SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Michael_Elliott Broadway Bill (1934) *** (out of 4) Wonderfully charming film about Dan Brooks (Warner Baxter), a man who walks away from his wife's family business so that he can enter his horse, Broadway Bill, in the Derby where the hopes to become a winner. The only one who believes in Dan is his wife's sister (Myrna Loy) and the not-all-there Colonel Pettigrew (Raymond Walburn). This film followed IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT so that's probably the main reason this here isn't as well remembered but apparently not even the director himself liked it as he would never speak about it an only discussed it in his book when talking about its remake RIDING HIGH. With that said, I personally found the film to be quite charming due in large part to the wonderful cast with Baxter and Loy leading the way with some very strong supporting performances. Baxter gets to play the fast-talking, go getter and he's wonderful in the part. He brings to so much energy and good charm to the role that you can't help but want to see him succeed. Loy is at her very best as she has no problems getting smiles and making for a good love interest even though the film keeps their relationship rather watered-down considering you really couldn't have a married man wrapped up with his sister in law. The supporting cast features Walburn getting plenty of laughs playing a lovable moron, Walter Connolly, Douglas Dumbrille, Margaret Hamilton and Raymond Walburn. Clarence Muse plays the servant in the film but he nearly steals the film as he's given plenty of a very good scenes and works extremely well with the entire cast. I was a little surprised to see how the movie ends but it's quite touching as only Capra could do. This isn't one of the director's greatest films but it's a pleasant little "B" movie that has a terrific cast, some nice laughs and a winning story so recommending it is easy.

MartinHafer Successful businessman Warner Baxter quits his job to return to the life of horse racing. Broadway Bill is a horse that Baxter thinks can take him to the big time. The problem is that he is practically broke and must scrimp and scheme to somehow get the money needed to get Bill in 'the big race'.This is an amazing film because it was nothing like I would have expected. Even though it appeared right after director Capra's masterpiece IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, it must have been in the planning stages long before hand. That's because IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT cleaned up at the Oscars and was a huge hit. You'd expect, therefore, that Capra's next film would have been a top-notch film--not some crappy old B-movie. Yet, aside from having a good cast, Broadway BILL is, at heart, just a clichéd B-movie--and certainly far from the director's best.Part of the problem is that it's hard to have a horse racing film that is fresh and exciting. In the 1930s, Hollywood made quite a few racing films--and they all seem very similar. In fact, as I watched Broadway BILL, I kept thinking "wow, this reminds me of another racing film I saw"--and this happened again and again. While I cannot remember every title, it's clearly a lot like SERGEANT MURPHY and especially LONG SHOT. In fact, you could say that LONG SHOT was a re-working of Broadway BILL--not exactly a remake, but using major chunks of the original story. It's a case of 'been there, done that'.In some ways, this sort of clichéd bilge is a surprise--not just because Capra was at the helm. You'd think it would be a better film with Warner Baxter, as he was a big name in 1934 as he'd already won an Oscar for IN OLD ARIZONA and had a starring performance the year before in 42ND STREET. Additionally, Myrna Loy had starred in the hugely successful THIN MAN earlier that year--and it catapulted her to stardom. You'd have thought she could have merited something better than this! Perhaps someone was holding family members of Capra, Baxter and Loy hostage--otherwise, there's no explaining this film! In addition to a clichéd B-movie plot, the picture also betrayed a cheapness you just wouldn't have expected from a Capra picture. In the very beginning of the movie, there is one of the very, very worst examples of rotten rear-projected camera work. It's obvious that Warner Baxter is clearly riding in a car that is stationary and the 'horse' running along side of his very, very clearly is being projected on a screen.The most amazing thing about this silly film is that in 1950, Capra would remake this movie as RIDING HIGH!! Remakes are a decent idea if the original story is flawed or the acting particularly bad and you somehow correct these flaws---but when the story idea is a clichéd and dusty old plot, a remake can't help but fail as well.My advice is to skip this one or DON'T expect it to be an A-picture. If you just pretend it's a cheap B-movie, then it's very pleasant experience, as it's reasonably entertaining...in a very modest way.

