Throwback Thursday
and Busby Berkeley
William Enos
Berkeley was born on November 29, 1895 in Los Angeles, California. His parents
worked in the theater: Gertrude Berkeley was a stage actress and Francis Enos
ran a stock theater company. It was another actress, Amy Busby, who is said to
have given William the nickname “Busby” or “Buzz”. The origin of his nickname,
however will remain a mystery, since the space on his birth certificate for “Child’s
Name” is blank.
Busby
Berkeley made his stage debut at age five; along with his family, but by 1917
he was working as advertising manager in Massachusetts. In World War I he was a
field artillery lieutenant, and watching soldiers drill in formation may have
inspired his later choreography.
In the
1920s, Berkeley was dance director for more than two dozen Broadway muscials,
and his talent for choreographing complex kaleidoscopic movement patterns
began. His pieces were some of the largest on Broadway.
His work in
the movies began with Eddie Cantor musicals, where he introduced the “parade of
faces”: close-ups of each chorus girl. He also began filming his choreography
from above, a technique later used by June Taylor for her dancers on the Jackie
Gleason television show.
Later he
went on to direct films, such as Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949), that
starred Frank
Sinatra and Esther
Williams. In the early 1970s, he made a comeback, but died later that decade In Palm
Springs, California on March 14, 1976.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Factoid #175:
“Busby Berkeley was a choreographer famous for
his elaborate productions.”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“I wanted to
make people happy, if only for an hour.”
-
Busby
Berkeley
Help
expand the knowledge base!
Leave
a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!
My latest
books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.
Want to know
more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:
Or "Like" me on my
Facebook Author Page:
No comments:
Post a Comment