this film is lost! well... partially lost, it is. so how do I know Gold Diggers of Broadway? thanks to the wonderful invention of the DVD (in this case the Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2). It had the song 'Tip Toe through the Tulips' and the song of the climax of the movie.
the last weeks, I've been repeating the song 'Tip Toe through the Tulips' in my head. why? because I saw the fantastic trailer of Jack Smith's 'Flaming Creatures' on the music of the song mentioned before. however, that song is not in the movie (Flaming Creatures) itself. so I returned home very sad and I searched the net on the song (many times I found the version of the song sung by Tiny Tim - a revelation in fact).
but now I bought vol2 of Busby Berkeley and on the DVD of Gold Diggers of 1937 it was one of the extra's. what a beautiful extra this is! probably the best performed version of the song. wasn't Berkeley one of the crew members? it does have some of the known Berkeley factors, like the opening roses with dancers/singers in.
it's really a shame this movie is lost and I certainly hope one day somebody will find a secret place with all lost films ever made. in the hidden vault of Jack Warner perhaps (just joking)?
