The Big Broadcast of 1936

6/29/2025

To be fair to director Norman Taurog, at least he has tried to inject the semblance of a story into this otherwise entertaining but routine revue-style film showcasing a plethora of talent strutting their stuff! That story is put into the safe hands of George Burns and Gracie Allen who have invented a gizmo that could give Orwell’s “Big Brother” a run for its money! Not only can it intercept transmissions from anywhere in the world, but it can see what is going on in the privacy of people’s living rooms. This is of great interest to the sceptical radio entrepreneur “Spud” (Jack Oakie) who sees great potential for it to help him win a competition worth $250,000 of advertising revenue. There are loads of familiar faces playing straight and comic roles throughout this feature and in many ways