The villain is a classic Snidely Whiplash type, complete with a wolf in sheep's clothing gag thrown in. The film series The Perils of Pauline (1914) likely was the inspiration for this.
Great scenes of how a stage manager provides the special effects in a production. The character resembles an early version of Wimpy, Popeye's hamburger eating friend.
Vaudeville and Music Hall performances were still popular in the 1930's, though the cinema was overtaking them rapidly, all across the globe.
Betty and the villain break the fourth wall rather cutely during their duet. Otherwise, the villain remains in character when he further does so.