bkoganbing In his memoirs Frank Capra gave very short shrift to Broadway Bill. In fact he only mentions it when he starts to talk about the remake of this film Riding High. The remake was in 1950 and Broadway Bill was done immediately after It Happened One Night.In just a couple of paragraphs he mentions that he did a film called Broadway Bill sandwiched between It Happened One Night and Mr. Deeds Goes To Town. He was dissatisfied with it because the leading man, Warner Baxter, was afraid of horses and it showed. Capra then said he resolved to do the film over again with an actor who loved horses. Of course he got Bing Crosby and second to golf Crosby did love horses and horse racing. It was a perfect fit.I didn't notice anything too terribly wrong with Baxter's performance away from the horse playing the title role. Baxter's a footloose sort of guy who's married to the daughter of millionaire Walter Connolly, Helen Vinson. Baxter's heart is at the racetrack, he loves the life and the people there. Vinson's younger sister Myrna Loy understands him though and it does take Baxter a while to figure out he married the wrong sister.Frank Capra filled out his cast with many of the regulars who appeared in his more well known classics and they all look like they were born and bred at the racetrack. In this and in Riding High, my favorite is Raymond Walburn, the larcenous and lovable old 'Colonel' Pettigrew ready to make the ultimate sacrifice and marry 'Vinegar Puss' Margaret Hamilton.Broadway Bill is not up there with Capra's more populistic films nor is it as good as Riding High, but it still is a wonderful heartwarming story of a horse who showed us in the higher species, the meaning of courage and heart.

Ron Oliver A failed racehorse fancier, desperate to emerge from the shadow of his dictatorial father-in-law, pins all his hopes on his magnificent new steed, BROADWAY BILL.This rather obscure Frank Capra film - made after IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - has a lot going for it, including fine performances, a well-written story, good production values & a hilarious example of an expertly crafted film montage.Warner Baxter deserves some credit in being willing to play a flawed and somewhat unlikable fellow. Besides being an alcoholic shyster, he's also physically abusive to those he feels are beneath him. And he's a racist. Despite these major disqualifications, Baxter still displays enough enthusiasm to make the viewer actually care what happens to the lout.Although it's difficult to fathom why her character adores Baxter so much, it's actually quite easy to see why audiences love Myrna Loy. Beautiful, vivacious, classy, this lady exuded charm for decades. As Baxter's infatuated sister-in-law, she is a pleasure to watch, even though we don't really feel Baxter deserves her.Playing his role with great dignity, Clarence Muse stands out as Broadway Bill's groom. An actor of enormous competence, Muse perhaps brought more of a well-rounded characterization to his performance than was originally expected. That he could play a role subject to racial slights and still make it something memorable, speaks very well of the actor.The supporting cast contains a fine collection of character actors: blustery Walter Connolly as Loy's tyrannical, yet tenderhearted, father; Raymond Walburn as a pompous confidence trickster; Lynne Overman as his laconic assistant; Douglass Dumbrille as a race-fixing mobster; and vinegar-faced Margaret Hamilton as Connolly's stern boardinghouse landlady.Movie mavens should have fun picking out the uncredited appearances of several performers: Clara Blandick as Connolly's overworked secretary; former OUR GANGer Mickey Daniels as a messenger for Connolly; Ward Bond & Charles Lane as a couple of racing touts working for Dumbrille; Herman Bing as a most unfortunate waiter in a fancy restaurant; Irving Bacon as the owner of a sandwich stand; Charles Middleton as a veterinarian; elderly Claude Gillingwater as the ‘richest man in the world' whose impetuous purchase of $2 worth of tickets on Broadway Bill precipitates merry mayhem; and pretty Lucille Ball as a telephone operator.After filming began Capra discovered that Baxter, although he loved horses, was afraid of them. Some imagination on the part of the director was needed to realistically put Baxter & Bill into the same scenes.