Busby Berkeley

A completely wasted weekend.

Our cable company used to bring us TCM and I got a lot of old musicals on my Tivo.  Some of my favorites I put on my iPod for future viewing.

This weekend, my husband had to work 12 hours each day and I had a Busby Berkeley "festival".  I recently discovered Footlight Parade.  That was one of the first ones I rewatched this weekend.  I decided that I wanted the soundtrack, too, so I found something on iTunes called Lullaby Of Broadway: The Best Of Busby Berkeley At Warner Bros. which I promptly downloaded and listened to a few times.  That "CD" includes Honeymoon Hotel, Beside a Waterfall and Shanghai Lil - the 3 big numbers in this movie.

Then I decided I wanted a clip of Honeymoon Hotel for my iPod so I went to youtube.  I didn't find the original but I found a cartoon version (now on my iPod!) featuring ladybugs and pretty racy for a cartoon.

Then, I settled in to watch other movies in between taking the dog out for walks and playtime.

Also in Footlight Parade, a clip about a couple cats on a backyard fence...

And By a Waterfall:

Besides Footlight Parade, I saw Yankee Doodle Dandy, Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames, and some regular TV.

From Gold Diggers (these were all pre-Hays Code. Parents beware!  LOL):

 

Also from Gold Diggers.  The very moving finale:

 

DH called a little while ago and asked what I did with my day... what a waste!

I was certainly born in the wrong era.  I should have been a singer/dancer a few generations ago.  Of course, Cushing's would have quashed any possible talent I might have developed.

When I was in high school and had an allowance and access to a bus, I would go to the library and check out all the musicals I could.  The ones I liked I would buy in the store and play them over and over, memorizing the words, singing along, pretending...

I still have the records (although favorites are being replaced on my iPod by old replacement CDs or I've bought again on iTunes or amazon) and I still know all the words.