Scattergood Meets Broadway

"Scattergood Meets Broadway" is the third of five Scattergood Baines movies made by RKO and starring Guy Kibbee. So far, I have enjoyed the first two movies quite a bit...but this third one isn't up to the standards of the previous two. Now I am not saying it's bad...but it is a disappointment.

All the previous Scattergood movies are set in the small town where he is a leading citizen. However, most of this one is set in New York City AND the story is mostly different from the previous films as well. In fact, it's like Scattergood in name only.

The story finds that a citizen in Scattergood's town has gone to New York to make good writing plays. However, he's had no luck and despite letters back home telling his family how good things are, Scattergood suspects otherwise and travels to the big city. There he finds that some grifters have just offered to put on the guy's play...but they are cons and Scattergood isn't as stupid as they think he is! What's next? See the film.

As I talked about above, the formula for the film is quite different...and I didn't like that change. Scattergood is a secondary character and the change in setting and style really don't work IF you loved the previous films. If you've never seen them, then "Scattergood Meets Broadway" will likely seem better. Overall, a watchable film with some good moments but the film is a definite step down from the previous ones as well.

William Henry left Coal River to see if he could get his play produced. He meets Mildred Coles in the park, and they bond over his curing her hiccups. Henry hasn't been able to get a producer to read his play. Miss Coles works for two produces, Frank Jenks and Bradley Page. Joyce Compton has a sugar daddy willing to back a play with $15,000, but all they're getting are he-man works; Henry's play foots the bill. With $15,000 in the bank, the producers are riding high, until the process servers appear for old bills and clean them out. They make Henry a partner, and skip town, leaving him on the hook for everything.

Meanwhile, Guy Kibbee and his toupee are in town to see how Henry is getting along. Can he save the play, take care of the bad guys, and ensure that young love will triumph?

The Scattergood Baines films were based on a series of short stories by Clarence Buddington Kelland. Scattergood was an amiable fellow who sat in front of his general store and didn't seem to do much, but as the owner of the local railroad, the bank, and several mills, he was a power throughout his state, and a canny, amiable fellow, always willing to help out good folks in need. Cheaply produced and directed by Christy Cabanne, they relied on good performers like Carl Stockdale and Emma Dunn, and small-town audiences. Most of them, and this one in particular, were amiable time wasters, pleasant enough for a neighborhood second feature.