So inventive was choreographer Busby Berkeley that film studios gave him carte blanc when handling his dancing numbers. In his sixth Hollywood film, his second with comedian/singer Eddie Cantor, in the November 1932 movie "The Kid From Spain," Berkeley amps up his dancing routines by introducing for the first time in his career a water backdrop. The film's opening shows a bevy of college co-eds waking up from their slumbers to begin their school day, giving Berkeley the opportunity to show off the 'Goldwyn Girls' in an elaborate upstairs pool, performing their synchronized kaleidoscope patterns in the water.
From the beginning of his Hollywood career in 1930's "Whoopee!" Berkeley was given a certain amount of independence to create his elaborate dance routines. The directors, such as Leo McCarey in "The Kid From Spain," handed him a truncated script and penned in where his musical numbers would appear. Working alongside musical composers Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar in "The Kid From Spain," Berkeley set out to design his dance formations to fit the narrative. After the Goldwyn Girls, named after producer Samuel Goldwyn, who financed the Cantor film, performed their jaw-dropping swimming routine, they proceeded to dress when they discover Eddie under their bed sheets.
As in many of his future films, Berkeley was given the opportunity to design additional dance numbers near the end of "The Kid From Spain." The film also highlight the early talents of 28-year-old cinematographer Greg Toland. His camerawork shows an expertise in both framing and focus, soon making him one of the most sought-after cinematographers in town. The combination of Berkeley and Toland's work, along with the popularity of Cantor himself, made "The Kid From Spain" the number one box office movie for 1932.
The film's plot follows Cantor playing Eddie William, who's kicked out of college for his outrageous behavior right before graduation. He's wrongly accused of being part of a bank robbery gang and flees to Mexico, disguising himself as an experienced matador. The movie includes an exciting one-of-a-kind bullfight, where he's forced to fight a raging killer bull.
"The Kid From Spain" introduced actress Jane Wyman in her film debut, this as a Goldwyn Girl. The future wife of Ronald Reagan was born and raised in Missouri by foster parents. At 15, she left them for Hollywood for a series of odd jobs where she was briefly part of the Goldwyn's dancing troupe with regulars Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard and Toby Wing. Goldwyn insisted, "every Goldwyn Girl look as though she had just stepped out of a bathtub. There must be a kind of a radiant scrubbed cleanliness about them which rules out all artificiality." It certainly helped the dancers' popularity by appearing in the number one hit for 1932.
From the beginning of his Hollywood career in 1930's "Whoopee!" Berkeley was given a certain amount of independence to create his elaborate dance routines. The directors, such as Leo McCarey in "The Kid From Spain," handed him a truncated script and penned in where his musical numbers would appear. Working alongside musical composers Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar in "The Kid From Spain," Berkeley set out to design his dance formations to fit the narrative. After the Goldwyn Girls, named after producer Samuel Goldwyn, who financed the Cantor film, performed their jaw-dropping swimming routine, they proceeded to dress when they discover Eddie under their bed sheets.
As in many of his future films, Berkeley was given the opportunity to design additional dance numbers near the end of "The Kid From Spain." The film also highlight the early talents of 28-year-old cinematographer Greg Toland. His camerawork shows an expertise in both framing and focus, soon making him one of the most sought-after cinematographers in town. The combination of Berkeley and Toland's work, along with the popularity of Cantor himself, made "The Kid From Spain" the number one box office movie for 1932.
The film's plot follows Cantor playing Eddie William, who's kicked out of college for his outrageous behavior right before graduation. He's wrongly accused of being part of a bank robbery gang and flees to Mexico, disguising himself as an experienced matador. The movie includes an exciting one-of-a-kind bullfight, where he's forced to fight a raging killer bull.
"The Kid From Spain" introduced actress Jane Wyman in her film debut, this as a Goldwyn Girl. The future wife of Ronald Reagan was born and raised in Missouri by foster parents. At 15, she left them for Hollywood for a series of odd jobs where she was briefly part of the Goldwyn's dancing troupe with regulars Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard and Toby Wing. Goldwyn insisted, "every Goldwyn Girl look as though she had just stepped out of a bathtub. There must be a kind of a radiant scrubbed cleanliness about them which rules out all artificiality." It certainly helped the dancers' popularity by appearing in the number one hit for 1932.