Broadway to Hollywood (1933)

Ted and Lulu Hackett are vaudeville's The Hacketts, a fairly successful song-and-dance team. They bring their son Ted Jr. up in the business and he soon eclipses them. When the son is ... See full summary »

Directors:

Willard Mack, Jules White (uncredited)

Writers:

Willard Mack (screen play), Edgar Allan Woolf (screen play)

Stars:

Alice Brady, Frank Morgan, Jackie Cooper

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alice Brady	...	Lulu Hackett
Frank Morgan	...	Ted Hackett
Jackie Cooper	...	Ted Hackett Jr. as a Child
Russell Hardie	...	Ted Hackett Jr.
Madge Evans	...	Anne Ainsley
Mickey Rooney	...	Ted Hackett III as a Child
Eddie Quillan	...	Ted Hackett III
Jimmy Durante	...	Jimmy - Hollywood Character
Fay Templeton	...	Fay Templeton - Production Number Singer - Edited from The March of Time (1930) (archive footage)
May Robson	...	Veteran Actress
Albertina Rasch Dancers	...	Dancing Ensemble - Edited from The March of Time (1930) (archive footage) (as Albertina Rasch Dancers)

Storyline

Ted and Lulu Hackett are vaudeville's The Hacketts, a fairly successful song-and-dance team. They bring their son Ted Jr. up in the business and he soon eclipses them. When the son is offered a starring role on Broadway, he arranges for his parents to join him in the show, but Ted Sr. is embarrassed to learn that he and Lulu are there purely in order to keep their son happy. They return to vaudeville, only to find that their duet act has gone stale with time. Meanwhile, Ted Jr. has married and had a son, but he has also fallen victim to drink. Tragedy strikes the Hackett family, and only the march of time will tell whether Ted III will repeat the failings of his father and grandfather.

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Plot Keywords:

vaudeville | clown | new york city | theater | world war one | 

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Taglines:

The star-studded cavalcade of the theatre! (Herald).

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Genres:

History | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

March of Time

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White Color (2-strip Technicolor) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "March of Time Fantasie" midway thru the film was originally intended to be used in the abandoned _The March of Time (1930)_ and runs about 250 ft (75 m). In it, Joe Weber, Lew Fields, Barney Fagan, William Collier Sr., Marie Dressler and Fay Templeton join together with a chorus of five hundred to perform a medley of old-time numbers, including "Bedelia", sing by Templeton, and "A Hot Time in the Old Town" sung by Josephine Sable.

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Connections

Edited from The March of Time (1930)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(1788) (uncredited)
Traditional Scottish 17th century music
Played during the opening credits

User Reviews

Sort of like a history of Broadway.

The idea of showing the history of Broadway through a fictional family dynasty that lasts three generations is a very good one. And, in the process, they could have done a nice job of showing the changing styles and tastes of theater. However, the writing really, really, really disappointed in "Broadway to Hollywood"--it should have been a lot better. The problem is that the main characters are too flawed--so much so that you don't like them. The men are womanizers and sometimes alcoholics--full of promises to change but down deep they are simply jerks. The women are long-suffering idiots who tolerate their husbands' infidelities and selfishness--at least most of the time. So, you hate the men and are irritated with the women--not a great recipe for an enjoyable film. In many ways it came off like an amoral and self-centered (and sometimes heavy-handed) version of "Yankee Doodle Dandy"--a film about Broadway that DID work! As a result, "Broadway to Hollywood" was mildly interesting but nothing more.

I have a few final comments that I hope provoke your interest and might make the film, despite its limitations, worth watching. It's interesting that Jackie Cooper received third billing in this film--although he's in the film only about five minutes or so! This is undoubtedly because, at the time, he was a HUGE star at MGM, but I am sure his fans were disappointed in seeing so little of him in the movie. Also, right after Junior's wife dies, watch for a scene with two bizarre clowns. It's practically impossible to tell because of all the makeup, but these are Curly and Moe Howard of the Three Stooges! This is because the Stooges originally signed with MGM but the studio had no idea what to do with them--and stuck them in some very strange films (including some very odd roles in "Dancing Lady"). Finally, watch the very young Mickey Rooney tap dancing (in the scene right after the Stooges). He is simply amazing to watch--especially because this performing dynamo was so young! Wow--what talent.