Gold Diggers of 1933 (Warner Bros.) (1933)

CURRENT FEATURES. Dress Rehearsal for Movie Musical Differs From Stage Chorines in “Gold Diggers of 1933” Like Frightened Young Geese Hit by a Blizzard DRESS rehearsal for a musical number for a motion picture is not at all like a dress rehearsal for a musical num ber for the stage. It is like a dress rehearsal for a musical number for the stage—plus an electrician’s holiday, a cameraman’s pienie and a carpenter’s soiree. It is like a hundred kittens, you might say, getting tangled up in a couple of band saws. Or like a flock of young geese which suddenly hit a blizzard. Or it is like all of these together. ‘“Ten!’? cried Busby Berkeley, who is the dance director and creator of the choruses for the big musical numbers of Warner Bros.’ ‘‘Gold Diggers of 1933,’’ now at the............ Theatre. ‘‘I’ll give you all until I count ten to get on that stairway! D’you think we’re going to stay here all night? Ten, I say. Ten.’’ He waited a moment. “*One!’’ he said. A flock of young things in hellical silk skirts ran out from behind some stacked up props where they had been dressing on the giant stage and mounted the hellical stairway. The stairway was all in glittering colors. Lying carelessly at even intervals along its length were colored violins. The girls — the hundred houris in hellical skirts—were to play the violins while they danced the number. Only the numbers in this case are creations. ‘<Two,’’ cried Mr. Berkeley. Another flock of young human geese rushed out and onto the stairway. ‘‘Three!’’ cried Mr. Berkeley. And so on. And after a while—even before he reached the count of ten—they were all in their places, chattering away in their high little voices, their flushed faces, heated by the excitement, evident even beneath the greasepaint. They stood swishing their skirts around, trying the footing on the particular bit of stairway they were utiNuing, bowing toe Violins a hittie, too. | A Pretty Picture They made a pretty picture. Like a lot of swans flown suddenly down out of space—theatrical swans, out of theatrical space and for theatrical effects. High in the flies, and lying along the catwalks, electricians were moving the giant lamps in accordance with instructions given them from their fellows below. There were to be certain effects. The lights were to go out suddenly, to be replaced by different sorts of lights a moment later. The camera crew, not to be outdone, had mounted their cameras on a big boom, and were swinging it about like the neck of a prehistoric monster, ogling everything. They would run it up to a single girl, play a moment on her figure and face, and then draw off for a look at a group. Or they would swing it high above the whole group, looking down on them. Or they would worm it along the floor, looking up at an expanse of shapely legs. But at last everything was in readiness. And at a signal from Berkeley, a piano off on one side of the stage went rhythmically into the number. The girls, bowing the violins, began to dance, their billowing skirts making whirls and swirls about them against the glittering background. And then, at another signal from the dance director, the lights went out. : Something was wrong. The girl’s hadn’t been warned. They began to squeal in fright. The different effects lights went on, and the girls squealed some more. | Nothing Wrong | But nothing was wrong. That’s what had been expected of them. That, in short, was why they were having a dress rehearsal. The girls had to get used to being almost in the dark under those special lighting effects. “‘SHUT UP, WILL YOU!’ yelled their director. And they all quieted down at once. Obediently. The whole thing was repeated. Page Twenty-two Al Jolson’s Nerves Kept Ruby Keeler Off Screen Made Good In First Picture “42nd Street,” and Duplicates Success In “Gold Diggers of 1933” L JOLSON’S nerves kept Ruby Keeler off the screen for three years, but with her second picture for Warner Bros., ““Gold Diggers of 1933,’’ now showing at the Theatre, she is firmly launched on her picture career. She isn’t sorry she missed those three years, but she is glad she finally accepted a role in ‘‘42nd Street,’’ in which she proved a sensation and which led to her playing a leading role in ‘‘Gold | Diggers of 1933.’’ 