History Main / BusbyBerkeleyNumber

One of his trademarks was to drill a hole in the ceiling to take direct shots of the dancers from above ([[OlderThanTheyThink before Orson Welles made the camera lower]] with a hole in the floor) while they moved in intricate patterns.

* The last part of the final stanza of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', is intended to invoke a Busby Berkeley Number, even if the visual elements aren't there. The "animal tower" especially is reminiscent of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=707VxB-ek4Q#t=7m28s this part of "By A Waterfall"]].

* In the WesternAnimation/{{PixarShort|s}} "Partysaurus Rex", several of the bath toys dive off the edge of the bathtub one after the other ''a la'' Berkeley.

Creator/BusbyBerkeley was a former theater actor who served in World War I as an artillery lieutenant. There, he learned how to get large groups of people to move in sync. This helped him when he went to Broadway and set up some of the most elaborate dancing numbers in the history of theater, with only Florenz Ziegfeld coming close. When he went to film, he topped even that, thanks to cameras being able to shoot where people couldn't sit, using more ChorusGirls than could ever fit on an ordinary stage. (In 1971 he was once again credited on Broadway for choreographing the revival of ''No, No, Nanette'', but this was InNameOnly.)

* Harry Solomon performed one in a DreamSequence in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''.

* The ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''' MusicalEpisode has the songs ''Welcome to Sacred Heart'' and ''Friends Forever''. The first one, in particular, makes good use of overhead shots.
* Harry Solomon performed one in a DreamSequence in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''.

* The closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics featured, near the end of the telecast, a parade of everything [[CanadaEh stereotypically Canadian]] set to a jazzy air of "The Maple Leaf Forever", that the American anchor specifically called "Creator/BusbyBerkeley meets Canadia." With dancing mounties, giant hockey players and flying moose. And giant, inflatable squirrels.
* In one run of the newscasting game in ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'', Ryan Stiles' role is that he's always wanted to star in a Creator/BusbyBerkeley musical. The audience is then treated to a dance inspired by the forecast of "sunny days ahead", which includes an overhead shot of Ryan doing snow-angel and running-in-place motions while lying on the floor. Creator/BusbyBerkeley has come up in multiple episodes of both the American and British versions of the show, particularly (of course) during the musical games.
* In ''Series/TheArmandoIannucciShows'', a vision of heaven features a Creator/BusbyBerkeley routine [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1fG1UFME2o "performed" by corpses.]]

* In ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'', the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92538NJ0lbE West Covina]]" song ends with a giant Busby Berkely Number and the main character sitting on a giant pretzel.

* In a rare case of cross cultural osmosis, the traditional [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgHmSdpjEIk "Thousand Handed Goddess"]] dance routine from China draws a lot from this trope.
* In ''Theatre/TheDrowsyChaperone'', the [[LemonyNarrator Man in Chair]] refers to "The Bride's Lament" number as "a little Busby Berkeley, a little Jane Goodall".

* In the WesternAnimation/{{PixarShort|s}} "Partysaurus Rex", several of the bath toys dive off the edge of the bathtub one after the other ''a la'' Berkeley.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony'' pilot Special "Rescue at Midnight Castle" (AKA "Firefly's Adventure") features one of these performed by the Sea Ponies.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has done one or two, such as "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E14SuitedForSuccess Art of the Dress]]", when Rarity makes the poniquins dance around her with her magic.

* The Dalton's dream sequence in the animated ComicBook/LuckyLuke film ''"WesternAnimation/LaBalladeDesDalton" (1978)'' also has a Berkeleyesque swimming and dance number.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'' episode "[[Recap/MickeyMouseS4E20RollEm Roll 'Em"]], Mickey and Minnie stumble onto the set of a synchronized swimming number at one point.

* "Too Marvelous For Words" from ''Film/ReadyWillingAndAble'' had Ruby Keeler and Lee Dixon dancing on the keys of a giant typewriter with the legs of sixteen ChorusGirls typing out the lyrics. Oddly enough, Warner Bros. didn't get Creator/BusbyBerkeley to do this movie.

* Creator/KennethBranagh's version of ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'' has several dance sequences, but ''No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)'' stands out as another Esther Williams Number.

* ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' has a bowling-themed number like this as one of The Dude's dream sequences, which not only references choreography from specific dances, but also Berkeley's [[ShownTheirWork distinctive editing style as well]].
* Ken Russell's MGM adaptation of the Broadway musical ''The Boy Friend'' contains a number of elaborate production numbers that homage Berkeley's work, including from-above shots of synchronized circular choreography.
* The Creator/RobinWilliams movie ''Film/{{Toys}}'' features a brief one involving a squadron of mechanical tanks.
* ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'':
** ''Film/HighSchoolMusical3SeniorYear'', particularly "I Want It All" - which actually makes sense: Sharpay and Ryan Evans rule the theatre club and share a dream of becoming Broadway stars.
** ''Film/HighSchoolMusical2'' has a shot in "Fabulous" that also homages Creator/BusbyBerkeley dance maneuvers.
* In the 1982 film version of ''Film/{{Annie|1982}}'', the whole "Let's Go To The Movies" scene with the ushers and ChorusGirls[[note]]Specifically, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes[[/note]] is pure Berkeley.

