Microphones not only changed cinema, the relatively new sound-capturing technology in the 1930s was also instrumental in introducing a new way of singing. No longer were vocalists, such as Al Jolson, forced to belt out tunes to listeners in cavernous auditoriums. An emerging generation of so-called crooners used the improved microphones to give a softer vocal delivery. Bing Crosby, at 29, was one of radio's more popular new crooners. Capitalizing on his widely-heard CBS radio show, '15 Minutes,' Paramount Pictures took advantage of the singer's star power by slotting him as the lead in his first feature film, October 1932's "The Big Broadcast." Based on William Ford Manley's 1932 play 'Wild Waves,' the movie served as a vehicle showcasing a bevy of radio personalities and musical acts built around Bing.
"The Big Broadcast" has Bing (also his character's name) more preoccupied with his fiancee Mona Lowe (Sharon Lynn) than his radio show when he shows up late for his broadcasts. The manager, George Burns (yes, the comedian), is on the verge of losing his radio station to bankruptcy. The movie's premise parallels Bing's early radio career when he didn't appear for the first couple of days to his premier '15 Minutes with Bing Crosby.' CBS had heavily promoted the singer's August 31, 1931 debut, but after rehearsing in a frigid air-conditioned studio earlier that day, his failure to come to the station that evening and on the following night led to rumors he was either too drunk or too nervous to sing. In reality, Crosby came down with a case of laryngitis.
"The Big Broadcast" was also George Burns' and his wife Gracie Allen's first feature film. Orphaned at a young age, Burns teamed up with three other kids to form the "Pee-Wee Quartet." Later in vaudeville, he was paired with females as a sounding board for his comic, singing and dancing routines. After one brief marriage, he partnered with Gracie Allen in 1923 and married her three years later. Burns recalled, "And all of a sudden the audience realized I had a talent. They were right. I did have a talent-and I was married to her for 38 years." At first Gracie said all the serious lines while George was the comic. As time passed, Burns discovered her quips were getting more laughs than his supposed funny jokes, so they switched deliveries. Gracie is the station manager's secretary in their debut film. The couple went on to become highly popular on the screen, in radio and on television.
"The Big Broadcast's" showcased several popular radio personalities as the station's new owner, Texas oilman Leslie McWhinney (Stuart Erwin), organized a single-night singing extravaganza to raise money. Cab Calloway, The Mills Brothers, Eddie Lang and Kate Smith are shown performing in front of the mic. Crosby himself sang three songs , including his hit 'Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day,' nominated by the American Film Institute as one of 400 tunes for the top 100 Songs in American Movies. The film was such a box office hit it spawned three additional feature films, "The Big Broadcast of 1936," "1937" and "1938." Newspaper reviews were generally very positive about Crosby's future in the entertainment world. Wrote the film critic for The New York American, "Bing Crosby is the star, make no mistake about it. He has a camera face and a camera presence. Always at ease, he troupes like a veteran." The reviewer must have had great intuition because Crosby went on to make over 70 feature films in his lifetime.
