Journey back to the early days of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and the Warner Bros.’ support of FDR by examining three films which reflect that support: Lloyd Bacon’s 42nd Street (1933); Gold Diggers of 1933, directed by Mervyn LeRoy; and Footlight Parade (1933) also directed by Bacon. Each production showcases the elaborate staging of musical numbers by co-director Busby Berkeley, providing Depression-era audiences with an escape into a wondrous dreamscape. These films reflect the times in which they were made, in pre-code (censorship) Hollywood, including aspects not politically correct today. They provide a window into a time where daily life was grim, and Hollywood and the promise of the New Deal helped audiences persevere.
Course Code
509620