GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 [1933 / 2022] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
The Greatest Musical Spectacle Ever Presented On Stage Or Screen!
Dick Powell joins Oscar and Golden Globe-nominee Joan Blondell in this Oscar-nominated musical about three chorus girls who recruit a millionaire to keep their show going and help in their pursuit to marry rich husbands.
A Broadway producer has the talent, the tunes, the theatre and everything else he needs to put on a show – except the dough. Not to worry, say Ginger Rogers and the other leggy chorines decked out in giant coins. Everyone will soon be singing “We're in the Money.”
Soon after ‘42nd Street,’ the brothers Warner again kicked the Depression blues out the stage door and into a back alley. Mervyn Le Roy directs the snappy non-musical portions involving three wonderfully silly love matches including Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. And Busby Berkeley brings his peerless magic to the production numbers; his camera swooping and gliding to showstoppers that are naughty “Pettin' in the Park,” neon-lit “The Shadow Waltz” and soul-searing “Remember My Forgotten Man.” Solid cinema gold!
Another treat from one of the greatest motion picture choreographers of all-time, Busby Berkeley.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1934 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Sound Recording for Nathan Levinson (sound director). 2003 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry for ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933.’
FILM FACT No.2: ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ was originally to be called ‘High Life,’ and George Brent was an early casting idea for the role played by Warren William. Early drafts of the screenplay focused on the sensual elements of the story, and subsequent drafts gradually began adding more of the narrative taking place behind the scenes of the show. When ‘42nd Street’ turned out to be a big success, the studio decided to make ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ into a musical. The film was made for an estimated $433,000 at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, and went into general release on the 27th May, 1933.
Cast: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks, Ginger Rogers, Robert Agnew (uncredited), Loretta Andrews (uncredited), Monica Bannister (uncredited), Bonnie Bannon (uncredited), Joan Barclay (uncredited), Billy Barty (uncredited), Busby Berkeley (uncredited), Bonnie Blackwood (uncredited), Eric Blore (uncredited), Audrene Brier (uncredited), Lynn Browning (uncredited), Edna Callahan (uncredited), Maxine Cantway (uncredited), Margaret Carthew (uncredited), Margaret Cathew (uncredited), Hobart Cavanaugh (uncredited), Kathy Cunningham (uncredited), Virginia Dabney (uncredited), Mildred Dixon (uncredited), Patricia Douglas (uncredited), Marlo Dwyer (uncredited), Jay Eaton (uncredited), Bill Elliott (uncredited), Gloria Faythe (uncredited), June Gittelson (uncredited), June Glory (uncredited), Sam Godfrey (uncredited), Muriel Gordon (uncredited), Ferdinand Gottschalk (uncredited), Jane Hamilton (uncredited), Theresa Harris (uncredited), Grace Hayle (uncredited), Sterling Holloway (uncredited), Ann Hovey (uncredited), Amo Ingraham (uncredited), Peaches Jackson (uncredited), Alice Jans (uncredited), Fred Kelsey (uncredited), Margaret La Marr (uncredited), Adele Lacy (uncredited), Charles Lane (uncredited), Lorena Layson (uncredited), Cynthia Lindsay (uncredited), Wallace MacDonald (uncredited), Wilbur Mack (uncredited), Mae Madison (uncredited), Helen Mann (uncredited), Lorraine Marshall (uncredited), Frank Mills (uncredited), Ebba Mona (uncredited), Etta Moten (uncredited), Margie Murphy (uncredited), Marietta Myers (uncredited), Clarence Nordstrom (uncredited), Dorothy O'Connell (uncredited), Dennis O'Keefe (uncredited), Ty Parvis (uncredited), Leona Pennington (uncredited), Alexander Pollard (uncredited), Donna Mae Roberts (uncredited), Churchill Ross (uncredited), Marion Sayers (uncredited), Jayne Shadduck (uncredited), Bee Stevens (uncredited), Anita Thompson (uncredited), Fred 'Snowflake' Toones (uncredited), Dorothy Coonan Wellman (uncredited), Billy West (uncredited), Stanhope Wheatcroft (uncredited), Dorothy White (uncredited), Renee Whitney (uncredited), Charles C. Wilson (uncredited), Pat Wing (uncredited), Jack Wise (uncredited) and Tammany Young (uncredited)
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Producers: Jack L. Warner, Raymond Griffith (uncredited) and Robert Lord
Screenplay: Erwin Gelsey (screenplay), James Seymour (screenplay), Ben Markson (dialogue), David Boehm (dialogue) and Avery Hopwood (based on a play)
Costume Design and Wardrobe: Orry-Kelly (gowns), Eugene Joseff (costume jewellery) (uncredited) and Joseff-Hollywood (costume jewellery) (uncredited)
Cinematography: Sol Polito, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 97 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ [1933] Finds America in the thick of the Great Depression, and Broadway has grinded to a halt. New York City’s overrun with young, pretty dancers who don’t have a show, and are struggling to pay their rent. This includes a cadre of roommates whose last production was shut down by debt collectors before it had a chance to open. One of the girls, Polly Parker [Ruby Keeler], has fallen hard for an aspiring songwriter, Brad Roberts [Dick Powell], who lives across the alley — a young man who, it turns out, mysteriously has a line on the cash that everyone else seems to lack.
