Does your classic movie-watching habit need a little vim and verve? A little kick in the pants? Then may I suggest you dip your toe into the pre-Code zaniness that is the Busby Berkeley musical!
Before the censorship guidelines of the Hays Code were imposed on Hollywood movies in 1934, U.S. films had room to breathe, and could explore social issues and sexuality in often truly creative ways. The result is old movies that are sometimes ignored, yet feel very modern compared to many of their 1940s and ’50s counterparts.
“Gold Diggers of 1933” tells a conventional “let’s put on a show!” tale–hard-up Depression-era showgirls are trying desperately to get work. One of the women’s sweethearts is a great composer and singer, and also offers to finance the show they’re trying to put on. Once the guy’s rich relatives get wind of his plans and his romance with a “gold digger”, they swoop in to try to spoil everything. The women must use all their smarts (and other wiles) to outwit these pesky blue bloods.
What sets “Gold Diggers” apart is its fairly frank allusions to sex, its willingness to experiment with creative musical numbers, and the spectacle of the Busby Berkeley-choreographed musical numbers, complete with amazing and weird costumes and camera angles. There are also numerous references to the Depression and poverty, including a long socially-minded final musical number depicting the “Forgotten Man”, the soldier who came home from war and was left to fend for himself.
