Why was this film not titled Gold Diggers of 1934? It had many of the hallmarks that characterized the Berkeley hits of the early 1930s---songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, a cast including Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell and Guy Kibbee, yet another variation on the tried and true "How do we find a financial backer for our Broadway-worthy show?" plot line, and a generous presentation of Berkeley-inspired dance numbers with all those gorgeous girls in their best pre-code finery. At times, you could not help but feel that you had seen this before---and you probably did.
One possible explanation for the Dames title attached to this enjoyable confection is the fact that it was sandwiched in between two Berkeley films that signaled they were (or might be) part of an ongoing series of similar WB offerings. Dames was preceded by Fashions of 1934 directed by William Dieterle (not usually associated with this kind of material) featuring William Powell and a light role starring Bette Davis. It was followed by Gold Diggers of 1935 (Berkeley's solo effort as a film director) starring Dick Powell and Gloria Stuart and featuring the classic Warren-Dubin song The Lullaby of Broadway. It is certainly possible that WB may have been becoming sensitive to an accusation that any movie series (or even the appearance of one) could be criticized as being packaged, repetitive and lacking originality.
And what can we say about Dames? It is probably more "screwball" than most of the others in the Berkeley-WB 1930s canon. Dames definitely makes no attempt to tell a deep story--but who cares? With the usual WB Stock Company augmented by Zazu Pitts and Hugh Herbert, how could Dames miss as a top notch comedy musical? It had five.songs--three by Warren and Dubin---including the unforgettable I Only Have Eyes for You---one of the most splendid songs ever written for a film. That tune and the Dames title song were staged by Berkeley into exceptional rhythmic creations incorporating unique abstract designs that one critic called a "startlingly kaleidoscopic cacophony of geometric and floral mosaics." Another reviewer used the word " cinematerpsichorean"in an attempt to describe Berkeley's artistic triumph in Dames.
Berkeley was working at full throttle in the creation of Dames. What followed it may signal the beginning of a decline in his creativity. But Dames ranks among his greatest cinematic accomplishments.
One possible explanation for the Dames title attached to this enjoyable confection is the fact that it was sandwiched in between two Berkeley films that signaled they were (or might be) part of an ongoing series of similar WB offerings. Dames was preceded by Fashions of 1934 directed by William Dieterle (not usually associated with this kind of material) featuring William Powell and a light role starring Bette Davis. It was followed by Gold Diggers of 1935 (Berkeley's solo effort as a film director) starring Dick Powell and Gloria Stuart and featuring the classic Warren-Dubin song The Lullaby of Broadway. It is certainly possible that WB may have been becoming sensitive to an accusation that any movie series (or even the appearance of one) could be criticized as being packaged, repetitive and lacking originality.
And what can we say about Dames? It is probably more "screwball" than most of the others in the Berkeley-WB 1930s canon. Dames definitely makes no attempt to tell a deep story--but who cares? With the usual WB Stock Company augmented by Zazu Pitts and Hugh Herbert, how could Dames miss as a top notch comedy musical? It had five.songs--three by Warren and Dubin---including the unforgettable I Only Have Eyes for You---one of the most splendid songs ever written for a film. That tune and the Dames title song were staged by Berkeley into exceptional rhythmic creations incorporating unique abstract designs that one critic called a "startlingly kaleidoscopic cacophony of geometric and floral mosaics." Another reviewer used the word " cinematerpsichorean"in an attempt to describe Berkeley's artistic triumph in Dames.
Berkeley was working at full throttle in the creation of Dames. What followed it may signal the beginning of a decline in his creativity. But Dames ranks among his greatest cinematic accomplishments.