The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley

During the Depression Era, Hollywood’s grandiose productions brought infinite comfort to the American public. One of the greats of this era was Busby Berkely, the visionary choreographer, famous for creating very unique visually explosive musical numbers based on geometric kaleidoscopic patterns. Berkeley used as many showgirls as he could find and filled the screen with dazzling props. Though he had no formal dancing training, Berkeley’s genius earned him the nickname of “Dr. Buzz, the show fixer”. In his new book “Buzz: The Life and art of Busby Berkeley” author Jeffrey Spivak explores the artist’s great successes as the choreographer of movies like “Gold Diggers” (1933) or “42nd Street”(1933), as well as his battle with drugs and alcohol and his involvement in a gruesome car accident that killed three people.

During the Depression Era, Hollywood’s grandiose productions brought infinite comfort to the American public. One of the greats of this era was Busby Berkely, the visionary choreographer, famous for creating very unique visually explosive musical numbers based on geometric kaleidoscopic patterns. Berkeley used as many showgirls as he could find and filled the screen with dazzling props. Though he had no formal dancing training, Berkeley’s genius earned him the nickname of “Dr. Buzz, the show fixer”. In his new book “Buzz: The Life and art of Busby Berkeley” author Jeffrey Spivak explores the artist’s great successes as the choreographer of movies like “Gold Diggers” (1933) or “42nd Street”(1933), as well as his battle with drugs and alcohol and his involvement in a gruesome car accident that killed three people.

Guest:

Jeffrey Spivak, author of Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley; film and travel writer