3 OF A KIND 43 STARS — 3 GOLD DIGGERS ALINE MacMAHON, JOAN BLONDELL and RUBY KELLER, three members of the elaborate cast in Warner Bros. spectacular musical drama, “Gold Diggers of 1933.” Then they were called down to rest. The glaring lights were hot, and they were grateful for the respite. They sat about on high stools, placed especially for them, so their skirts wouldn’t wrinkle. Numerous wardrobe ladies were about to ’tend to anything that might have gone wrong with their customes. Hairdressers were about to struggle with loose and reealcitrant curls. And passing among them, Berkeley, quiet, reassuring. “‘H’ya, Phyllis. You did all right there. But don’t turn too quick. Donna, you watch Jayne. She gets too near to you. Crowd over a little to cover it up. Lynn, you’re swell.’’ And so on. Then up again on the stairway. Up again with the violins. The piano playing the gay number. The lights. Then the change of lights. And this time not a squeal. They were used to it now. Complete Success And the dance was finished. The rehearsal a complete success. ‘““Down off there now,’’ called Berkeley, ‘‘and every one of you here tomorrow at one o’clock for the take. On time, mind. Not five minutes after one. A hundred pairs of tired feet climbing down off the stairway. A hundred pairs of tired legs climbing out of circular silk skirts with hellical bands, which billowed and swayed with every movement of their hips. Then a hundred coats bundled about pretty forms—and the big dress rehearsal for one of the biggest musical pictures of all time was over. You’ll see this dazzling number, together with many others, will hear the sparkling tunes of Harry Warren and Al Dubin, will see one of greatest casts of all time, in ‘‘Gold Digevers OL 19a3h7 nat heer ak Theatre this week. Included in the east are Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks, Ginger Rogers and 200 beautiful girls. The picture was directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The adaptation was handled by Erwin Gelsey and James Seymour, from the play by Avery Hopwood. Out No.15 Uut4ie Mat 17 Busby Berkely, the Man Who Knows Women at a Glance Director of ‘Gold Diggers of 1933” Chorus Picks Film’s Beauties to Please All Tastes USBY BERKELEY is a man who knows women—at a glance. Many men do not recognize feminine beauty when they see it. Berkeley does recognize it, in all its many phases and because he does, he has become as famous for his beautiful choruses on the screen as he was for his ensembles on the New York stage. Berkeley’s appreciation of feminine beauty is an impersonal thing. It has to be, or the girls he picks for work in such pictures as ‘‘The Kid From Spain,”’ ‘‘42nd Street’’ or the ‘‘Gold Diggers of 1933,’’ the latter now showing at the Theatre, would all suit him and might not suit anyone else. Every man has his own idea of what a pretty woman should be like. It is Berkeley’s job to please them all—to find every possible type of beauty, the dark, the fair, the plump and the spare, the sprightly and the reserved. He looks at women through all men’s eyes and the secret of his surprising success lies in his ability to spot beauty in any form the minute he sees it. A thousand girls lined up for the first inspection on one of Warner Bros.’ studio stages, each girl anxious for a place in the new Berkeley chorus, which is a feature in the “Gold Diggers of 1933.” Down this long, curving line of potential screen material, Berkeley walked, slowly but steadily. The girls he wanted to consider were told to step out of line. The others were dismissed. Once those eliminated had left the stage, the process was repeated. This time there were less than half as many girls and Berkeley’s progress down the line was slower. Each succeeding elimination is more difficult as the applicants are gradually reduced to girls who have more or less undisputed claims to beauty of face and figure. Out of the original thousand, two hundred were finally selected. As the long line shortened, Berkeley took more and more time with each girl, studying face, figure, profile, ankles, knees, coloring and that invaluable but elusive something which he calls personality and with out which he says no merely “pretty” girl can be really beautiful nor a successful member of his chorus. With that particular “personality” even a girl with irregular features may pass Berkeley’s final test He makes no effort to find girls with equal figure measurements. Proportion is important, size is not. Berkeley builds his choruses through individual members, he does not search for individual members who can fit in a pre-determined mold. He plays no favorites. If there is one special kind of beauty which appeals to him personally more than