* The Pool Scene of ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'' begins with one of these, a successfully absurd synchronized swimming sequence.
* During the "Augustus Gloop" song in ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', several Oompa Loompas dive into the chocolate lake Berkeley-style and then are seen from overhead creating synchronized patterns around the chocolate pipe.
* Naturally, the "Star-Spangled Man" sequence in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' runs on this. The montage of Steve Rogers' work for the USO where he goes on stage in his Captain America costume encouraging Americans to buy war bonds is complete with dancing showgirls, tanks that shoot red-white-blue confetti, and choreographed Hitler "punching".

* Parodied in the 1996 film ''[[Film/JoesApartment Joe's Apartment]]''. With singing ''cockroaches''. In a ''toilet bowl''.

* ''Film/HailCaesar'' depicts the filming of one of these on a studio lot. It's a big synchronised swimming number entirely in the pool, with the lead actress dressed as a mermaid.
* ''Film/InTheHeights'' has a little bit of this during "96,000", which in the film is set at the community pool.
* ''Film/DontWorryDarling'' plays with the trope to nightmarish effect, featuring a number of beautifully choreographed and shot Berkeley-esque dance numbers which are actually hallucinations, usually occurring when the protagonist is on the edge of a howling breakdown.

* "So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish," the opening song of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. Especially strange, as it involves ''dolphins''.

There's a subset of Busby Berkeley Numbers that could be called "Esther Williams Numbers" for their most famous star ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Williams info]] at Wiki/TheOtherWiki): scenes done in pools, featuring wonderful examples of synchronized swimming. Usually with several female swimmers standing in a row on the left side of the screen and jumping in the water sideways to the right. Traditionally the camera then follows them swimming under water and then, in bird perspective forming a huge circle with their floating bodies.

* The Creator/RobinWilliams movie ''Toys'' features a brief one involving a squadron of mechanical tanks.

* The "Food, Glorious Food" number in ''WesternAnimation/IceAge2TheMeltdown''.

* ''Million Dollar Mermaid'' (Berkeley only worked on two Esther Williams films; this is one of them.)

* "Too Marvelous For Words" from ''Ready, Willing and Able'' had Ruby Keeler and Lee Dixon dancing on the keys of a giant typewriter with the legs of sixteen ChorusGirls typing out the lyrics. Oddly enough, Warner Bros. didn't get Creator/BusbyBerkeley to do this movie.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{The Wind in the Willows|1983}}'' claymation film, the ducks do this during the "Ducks Ditty" song, overlapping with DisneyAcidSequence.

* "Princesses on Parade" from ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess''.
* "Be Our Guest", from the [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney version]] of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''.

* The BigLippedAlligatorMoment with the frogs in ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster''.
* The opening credits of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' show flocks of colorful birds flying in geometrical patterns.

* The opening credits of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}''.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{The Wind in the Willows|1983}}'' claymation film, the ducks do this during the "Ducks Ditty" song.

* The video for "I Heard a Rumour" by Bananarama.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheWindInTheWillows1983'', the ducks perform this during the instrumental interlude of "Ducks' Ditty".

[[folder: Advertising ]]

* The 1970 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFnqhefkQJw Great American Soups]] ad by Creator/StanFreberg featured a vaguely Creator/BusbyBerkeley-ish number performed by Ann Miller (a top tap dancer) as a housewife telling her returning husband what kind of soup was at home. The ad proved to be very popular and increased sales of soup, but [[WhatWereTheySellingAgain not Great American Soups]] soup. People bought rival Campbell's Soup instead. (Maybe the actual brand name, Heinz, should have been mentioned...)

[[folder: Anime]]

* "Sunny Day Song" from ''Franchise/LoveLive: The School Idol Movie'' features a performance by a huge number of school idols from all over Japan.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Films -- Animated ]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

* Music/TheChemicalBrothers' music video, directed by Creator/MichelGondry, for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti4ip8zQyrc Let Forever Be]]. Probably the only BusbyBerkeleyNumber to involve a drumming hobo.

[[folder: Puppet Shows ]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In the [[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Pixar Short]] "Partysaurus Rex", several of the bath toys dive off the edge of the bathtub one after the other ''a la'' Berkeley.

* "In Summer" in ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' has Olaf dance with cartoon seagulls for one of his verses while fantasizing about summertime.

* "Be Our Guest", from the [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney version]] of ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast''.

* The last part of the final stanza of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", from ''Disney/TheLionKing'', is intended to invoke a Busby Berkeley Number, even if the visual elements aren't there. The "animal tower" especially is reminiscent of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=707VxB-ek4Q#t=7m28s this part of "By A Waterfall"]].

* ''Disney/TheTiggerMovie'''s "Round my Family Tree" counts as this, at least its end, complete with synchronized Tigger swimmers that dive in a pool and make a circle.

Creator/BusbyBerkeley was a former theater actor who served in World War I as an artillery lieutenant. There, he learned how to get large groups of people to move in sync. This helped him when he went to Broadway and set up some of the most elaborate dancing numbers in the history of theater, with only Creator/FlorenzZiegfeld coming close. When he went to film, he topped even that, thanks to cameras being able to shoot where people couldn't sit, using more ChorusGirls than could ever fit on an ordinary stage. (In 1971 he was once again credited on Broadway for choreographing the revival of ''No, No, Nanette'', but this was InNameOnly.)

There's a subset of Busby Berkeley Numbers that could be called "Creator/EstherWilliams Numbers" for their most famous star ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Williams info]] at Wiki/TheOtherWiki): scenes done in pools, featuring wonderful examples of synchronized swimming. Usually with several female swimmers standing in a row on the left side of the screen and jumping in the water sideways to the right. Traditionally the camera then follows them swimming under water and then, in bird perspective forming a huge circle with their floating bodies.