· Gold Diggers of 1935 · by Busby Berkeley @ Mary Riley Styles Library

Gold Diggers of 1935 isn’t, as the title may imply, a story about women chasing after wealthy men. No, it’s about everyone trying to squeeze some money out of everybody else, with the only exception being a pair of young lovers. As a posh summer resort prepares to open, the manager summons the staff to a meeting where he explains how he’ll be cheating all his employees. The department heads hold smaller meetings to give their workers the lowdown on how they’ll all surrender part of their earnings. When the guests arrive, they start trying to scam each other in a wacky series of misadventures. It’s entertaining chaos, and of course, as in all Busby Berkeley movies, there’s a show to be produced. This one is a charity fundraiser, and while there’s some disagreement about how the proceeds will be distributed, the show itself contains one of the choreographer’s most celebrated sequences, “Lullaby of Broadway.”

■ Title — Gold Diggers of 1935
■ Director — Busby Berkeley
■ Cast — Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart
■ Unrated, suitable for general audiences
■ ©1935 ■ 1h 35m ■ Comedy, Musical, Romance ■ black & white

A Busby Berkeley musical encore will follow the feature: “Don’t Say Goodnight” from Wonder Bar (1934).