Broadway Hostess

"Broadway Hostess" is a B-movie from Warner Brothers that has very little to recommend it...nor is it bad. In fact, it really is the epitome of blandness...made well enough but nothing to excite any viewer in any way.

Wini Shaw plays Winifred, a woman who supposedly has an amazing musical talent. But whenever she sings (and it's way too often), you can't help but think that you've heard better. But still, folks in the film go gaga for her and with the help of her new agent, Lucky (Lyle Talbot), she manages to become a huge success. At the same time, she's in love with Lucky and he's in love with Iris (Genevieve Tobin), though she seems indifferent towards him. And, a monkey wrench to all this is Iris' very unstable and emotionally stunted brother, Ronnie...who is simply a bad egg.

Combine mediocre singing with some actors who are dull as dishwater and indifferent and cliched writing and you have the recipe for blandness. You know this is a pretty dull thing when the best thing about the film is the sidekick (Allen Jenkins). A time-passer...at best.

By the way, if you do watch the film look for Dennis O'Keefe in the gambling hall. Before finding stardom, O'Keefe was in dozens and dozens of films as a bit player...and here he clearly is a bit player....albeit a very tall one!