Busby Berkeley was one of the true visionaries of the Hollywood studio era. In a time when producers pushed directors toward more formulaic interpretations of genre, he distinguished himself by producing musicals which defied not only viewer expectations but the laws of gravity. Working at Warner Brothers in the 1930s and MGM in the 1940s, he became famous for his trademark overhead shots and kaleidoscopic patterns of dancing chorus girls. Although plagued by personal problems including a string of ex-wives and a vehicular homicide trial, Berkeley remained a consummate professional throughout his career, finding new and innovative ways to express his unique vision on land and underwater. When the studio could find no other way to describe his work, they came up with a clever neologism: cinematerpsichorean.