The Big Broadcast of 1937
The Big Broadcast of 1937 is a 1936 Paramount Pictures production directed by Mitchell Leisen, and is the third in the series of Big Broadcast movies. The musical comedy stars Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Ray Milland, Benny Fields, Frank Forest and the orchestra of Benny Goodman (featuring Gene Krupa). It was in this film that Leopold Stokowski made his movie debut conducting two of his Bach transcriptions. Uncredited roles include Jack Mulhall.
| The Big Broadcast of 1937 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Mitchell Leisen |
| Produced by | Lewis E. Gensler |
| Starring | Jack Benny George Burns Gracie Allen |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
German animator Oskar Fischinger was hired to create an animation sequence in Technicolor. However, when Paramount changed the production to black-and-white only, Fischinger's original abstract animation design was changed to a hybrid animation and live-action sequence showing consumer products emanating from a broadcasting tower, to the song "Radio Dynamics" by Ralph Rainger.[1]
Cast
- Jack Benny as Jack Carson
- George Burns as Mr. Platt
- Gracie Allen as Mrs. Platt
- Bob Burns as Bob Black
- Martha Raye as Patsy
- Shirley Ross as Gwen Holmes
- Ray Milland as Bob Miller
- Ellen Drew as Telephone Girl
Reception
Leonard Maltin described it as an "almost unbearable musical", that "manages to waste the talent of its formidable cast", giving it 1½ out of 4 stars.
Films in series
- The Big Broadcast (1932)
- The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935)
- The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1937)
References
- IMDb entry for the film
- Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 0-634-00765-3 page 62