The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)

The Bellows family causes comic confusion on an ocean liner, with time out for radio-style musical acts.

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Walter DeLeon (screen play), Francis Martin (screen play),

Stars:

W.C. Fields, Martha Raye, Dorothy Lamour

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
W.C. Fields	...	T. Frothingill Bellows / S.B. Bellows
Martha Raye	...	Martha Bellows
Dorothy Lamour	...	Dorothy Wyndham
Shirley Ross	...	Cleo Fielding
Lynne Overman	...	Scoop McPhail
Bob Hope	...	Buzz Fielding
Ben Blue	...	Mike
Leif Erickson	...	Bob Hayes (as Leif Erikson)
Patricia Wilder	...	Honey Chile
Grace Bradley	...	Grace Fielding
Rufe Davis	...	Turnkey
Lionel Pape	...	Lord Droopy
Virginia Vale	...	Joan Fielding (as Dorothy Howe)
Russell Hicks	...	Capt. Stafford
Kirsten Flagstad	...	Specialty: of the Metropolitan Opera Company

Storyline

New ocean liner S.S. Gigantic is about to race its rival, the Colossal. Gigantic owner T.F. Bellows sends his brother S.B. on the Colossal, hoping he will cause trouble; delayed by a golf game, S.B. lands on Gigantic instead, and so does his unlucky daughter Martha. Meanwhile, radio emcee Buzz Fielding announces a series of musical acts and tries to juggle fiancée Dorothy and three ex-wives who've come for the ride. Can the Gigantic win against all handicaps? Will true love triumph?

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Plot Keywords:

ocean liner | race | golf | pool game | invention | 

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Taglines:

The finest array of entertainment ever offered !

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Folia a Bordo

Filming Locations:

Eastern Service Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 91 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

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Quotes

Divorcee: I was married to him for eight months; I gave him the best years of my life!

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.3 (2005)

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Soundtracks

" (I WISH I WAS IN) DIXIE'S LAND"
(1860) (uncredited)
Written by Daniel Decatur Emmett
Sung a capella by Patricia Wilder

User Reviews

View It Through the Lens of Yesterday, Not Today

One must have at least a passing familiarity with the 1930s to understand and/or enjoy "The Big Broadcast of 1938". Without that, the movie is a curio piece to be remembered only as Bob Hope's first major film appearance and the one where he first sang "Thanks for the Memory" (soon to be his theme); W.C. Fields's last film for Paramount; and, perhaps if you're of a certain age, Martha Raye and Dorothy Lamour.

"The Big Broadcast of . . . " series of films were strictly pastiche: an odd mixture of familiar film faces, radio personalities, and vaudeville, burlesque and novelty acts with an extremely loose storyline stringing it all together. For 10¢ and the B-picture with an A-picture double-bill, the movie would have hit the spot for most Depression-era movie-goers.

The humour and jokes are pretty period specific, making the movies already out-of-date even ten years later. Without a map and a compass, the territory would be unfamiliar to audiences 70 years later. But that's not unique to "The Big Broadcast of . . . " series either. How well will "Canonball Run", "Airplane", "Scary Movie" and "Meet the Spartans" (all products of their time) hold up in 70 years? As others have stated, the best segment of the film is Hope and Shirley Ross singing the very tender and bittersweet, "Thanks for the Memory". Don't expect much from "The Big Broadcast of 1938", view it as the mind-candy of your great-, grand- or parents' generation.