The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938): Cast & Plot
The Big Broadcast of 1938 is a 1938 music comedy directed by Mitchell Leisen, starring W.C. Fields as T. Frothingill Bellows / S.B. Bellows, Russell Hicks and Martha Raye. It runs 1 hour 34 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 34m (94 min)
- Director
- Mitchell Leisen
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Paramount Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Big Broadcast of 1938 About?
The premise of The Big Broadcast of 1938 without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The finest array of entertainment ever offered! The Bellows family causes comic confusion on an ocean liner, with time out for radio-style musical acts.
The Big Broadcast of 1938 Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- song
- billiards
- ship
- crossing the atlantic
- boat race
- competition
- tycoon
- shipping tycoon
- jail
- jail cell
- radio announcer
- radio host
+38 more Show fewer
- ship's captain
- service station
- gas station
- cigarette lighter
- overinflating a tire
- blowing out a tire
- gasoline fire
- explosion
- gas station explosion
- playing golf
- golf cart
- moped
- golf course
- sand trap
- aircraft
- betting
- motor scooter
- propeller
- goose
- aerial scooter
- serape
- singing in spanish
- part animated
- animated sequence
- combined animation and live action
- anthropomorphism
- reference to mickey mouse
- reference to claudette colbert
- reference to christopher columbus
- shipboard romance
- love triangle
- breaking a mirror
- father daughter relationship
- shipwrecked
- raft
- rescued from the sea
- overhearing a conversation
- reminiscing
The Big Broadcast of 1938 Cast & Characters
W.C. Fields leads the cast as T. Frothingill Bellows / S.B. Bellows, with Russell Hicks as Capt. Stafford and Martha Raye as Martha Bellows. Directed by Mitchell Leisen; 24 actors are credited in all.
- Director Mitchell Leisen
- W.C. Fields as T. Frothingill Bellows / S.B. Bellows
- Russell Hicks as Capt. Stafford
- Martha Raye as Martha Bellows
-
Bob Hope as Buzz Fielding
Also Starring in The Big Broadcast of 1938
· 20 more- Shirley Ross Cleo Fielding
- Grace Bradley Grace Fielding
- Virginia Vale Joan Fielding
- Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Wyndham
- Ben Blue Mike
- Leif Erickson Bob Hayes
- Kirsten Flagstad Specialty: of the Metropolitan Opera Company
- Wilfrid Pelletier Specialty: Conductor of The Metropolitan Opera Company
- Irving Bacon Prisoner Playing Harmonica (uncredited)
- William H. O'Brien Reporter (uncredited)
- Monte Blue Passenger (uncredited)
- Florence Wix Woman (uncredited)
- Gertrude Astor Woman (uncredited)
- James Craig Steward (uncredited)
- Mae Busch Chaperone (uncredited)
- Lynne Overman Scoop McPhail
Show all 24 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Lionel Pape Lord Droopy
- Patricia Wilder Honey Chile
- Eleanor Keaton Chorus Girl (uncredited)
- Rufe Davis Turnkey
More from Mitchell Leisen
More films directed by Mitchell Leisen, best-rated first: Remember the Night, Hold Back the Dawn, To Each His Own and Death Takes a Holiday.
The Big Broadcast of 1938 Plot Summary
What happens in The Big Broadcast of 1938 from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In a splashy setup billed as “The Race of the Ages,” two giants of the sea collide in a two-and-a-half-day Atlantic dash: the forty-million-dollar, radio-powered S.S. Gigantic faces off against its traditional rival, the S.S. Colossal. The Gigantic’s owner, T. Frothingill Bellows W.C. Fields, hopes to clinch victory through mischief, planning to send his nearly identical younger brother S.B. Bellows W.C. Fields aboard the Colossal to sow trouble and tilt the race in his Bellows Line’s favor.
Full summary
The whole story of The Big Broadcast of 1938, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know The Big Broadcast of 1938?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the transatlantic contest between the two rival ocean liners billed as?
Cars in The Big Broadcast of 1938
5 cars on screen, including the 1937 Cadillac Series 60 and the unknown.
-
1937 Cadillac Series 60 Important role -
unknown Important role -
1936 De Soto Airstream Background role -
1930 M.P. Moller Paramount Background role
The Big Broadcast of 1938 Also Known As
2 alternative titles: “Radioparaden 1938” and “Большое радиовещание в 1938 году”.
- Also known as
-
- Radioparaden 1938
- Большое радиовещание в 1938 году
Seen The Big Broadcast of 1938?
Movies Like The Big Broadcast of 1938
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Big Broadcast of 1937, The Big Broadcast of 1936 and The Big Broadcast.
The Big Broadcast of 1938 FAQ: Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Big Broadcast of 1938, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Big Broadcast of 1938?
The Big Broadcast of 1938 runs 1 hour 34 minutes (94 minutes).
When was The Big Broadcast of 1938 released?
The Big Broadcast of 1938 was released on February 11, 1938.
Who directed The Big Broadcast of 1938?
The Big Broadcast of 1938 was directed by Mitchell Leisen.
More films by Mitchell Leisen Who is in the cast of The Big Broadcast of 1938?
The Big Broadcast of 1938 stars W.C. Fields as T. Frothingill Bellows / S.B. Bellows, Russell Hicks as Capt. Stafford and Martha Raye as Martha Bellows, among 24 credited actors.
Does The Big Broadcast of 1938 have a post-credit scene?
No. The Big Broadcast of 1938 has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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