Past Event: New York on Film: Gold Diggers of 1933

Please note that due to the threat of thunderstorms, this event will now be held indoors in Ronay Menschel Hall.  Join us for pre-film jazz and cocktails in the Rotunda starting at 7:30pm!

In Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933, 90 min), Busby Berkeley's production numbers highlight this backstage extravaganza about a millionaire-turned-songwriter who financially backs a Broadway production, much to the surprise of three unemployed chorus girls. Songs include "We're in the Money," "The Shadow Waltz" and "Remember My Forgotten Man" by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. A show within a show, this movie about putting on a depression era musical about the Depression, getting by, getting over, gold digging, and artistic self-expression, and creative community tells an eternal NYC story. With Joan Blondell, Ginger Rogers, and Dick Powell.

The program begins with two short films featuring Black music superstars Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway that were shot on location in NYC at Kaufman Astoria Studios for Paramount Pictures, and intended to evoke Harlem's Jazz scene: Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho (Fred Waller, 1934, 10 min) and Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (Fred Waller, 1935, 10 min).

This screening is part of our year-long series, New York on Film: Decade by Decade, programmed by Jessica Green. The series accompanies the Museum's centennial exhibition, This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture.  

Event Timeline:
7:30 pm - Live jazz by the Vanisha Gould Trio. Drinks & popcorn available for purchase (Rotunda).
8:20 pm - Short introduction by New York on Film series programmer Jessica Green (Ronay Menschel Hall). 
8:30 pm - Film program begins: 
     **Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho (10 min)
     **Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (10 min)
     **Gold Diggers of 1933 (90 min)
10:15 pm - Program ends, Museum closes

About Vanisha Gould:
Vanisha Gould came to New York in 2015 from Simi Valley, California. Inspired by artists like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Joni Mitchell, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald - she has successfully curated her own sound as a composer and band leader. Performing originals and music from the Great American Songbook on several groundbreaking stages both in New York and overseas, she aspires to continue sharing her voice with audiences in New York and beyond.

About Jessica Green:
Jessica Green is an independent film programmer currently programming film, speaker, and performance series for BAM, the Weeksville Heritage Center, and the Museum of the City of New York. Jessica served as the Artistic Director of the Houston Cinema Arts Society from 2019-2022, providing artistic leadership for year-round film programming and the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, Houston’s largest film festival. She was the Cinema Director of the Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem from 2008-2018. Jessica is also a former founder, owner and Editor-In-Chief of the New York based, independent Hip-Hop magazine Stress (1994-2001), as well as the former Executive Editor of BET.com (2000-2005).

New York on Film is the centennial year edition of the Museum's ongoing Moonlight & Movies series.

Important Event Logistics 

• All activities will now take place indoors
• Please contact programs@mcny.org with any questions or ticketing issues.
• All sales are final; refunds not permitted. Exchanges and credit for future programs only. Programs and dates may be subject to change.