Brad Roberts becomes an angel investor for a new show that he’s co-writing — until the men who know his true identity come to New York to stop the show, and prevent his marriage to the comely showgirl. It’s up to her performer friends Fay Fortune [Ginger Rogers], Trixie Lorraine [Aline MacMahon] and Carol King [Joan Blondell] to run interference on these wealthy interlopers and marvellous Barney Hopkins [Ned Sparks[, who like the film itself, combines Depression exhaustion with optimism.
And then there is stuffy J. Lawrence Bradford [Warren William] finds himself falling for Polly's roommate Carol... meanwhile, the show must go on! And what a show, packed with amazing numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley. From the opening moments of Ginger Rogers singing “We're in the Money” in Pig Latin to the final stirring, kaleidoscopic "”Forgotten Man” number, this film has it all and much much more.
I especially love “The Shadow Waltz,” with neon-lit violins forming patterns in the dark, and of course the score is by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. Legend has it that the filming of that sequence was interrupted by the Long Beach Earthquake in March 1933.
The supporting cast includes Guy Kibbee and Etta Moten, who sings part of the “Forgotten Man” number. Future cowboy star "Wild Bill" Elliott as a Night Club Patron can be spotted in the background in a nightclub scene. Among the chorus girls is Dorothy Coonan Wellman, who married director William Wellman the following year; they had seven children, including William Wellman Jr., who I seen here performing in “The Shadow Waltz.”
‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ is a splendid well done film all-round, not just as a film musical but as a film overall too of what goes on behind the scenes in putting on a Broadway show. Of the Busby Berkeley-choreographed films ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ is one of the best, on par with the brilliant ‘42nd Street’ film. The choreography will dazzle you with its kaleidoscopic style which is also ground-breaking. It is beautifully produced, well shot throughout and totsally glitzy and true to period production values.
The characters are appealing, and the performances also. Ruby Keeler never was the great singer or dancer, much has been said about her stomp foot-work and her inability to sing in tune or even in the right key, but her natural charm and innocence are enough to win one over. Dick Powell is handsome in looks and voice, and characterises in a charming and good-natured way, a good partner for Keeler and they are very convincing together. Joan Blondell is very sassy in her general acting here, and still manages to be affecting in her final number, and Etta Moten is similarly likable. Gold Diggers of 1933 is also directed with total command and assured style by Mervyn Leroy who shows himself to be an ideal choice for directing the film.
Released shortly before the Legion of Decency essentially turned the Hays Code into Hollywood law, ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ is one of the raciest and even funniest musicals of Thirties. The summary above deliberately danced around details, as we wouldn’t want to spoil what little plot the movie contains — but the non-musical sections largely revolve around the resourceful “gold diggers” engaging in screwball antics, and perpetuating a case of mistaken identity. There’s lots of drunken tomfoolery and out-and-out innuendo — all four girls, but especially Blondell and MacMahon, have excellent comedic timing, and great foils in Warren William and Guy Kibbee, who are more charming than villainous. Hot dog – we haven’t even gotten to the Busby Berkeley numbers which look truly spectacular with its pristine 1080p black-and-white image, that look like it was filmed for a modern audience!
