Who payed the critics

Excellent, a Must See

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Copyright 7 February 1933 by Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Palace: 4 March 1933. U.S. release: 24 February 1933. 61 minutes. (Formerly vailable on a good VintageFilmBuff DVD).SYNOPSIS: Showgirl's rich father-in-law seeks custody of her son.COMMENT: Director Lanfield starts this one with a wow of an extended one-take bang, and then winds slowly - very slowly - downhill. But as the film only runs for one hour (not two or three), our attention is still pretty high at the climactic power-packed courtroom encounter in which Joan crosses swords with an expertly aggressive Donald Crisp. Despite her prominence in the billing, Ginger not only has a small part but is barely recognizable as the RKO Rogers we all know and love. Ricardo Cortez likewise drops out for a long period. In fact, the plot is as flimsy as the lingerie - but in this delightfully overloaded with showgirls case, only a misogynist would even dream of making a complaint.

"Broadway Bad" (Fox Films, 1933), directed by Sidney Lanfield, is an interesting movie more for its casting than its story. Starring Joan Blondell, Ricardo Cortez, Ginger Rogers, and Donald Crisp, all contract player names usually associated with Warner Brothers studio, yet all featured in this one Fox movie with a backstage musical sounding title to it. Regardless whatever studio release, it's definitely common ground material found in many a motion picture during the Depression era pre-production code thirties.Following an introductory segment on a train revolving around gossiping chorus girls from Lew Gordon's Frolics of 1929, Antoinette "Toni" Sanders (Joan Blondell), a member of the troupe, having missed the train to be alone at an empty stadium of Yale University to be with Bob North III (Allen Vincent), a college boy and rich man's son, while her loyal friend and roommate, Flip Daly (Ginger Rogers) awakens to find Toni's bed has never been slept in all night. It is later revealed that Toni is secretly married to Bob so not to be expelled from college. Craig Cutting (Ricardo Cortez), the show's backer responsible for Toni's employment, is unaware of Toni's marriage. Thanks to the troublesome Aileen (Adrienne Ames), Craig's former mistress, she takes Bob to Craig's penthouse apartment where he's holding a social function with Toni. Misunderstandings occur as Bob walks in on them, followed by a divorce, naming Craig as correspondent. To avoid a scandal, Toni attempts to leave Gordon's (Spencer Charters) Frolics. Instead, thanks to Joe Flynn (Phil Tead), a publicity man, stumbles upon the idea how such publicity will help the show's proceedings. Through the course of time, Toni rises from chorus girl to featured player of Frolics of 1933. As for Toni, who has risen to fame and fortune, is now a mother of a four-year-old son she calls "Big Fella" (Ronnie Cosbey), and romantically involved with Craig. As for Bob, now down-and-out, having lost all financial income from his father (Frederick Burton), owing a huge $15,000 gambling debt. Bob comes to Toni, who refuses to have anything to do with him. When Bob discovers the child she has to be his son, he and fellow gambler and racketeer, Tommy Davis (Francis J. McDonald), attempt to get more money out of her as well as Bob taking her to court so to disgrace her name and gain custody of the boy.Other members of the cast consist of Donald Crisp (District Attorney Darrell); Margaret Seddon (Bixby, the babysitter); and Eddie Kane (Eddie Malone, the Jeweler). While some sources label songs listed in this production, only "Forget the Past" is vocalized only too briefly. During its relatively short 62 minutes, which might have been longer in the director's cut, the major disappointment is how little screen time Ginger Rogers is offered. She's here and there during Blondell's troubles, with little to offer. "Broadway Bad" also shows how Ricardo Cortez could play decent characters as opposed to nasty ones for which he excelled, notably at Warner Brothers.A very rare find as in most Fox Films of the early thirties, "Broadway Bad" is not so bad but not that great either. It had a lot to offer but little to add. Blondell seemed a little out of place in a role that might have better served for Barbara Stanwyck. Even though a Fox Film, it does use a latter 20th Century-Fox logo in surviving prints that were televised on New York City's public television showing on WNET, Channel 13, in December 1992, and decades later, on a cable channel called "Movies" in November 2016. Regardless of its pros and cons and age, "Broadway Bad" is a worthy viewing, especially for long forgotten gems such as this one. (**)

A soap opera about chorus girls, Broadway BAD features a strong cast with star Joan Blondell, male lead Ricardo Cortez, and supporting actress Ginger Rogers, who was just about to hit the big-time. The opening shot is rather elaborate, and there's a very nice scene in a dressing room that centers on Joan and Ginger, but that's about it. The rest is a lachrymose story about mother love, not unusual for the times and not particularly well done. Blondell doesn't get to do much, if any, wisecracking, Cortez is not particularly sleazy for a change, and Rogers has only a small role as the best friend, though she's spirited as usual. 3/10.

"Broadway Bad" begins as a distinctly pre-code, "naughty" comedy (there are lots of scenes with chorus girls (including the leads) in their underwear in the opening 15 minutes), then it turns into a more or less straight drama. The story has some unexpected twists, and director Sidney Lanfield devises some ingenious scene transitions, and even a POV camera shot at one point. Joan Blondell gets to play both the good and the bad girl, and she does both well. Ginger Rogers has a relatively small role, but she does get one of the best lines in the film: "One more crack like that, and your neck will probably get tangled up in my fingers!". Adrienne Ames is very good as an embittered chorus girl (she used to be the sponsor's favorite, but now his attentions have turned to Blondell), and she has one of the film's most provocative lines: "Soft lights, soft music, soft pillows". What you should not expect to see in this film, despite the word "Broadway" in the title, are any kind of musical production numbers. **1/2 out of 4.