another he has schooled himself never to show it. He knows that no two people see through the same eyes when it comes to judging feminine loveliness. So it develops that in the choruses for “Gold Diggers of 1933,” as well as in the choruses of “42nd Street,” the public sees girls of every style and kind of beauty. There are “show” girls and “pony” girls, blondes, brunettes and read heads, lively girls and languid girls, girls who are full of figure and slim, long legged girls. All picked because they represent a certain type of beauty and each picked because she will please all people generally and some people particularly. Picked by Busby Berkeley — the man who knows women—at a glance. Miss Keeler herself is very sweet about it—and very frank. ‘‘Tf you have watched Al work,’’ she says, ‘‘you know how nervous he is. He’s the most nervous man in the world when he’s making a picture. I just knew it wouldn’t do to have him worrying about my part as well as his own.’? Not long after Ruby Keeler married the famous comedian, then in the heyday of his screen popularity, it was suggested that she play a part in the picture ‘‘Mammy,’’ which Jolson was about to start. It was generally supposed that she considered it seriously for a time. She says now that she never believed it wise or possible. Her reasons are those already quoted. Al, she found, became a bundle of nerves during the making of a picture and when she had definitely said ‘‘no’’ to the Warner Bros. proposal, she packed up and went to New York to take a stage part that had been offered. She gave it.up, however, and returned to Al and to Hollywood when ‘‘Mammy’’ finished and Al’s nerves uncoiled. | Ruby’s Intuition | Almost every time Jolson made or planned to make a picture, Ruby Keeler was suggested as the logical one to appear opposite him. Al never refused to consider that suggestion. It was Ruby who used her woman’s intuition each time to decide against it. That was the combination that kept Ruby off the screen so long — Al’s nerves and Ruby’s intuition. She doesn’t say as much but one guesses that Ruby had decided against starting her screen career in one of her husband’s pictures. She continued to be considered for this role and that, however, but every time some offer seemed about to be forthcoming, Al would be off for New York or Europe and Ruby would go happily along, content to be with him and to let her career go hang. A proposed role in a Fox picture, really paved the way for her eventual appearance on the screen. For that role and for a United Artists studio role, Ruby had made recent tests although she had finally turned the offers down. She happened to mention this fact to an executive of the Warner Bros. studios, when she found herself seated next to him at the fights. It was the night of the day in which she had rejected these opportunities. The executive, who was just then planning the production ‘42nd Street’’ asked if he might see the tests and suid that he might have a part for her. | Actually Signed | Somewhat to Ruby’s surprise, Al, who had always seemed willing to have her play a screen role, actually was willing this time and almost before she knew it she had signed a contract for a part in the ‘42nd Street’’ picture. Although she knew nearly everyone in the film colony, Ruby knew almost nothing about studios. She had visited Al on the set occasionally when she first came to Hollywood but she never stayed to watch him work after she learned her presence made him nervous before the cameras and microphones. She came to the studio that first day strictly ‘‘on her own.’’ and started out courageously to learn her way about. She looked frail and a little frightened and she was as nervous as Al Jolson has ever thought of being. Al, whose own temperament had kept Ruby off the screen so long, proved himself a real trouper in this instance by staying away most of the time. He gave no advice ‘and paid few visits to the ‘‘42nd Street’? set. When Ruby went west again to make her second picture, ‘‘Gold Diggers of 1933,’’ Al Jolson stayed behind in the east to complete a series of radio broadcasts for which he had been contracted. Two of Ruby’s four sisters went with her to keep her company, both at home and at the studio. Al Jolson’s nerves would no longer keep her off the screen. The girl who valued her married happiness too highly to risk even a little bit of it by starting her screen career in her husband’s pictures, had finally made good on her own. initiative and in her own name.