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE GOLD DIGGERS’ SONG (We're in the Money) (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Al Dubin) [Played during the opening credits and often in the score] [Performed by Ginger Rogers in English and Pig-Latin and chorus] [Played also as dance music by a band]
SHADOW WALTZ (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Al Dubin) [Sung by Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and chorus] [Reprised also in the show]
I’VE GOT TO SING A TORCH SONG (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Al Dubin) [Played during the opening credits] [Sung by Dick Powell] [Played also as dance music]
PETTIN’ IN THE PARK (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Al Dubin) [Performed by Ruby Keeler and Clarence Nordstrom in rehearsal, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Aline MacMahon, Billy Barty and chorus in the show]
REMEMBER MY FORGOTTEN MAN (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Al Dubin) [Performed by Etta Moten, 'Joan Blondell' and chorus with spoken word by Joan Blondell]
UNTITLED (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) [Played after Barney asks Brad if he has any other song]
HIGH LIFE (1933) (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) [Played when Carol suggests that Lawrence thinks the dancing is vulgar]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Archive Collection presents the film ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ with a stunning black-and-white 1080p image and of course shown in the standard 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The picture quality is absolutely pristine with startling sharpness and a grayscale that offers exceptional black levels and beautifully bright whites. The details in and out of the wardrobe are all visible, the backgrounds are dominant, textures in clothing, and even the shadows in the theatre are all visible with fine textures throughout. Shadows are thick and atmospheric throughout. Everything about this production shines in High Definition. Enjoy!
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ with the standard 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience. The sound mix has the fidelity of early sound recording, but problems from the era such as hiss, crackle, pops, and flutter have been practically eliminated. Dialogue and song lyrics have been well recorded and it appears a great deal of the solo singing seems to have been done live and have been mixed with the music and the sound effects with great aplomb.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: FDR's New Deal... Broadway Bound [2006] [1080p] [1.37:1] [15:36] This special feature was originally created for a Warner Bros. DVD edition, and features a few contemporary admirers of the film and includes some directors as well as a film historian and discuss the film's pre-Code material, valuable contributions by Busby Berkeley, the pre-Code material that wouldn't pass muster a year later, and the “Forgotten Man” number in which they tell of the riots of veteran World War I soldiers during the Hoover administration and also of many of those unemployed waiting in soup kitchens for some grub that inspired this particular number. Also Ginger Rogers' Pig Latin improvisation of "We're in the Money" that inspired Busby Berkeley to put it in the film and its representation of Depression-era culture and also Roosevelt's New Deal plan to get the economy rolling again. Contributors include: Rick Jewell [Professor of Film/Author], John Kendrick [Musical Theatre/Film Historian], Martin Rubin [Author], John Landis [Writer/Director], Randy Skinner [Director/Choreographer], Larry Billman [Author/Archivist], Richard Barrios [Author/Film Historian], John Waters [Director] and Marry Ann Kellogg [Choreographer].
Special Feature: Vintage Warner Bros. Cartoon: We're in the Money [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:46] After the last human has left the department store, the toys walk over to the music department where they start performing the Harry Warren and Al Dubin song “We're in the Money.” The money soon joins for a chorus, as well as display dolls in the wardrobe department. There’s also a doll doing a Mae West imitation. ‘We’re in the Money’ is entirely built around the catchy opening tune of the Warner Bros. Pictures musical ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933.’ Directors: Isadore “Friz” Freeling and Larry Martin. Producer: Leon Schlesinger. Composer: Frank Marsales. Animators: Isadore “Friz” Freleng and Larry Martin.
Special Feature: Vintage Warner Bros. Cartoon: Pettin' in the Park [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:00] The cartoon begins with the song “Pettin' in the Park,” that was featured in the 1933 film ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933.’ The first part of the cartoon has to do with the song itself, and someone loving another person of the opposite sex. The second part has to do with different birds in a swimming contest in the public park pond. Director: Bernard Brown. Producer: Leon Schlesinger. Composer: Norman Spencer. Animators: Bob Clampett and Jack King.
Special Feature: Vintage Warner Bros. Cartoon: I've Got to Sing a Torch Song [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:43] The cartoon features the song, "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song," written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. A series of celebrity sketches set at a radio station. Some unorthodox calisthenics including corset tightening, cradle rocking, and stock ticker reading, start the action. Bing Crosby sings from his bathtub to adoring women. A quick world tour shows us the Shanghai Police trying hard to sleep on the job, a cannibal tuning in a cooking show, an Eskimo hooking a whale, and a sultan changing the station from belly dancing music to Amos and Andy. A safe-cracker has an unexpected twist on the title song. He's followed up by Greta Garbo, Zasu Pitts, and Mae West. Throughout, Ed Wynn keeps announcing that it's 8 o'clock. Greta Garbo concludes the cartoon by saying That's all, folks! The animation was supervised by Jack King and produced by Leon Schlesinger. The musical score was composed by Bernard B. Brown and Norman Spencer. It premiered on the 23rd September, 1933.
