Broadway Bill
by Frank Capra
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Douglass Dumbrille, Helen Vinson, Myrna Loy, Walter Connolly, Warner BaxterDirector: Frank Capra
Cinematographer: Joseph Walker
Producer: Frank Capra
Producer: Harry Cohn
Producer: Samuel J. Briskin
Writer: Mark Hellinger
Writer: Robert Riskin
Writer: Sidney Buchman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-31
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Broadway Bill
Movie Review: A Capra Longshot
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a review for the 1934 Frank Capra film, BROADWAY BILL.
BROADWAY BILL was considered a lost film until the early 1990s
and has been available for home viewing for some time. This movie
is currently a Paramount DVD although the film was originally a Columbia
release.
The screenplay for BROADWAY BILL was written by Robert Risken from a story
by Mark Hellinger. The stars of BROADWAY BILL are Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy,
Walter Connelly, Helen Vinson (yes, of DRACULA), Douglas Dumbrille and a
wonderful crew of colorful character actors who help to make things
enjoyable just by thier presence. This film was Frank Capra's first
film release after IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT so he probably felt that
he had a lot to live up to.
The story concerns a young husband played by Warner Baxter who heads a successful business because of bis father in law's largess. After a couple of years Baxter struggles to maintain interest in the business while his old love of horseracing and life at the track take hold again. Eventually he starts racing a horse named Broadway Bill and gets involved with his like-minded sister- in- law
played by Myrna Loy.
The comedy in this Capra film is a little rough edged for modern sensibilities
but over all this is quite an entertaining tale and as usual, the common people help the Capra hero succeed. The only complaint I can offer is the rather
shocking development near the end of the story but that's quickly amended with
a touching ceremony and the introduction of new story elements just before
the conclusion of the film. In a way this story reminds me of the story of Seabiscuit but that tale unfolded a few years after BROADWAY BILL was released.
Was part of Seabiscuit's story somehow inspired by BROADWAY BILL or was it just another coincidence? Or possibly was the press inspired by hazy memories of a fictional horse and rode BROADWAY BILL'S story across the finish line on the real life Seabiscuit? None of us were there so we'll probably never know but it is fun to speculate.
Anyway, I give BROADWAY BILL 4 1/2 stars, only because of the rather abrupt
fate of a key figure in this story. This film is certainly worth seeing for Capra fans or anyone else who appreciates a good movie.
Summary of Broadway Bill
Sick of Higgins? controlling nature, Dan finally decides to stand up for himself. Quitting his job as manager of a factory owned by J.L., Dan dedicates all of his time to his racing horse, Broadway Bill, in hopes that he can profit from his trusty steed. Arrested for not repaying a supplier he owed money to, Dan must rely on the success of Broadway Bill to bail him out.Similar DVD Movies
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