Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

 Mervyn LeRoy's "Gold Diggers of 1933"


Of all the early 1930s musicals that were made for Depression-era audiences, "Gold Diggers of 1933" probably has to be the most esteemed. The film was a mega-success for Warner Brothers and made a profit of $1,602,503. The success was so massive, they made sequels in "Gold Diggers of 1935" and "Gold Diggers of 1937." 

I found the musical to be a worthy watch, particularly for a commercial venture. The plot of the film is rather uninteresting: four aspiring actresses and an aspiring songwriter attempt to construct a musical by manipulating the songwriter's rich brother to finance the show. The notion of 'constructing the musical' was a very often used story structure for early 1930s musicals, of which I've seen before in 1929's first sound musical, "The Broadway Melody." However, what distinguishes "Gold Diggers of 1933" from other like-minded musicals of its time is its staged and choreographed Busby and Berkeley musical numbers. These incredibly visual musical sequences make the whole film what it is. 



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