Special Feature: Vintage Warner Bros. Short: Rambling 'Round Radio Row [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [9:11] Coming back from an Ocean trip to New York, Loyce Whiteman, Harry Barris and Art Jarrett decide to visit composer Burton Lane, who is also aboard to rehearse a little. Saxophonists Benny Krueger and Rudy Wiedhoeft meet and joke with their instruments, also commenting on prohibition. Songstress Sylvia Froos is singing at home while reading the paper. When she reads a story about a new scandal involving another young performer, she is glad that the press will never find out about her new pyjamas, but then a reporter shows up from under her bed.
Special Feature: Vintage Warner Bros. Short: The 42nd Street Special [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [5:45] This short documentary film is part of a publicity campaign for the film ‘42nd Street’ [1933], sees the send-off with the assistance of the General Electric Corporation, assembled a 7-car gold and silver-plated train they called “The 42nd. Street Special.” This short film records the send-off for this trip from Los Angeles' Santa Fe Station. Using a microphone set up on the rear platform of the last car, several people addressed the crowd attending the event. Those making remarks include numerous Warner Bros. contract stars as passengers, studio executives, and especially John C. Porter, the mayor of Los Angeles. The train is on a marathon tour across the USA. It was scheduled to make stops in more than 100 cities, ending in Washington, D.C. for the March 1933 inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Contributors include: Jack Warner Jr., Miss Bette Durkee, Preston Foster, Miss Claire Dodd, Miss Bette Davis, Leo Carrillo, Miss Eleanor Holm, Miss Laura La Plante, John C. Porter, Lyle Talbot, Jack L. Warner and Darryl F. Zanuck.
Special Feature: Vintage Warner Bros. Short: Lita Grey Chaplin in Seasoned Greetings [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [19:47] Fascinating little short involving a small greeting card store run by Lita Grey Chaplin next to an underhanded but formidable competitor and is trying to stay ahead of the competition by creating new ways to deliver a musical number to the audience. Lita Grey Chaplin tries a novel idea, that her cards will be short recorded messages or songs on flexible gramophone records. This proves successful, and many people use them, including The Village Barn Hill Billies and Lita Grey Chaplin herself. As the musical numbers pile up, we are given a bizarre closing sketch involving a very young and second billed Sammy Davis, Jr. and his encounter with one of Lita Grey Chaplin's stationery creations. A second brainstorm is to press the discs in chocolate. These attract young children, including toddler Sammy Davis Jnr., and downs a record and a phonograph needle, and subsequently, sings the “St. Louis Blues” emanate from his body, for which he is hospitalized. By the way, it's more interesting, knowing that the performer Sammy Davis, Jr. what he will become in later life with is career. Contributors include: Lita Grey Chaplin, Carleton Macy, The Sizzlers, Harlan Briggs, Robert Cummings, Sammy Davis Jr., George Haggerty, The Village Barn Hill Billies, Claire Carleton and Suzanne Kaaren.
Theatrical Trailer [1933] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:41] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933.’
Special Feature: Song Selection: Here you can get instant access to all of the main songs performed in the ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ film.
Finally, with the ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ film, the Busby Berkeley’s musical numbers look even more wonderful in 1080p on this Warner Archive Collection’ new Blu-ray, which is the most important aspect of this release. It’s made even better by a hefty serving of extras, including a mini-documentary about the film’s production pulled from a prior DVD release, a trio of Warner Bros. cartoons that recycled songs from this movie for comedic effect, and three older shorts with content that ties into the main feature. “Seasoned Greetings” features an incredibly young Sammy Davis Jr. in a small role. All in all, it is a truly great package —recommended for fans of pre-Code comedies, and essential for any Busby Berkeley devotees. Though my favourite Busby Berkeley film is ‘Footlight Parade,’ but ‘GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933’ certainly has a lot to offer, even for audiences today. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
