The Big Broadcast

The Big Broadcast was the first major film of singing sensation Bing Crosby in which he had a starring role. Playing a fictional version of himself, Bing puts his comedic skills (that he had worked on for the shorts he made for Mack Sennett) to great use. The songs, direction by Frank Tuttle, the crazy special effects (that are amazing for 1932), and the list of famous radio stars of the day make this a really fun and entertaining film. This has recently been restored by UCLA but as yet there has been no official DVD release which is a pity. I rate this amongst the best of Bing's early films as it shows his complete naturalness in front of the camera whilst his renditions of Dinah, Here Lies Love and the hit song Please highlight his wonderful voice.

The first of several films of the '30s with the title "The Big Broadcast" A mostly non-musical first hour of drama is followed by about 25min of 'the big broadcast', featuring various musical performances, interspersed by tom foolery by costar Stuart Erwin, who plays at being a wealthy Texas oil man, who buys the radio station, when it's about to fold up. Bing emerges from a taxi, to be swarmed by a large gang of women, on his way to the radio station, covered with lipstick on his face when he gets to sing. The drama mostly consists of several skits of inane talk by Burns and Allen, or interactions between Bing and Stuart and sometimes blonde knockout Leila Hyams, who can't make up her mind if she likes Bing or Stuart better. She has a competitor for Bing in Mona(Sharon Lynn), who married another, to Bing's disappointment. But she shows up later, having divorced. Thus, Bing then has a choice between her and Leila. During the first 60 min., Bing sings some, including "Dinah" with a shoe-shine 'boy' creating the rhythm. Later, he does a warm up of "Please", which will be the last number in the 'the big broadcast'

I give you three choices: 1) Watch the whole movie, to experience the drama, along with the actual 'big broadcast'. 2) Watch only the film beginning with the 60min mar, to delete most of the drama. 3)watch the YouTube 'the Big Broadcast 1932 excepts': a 12 min. Extraction of what are considered the most entertaining musical numbers of the actual 'big broadcast'. The musical performances during the actual 'big broadcast' include the following: 1) the Mills Brothers sing "Tiger Rag" I don't know how the one manages to make a very good imitation of a musical instrument with just his hands together. 2)The Vincent Lopez orchestra does a rather amusing novelty number 3)Vincent Novis sings the inspirational song "Trees" (Only God can make a tree) 4) The 3 Boswell sisters sing the jazzy "Crazy People" 5 )Kate Smith sings an inspirational number 6 )Cab Calloway dances around while singing "Minnie the Moocher", backed up by his band. Lastly, Stuart tries to mimic Bing, who is late, in singing "Please". Eventually, Bing shows up, and sings the last part. You also get a brief look at the luscious Leila, if you haven't already,. Mona is also present, with an unexplained black eye(she was last seen in Bing's company).

If you aren't familiar with the 3 Boswell Sisters, they grew up in New Orleans during the birth of jazz there, which influenced much of their music. They were very popular on radio, as well as records from mid '20s to mid '30s, encompassing the late 'jazz Age' and early 'Swing Era'. The Andrew sisters took over their spot in the late '30s and 40s, during the height of the 'Swing Era' and WWII. Hence, they tend to be more remembered, although they learned much from the Boswell Sisters. The McGuire Sisters then largely replaced the Andrew Sisters in the'50s, I tend to remember the McGuire Sisters the least of these 3. There are several songs by the Boswell Sisters at YouTube, or you can buy one of the several CDs of their music currently available.

"The Big Broadcast" marks Bing Crosby's first full-length film. Before this, he'd been a member of The Rhythm Boys who sand with Paul Whiteman's orchestra and Bing also starred in several short films. But this film helped to establish him as a movie star...and before this he was much more a recording and radio star. It is fitting, then, that this story is set at a radio station.

When the story begins, Bing is late for a radio broadcast and it's not all his fault. Like many famous crooners, he's attacked by adoring fans and barely makes it to the studio in one piece! But the sponsor is furious with Crosby and demands he be fired...and the station's owner (George Burns) complies. However, soon they regret it because Bing is such a big star.

