The Big Broadcast

This early musical is a bit slim on story but features a number of vintage performances by a stellar cast, including some of the most popular radio stars of the day. George (George Burns) manages a radio station that is on the brink of bankruptcy. Leslie McWhinney (Stuart Erwin), a carefree millionaire, comes up with an idea to pull the station back into the black: persuade a host of big stars to appear on a special broadcast. One of the station's employees is a guy named Bing, played by an obviously well-cast Bing Crosby in one of his first major film appearances; Crosby gets to sing several tunes, as do Kate Smith, Cab Calloway, The Boswell Sisters, and several others. Young George Burns also performs several comic routines with his wife and partner Gracie Allen, who here plays Burns's stenographer.~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide