Americans went to the movies a lot back in the Great Depression and were starved for entertainment, especially about the lives of the ultra rich. The Warner Brothers classic musical "Gold Diggers of 1935" tells the tale of a poor hotel desk clerk who falls for a wealthy ingenue. (Continued below)

They meet at the swanky Wentworth Plaza Hotel (sound familiar?) moved from the seacoast to the fictional shores of Lake Waxapahachie in New Hampshire. The movie is best known for the appearance of the song "Lullaby of Broadway". Directed by Busby Berkeley, it features actor Dick Powell (seen here) and kaleidoscopic dance numbers with a bevy of blondes and brunettes. The final scene in the film begins on a small stage just like the restored ballroom at Wentworth by the Sea, then expands to include dozens of women playing white grand pianos. This picture comes from a magazine promotion featuring the fashionable new Buick, used in the film. The cost of a new General Motors car in 1935, by the way, started at $795. (Courtesy of SeacoastNH.com Collection)

 BONUS CLOSE-UPS

BONUS DETAIL #2 from
Gold Diggers of 1935

Historic Portsmouth photos from SeacoastNH.com