In the meantime, Bing's life goes from bad to worse, as not only is he off the radio, but his girlfriend has just run of with another man! He soon meets Les (Stu Erwin) in a bar and he, too, has girl trouble...so they both decide to kill themselves! Wow...talk about a dark turn. Now all this happens in the first 10-15 minutes of the film...so rest assured...they'll be alright. What's next? See the movie and find out yourself.

While much of this film was an excuse to feature various radio acts (not just Crosby but Kate Smith, the Mills Brothers, Cab Calloway and a few others), it actually had more story than I expected from a movie like this. Overall, an interesting look at some wonderful musical acts and a decent story as well...made better by Erwin and his pleasant persona.

...That is, the storyline would plod. It actually does plod, but everything else distracted me from most of the plodding. And besides an intriguing screenplay was never the point of these "big broadcast" films.

So what is so odd? The film opens with a loudly ticking clock as everything in the radio station acts in synchronization with the sound of the clock. The steps of a messenger boy as he goes down the hall, the steps of a black cat as he walks, Cab Calloway's baton, as everybody is waiting for a tardy Bing Crosby.

When the sponsor of the show appears and demands that Bing be fired for persistent lateness, the clock face grows astonished eyes and its hands move in horror. The cat freezes and slips under a door through a half inch crack. A radio microphone grows astonished eyes when a surprising announcement is made.

Who else runs the radio station but George Burns aided by his hare brained secretary, Gracie Allen. "A lot of people around here have been driving me crazy for years and I thought for once I'd hire somebody that would drive them crazy." - Burns' explanation of why he hired this secretary.

The really oddest scene in the entire film? An attempted suicide by Bing and his new pal Leslie McWhinney (Stuart Erwin). Both just dumped by their gals, they turn on the gas in Bing's apartment and wait for the end. They begin to hallucinate, seeing a skull and dancing skeletons. Very precode. That and Stuart Erwin trying to make up with Leila Hyams while she is in the shower and he is just outside the curtain wearing her lingerie. If you want an explanation of this watch the film.

Note that Stu Erwin is top billed over Crosby as Bing's career is just starting out. In fact, this was Bing's first feature film for Paramount, the studio that would become his home. Erwin acquits himself well, including a long mute comic bit towards the end that he handles deftly.

The real reason to watch this besides the weird humor and the macabre and precode moments are the musical acts - Kate Smith, Cab Calloway and his orchestra, the Mills Brothers, and the Boswell Sisters. And Bing Crosby singing "Please" should please just about anyone.

Watch it for the comical and musical oddity that it is. I wish that somebody would clean it up and put it on physical media.

The Big Broadcast is so cute! Bing Crosby stars as himself-he actually plays Bing Crosby, the singing radio sensation. George Burns is George Burns, the radio station owner, and his silly secretary is Gracie Allen, who plays Gracie Allen. Bing frequently gets recognized, and when he meets a new friend, Stuart Erwin, who doesn't, Bing starts crooning "Where the Blue of the Night" to jar his memory.

This entire more is tongue-in-cheek, so if you like that humor, you'll split your sides laughing. Once, Stuart enters an empty room and says to the camera, "Hmm, no chair." From off-camera, someone literally slides a chair into frame for him to sit on. In another scene, Leila Hyams says, "First I cry because I'm happy, now I want to do something even sillier." Stuart guesses, "You want to laugh because you're sad?" The main plot of the movie involves a love triangle between Stuart, Leila, and Bing, and the film discusses the concept of hero worship, celebrity crushes, and real love. All that in a silly comedy? Well, when a comedy is a good comedy, it can revolve around actual topics while still including humor. So, the answer is yes.

In one scene, Bing and Stuart wake up in twin beds with no memory of what happened the night before. "This is my bedroom," Bing says, looking at the sheets. In the neighboring bed, Stuart asks, "Are we married?" Then, in pre-Code glory, the camera captures Leila's legs as she slips her negligee and underwear off then hops in the shower. Both Bing and Stuart talk to her while she's covered in only a shower curtain, and once she's fully dressed, Stuart shows her off and says, "Feel how solid she is!" Bing looks her up and down then asks Stuart where he should squeeze. Aren't pre-Code movies grand?

Unfortunately, once the "big broadcast" actually happens, during the last thirty minutes of the movie, it's full of radio acts and singers who are no longer household names today. Modern audiences will probably be very bored by the ending, but if you're bored, just remember the hilarity of the first part of the movie.