 1976. A tragic end to a man with such auspicious beginnings.
Interestingly enough, Busby Berkeley never took a single dance lesson. Quite a feat for a man considered to be one of the world's most recognized choreographers.
Suggested Sites...
- Classic Movie Favorites: Busby Berkeley - dedicated to the master choreographer and dance director with biography, filmography, photos, videos, and more.
- Wikipedia: Busby Berkeley - includes information about his career, personal life, and movies.
- A Beginner's Guide to Busby Berkeley - what makes Busby Busby?
- IMDb: Busby Berkeley - filmography for the famed director and choreographer.
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