University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Theatre & Dance ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2-9-2010 Cinema Dance: The evelopmeD nt of an art form as defined yb Busby Berkeley's work with the Hollywood musical during the Great Depression Carol Bender Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/thea_etds Recommended Citation Bender, Carol. "Cinema Dance: The eD velopment of an art form as defined by Busby Berkeley's work with the Hollywood musical during the Great Depression." (2010). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/thea_etds/1 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theatre & Dance ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Carol Bender Candidate Theatre and Dance Department This thesis is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Thesis Committee: , Chairperson CINEMA DANCE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ART FORM AS DEFINED BY BUSBY BERKELEY’S WORK WITH THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION BY CAROL BENDER BACHELORS OF ARTS, DANCE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, MAY 14, 2005 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Theatre and Dance The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico December, 2009 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I heartily acknowledge Brian Eugenio Herrera for continuing to encourage me. Your guidance will remain with me as I continue my intellectual pursuit in the arts. I also thank my committee members, Mary Anne Santos Newhall, Jennifer Predock-Linnell, and Donna Jewell, for their support and assistance in my professional development. To Mary Cianflone and Erica Ocegueda for all of your help and encouragement. To my mother, father, brother, grandmother, grandfather and all those who have given me immeasurable support over the years. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated. To Matt, for putting up with me as I spent countless hours working while you patiently held my hand. Thank you. iii CINEMA DANCE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ART FORM AS DEFINED BY BUSBY BERKELEY’S WORK WITH THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION BY CAROL BENDER ABSTRACT OF THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Theatre and Dance The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico December, 2009 iv CINEMA DANCE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ART FORM AS DEFINED BY BUSBY BERKELEY’S WORK WITH THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION by Carol Bender B.A., Theatre and Dance, University of New Mexico, 2005 M.A., Theatre and Dance, University of New Mexico, 2009 Abstract Dance in entertainment film media, cinema dance, is a hot topic in the current arts world, originating from dance in Hollywood films. Cinema dance developed from the Hollywood musicals of the 1930s, where the camera became a partner in the dance, rather than a piece of equipment that captured dance. The largest contributor to the development of the camera as a partner in the dance was Busby Berkeley. Utilizing technological advancements in film and the growing popularity of the Hollywood musical during the Great Depression, Busby Berkeley clarified the art of cinema dance through the coordination of dance and camera movement. Connections between camera movement, editing techniques and dance movement are evident when analyzing Hollywood musicals. The progression of technology combined with the creation and use of new social dance styles allowed dance in film to v develop within the context of dance history. The story of cinema dance unfolds when looking at the social aspects of the world in which it existed in along with dissecting the films in it resides. The American social world deeply changed during the Great Depression, affecting the world of dance existing in the United States. Film media allowed dance to prosper and live on. Dance was no longer confined to the dynamic of a static theatrical stage and limited audience size. Development of new social and theatrical dance styles transferred to film media through connection. Examining the components inherent in cinema dance clarifies the development of dance in film, keeping the art of cinema dance alive in a technological world. Deep formal analysis of specific musical numbers from critical films in Busby Berkeley’s work in Hollywood musicals clarifies the distinct form of cinema dance from other types of dance on film. Analysis of specific films from different stages of Berkeley’s career is fundamental in defining the elements that cinema dance is based upon. These films are also vital because they are all from the early 1930’s, which is when the base for cinema dance was truly formed. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................................... III CAROL BENDER........................................................................................................................................V TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................................VII LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ VIII INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................1 Literature Review ..................................................................................................................................7 Goals....................................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1: THE ELEMENTS OF CINE-DANCE..............................................................................12 Film and dance.....................................................................................................................................12 Choreography ......................................................................................................................................14 Film Choreography..............................................................................................................................19 Editing Techniques ..............................................................................................................................25 Sound: The Music of the Hollywood Musical .....................................................................................28 CHAPTER 2: THE 1930S, HOLLYWOOD AND SOCIAL DANCE ....................................................32 Hollywood and the Depression............................................................................................................32 Dance in the Depression ......................................................................................................................36 Social Dance ........................................................................................................................................39 The Hollywood Musical ......................................................................................................................41 The man who made it a spectacle ........................................................................................................44 From War to Hollywood......................................................................................................................47 Berkeley’s contribution to cinema dance.............................................................................................50 CHAPTER 3: THE ART FORM...............................................................................................................54 Importance of analysis.........................................................................................................................54 Whoopee!.............................................................................................................................................56 42nd Street ............................................................................................................................................59 Dames ..................................................................................................................................................67 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................71 APPENDIX A ..............................................................................................................................................73 Table 1 .................................................................................................................................................73 Deep formal analysis of “Stetsons” from Whoopee! ...........................................................................73 APPENDIX B ..............................................................................................................................................75 Table 2 .................................................................................................................................................75