5 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:
An all time Classic for PosterityWednesday, February 18, 2004
The Big Broadcast of 1938 is a blast! Bob Hope's first film in which he plays a cruise ships' entertainment director with W.C. Fields as a ship's Captain. The first ever premier of Bob Hope's theme song "Thanks for the Memory".
8 out of 8 people found the following review helpful:
There were some parts of this DVD I liked a lot....Sunday, February 23, 2003
College Swing is a wacky zany Gracie Allen film. It has some cute musical numbers (including one where Gracie sings to Edward Everett Horton and a classic duet with Martha Raye and Bob Hope). The story doesn't matter. It's just fun to see all these big stars--Hope, Burns and Allen, Horton, Martha Raye, and Betty Grable, together. The dance scene with Ben Blue and Martha Raye is a riot too.
I was a little disappoined with The Big Broadcast of 1938. The only really funny bits in the film are the W.C. Fields scenes. Ben Blue comes off as annoying in this film and Hope just doesn't seem to have a chance to show off his talents. There are some musical numbers that seem to make things drag. Overall, it looks like a very hastily put-together mish-mash of unrelated scenes.
The W.C. Fields golf scene is one of the funniest I've ever seen.
17 out of 18 people found the following review helpful:
Great Double Feature and Lots of Fun!Friday, April 19, 2002
This DVD contains two typically wild 1930's Paramount comedies showcasing the studios best contract comedians -- W.C. Fields, Burns and Allen, Martha Raye, and, of course, Bob Hope. "Big Broadcast of 1938" is his film debut, and when he sings "Thanks for the Memories" with Shirley Ross, you have to remind yourself this is the first time that song was ever performed! Unfortunately, some of the specialty acts in this film really drag things down and make you wonder who could ever have considered this sort of thing entertainment. But W. C. Fields and Martha Raye provide lots of laughs when they're on screen, so all in all, it's a nice presentation. "College Swing" is more of a Gracie Allen vehicle, with Bob in only a few scenes, though he does a nice duet with Martha Raye at one point. It's all very silly, but the character actors and comedians make it enjoyable. Transfer is superb on both films. There's a trailer for College Swing, but not for Broadsast -- maybe it's lost. Now, if Universal would release some of Jack Benny's films or Bing Crosby's early work on DVD -- I'd really be happy!