The Big Broadcast of 1938 was the last in a series of Big Broadcast of... movies that were variety anthologies--vaudeville on film, in a sense. This particular entry is best remembered because it saw the debut of Bob Hope's signature song, Thanks for the Memory, which his character sings as a duet with the woman (Shirley Ross) who was his first love. Bob Hope receiving an (honorary) Oscar Leslie Townes Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), otherwise known as Bob Hope, was a famous American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies and in U.S. Army concerts. ...
The film had many other stars of the era, a wide variety of acts ranging from the comedy of W.C. Fields to a powerful performance of Ride of the Valkyries by opera superstar Kirsten Flagstad in full Brunhilde armor and horned helmet. W. C. Fields (January 29, 1880 - December 25, 1946) was an American comedian and actor. ... Ride of the Valkyries (German: Walkürenritt) is probably the best known piece by Richard Wagner. ... Kirsten Flagstad The Norwegian opera singer Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (July 12, 1895 – December 7, 1962) was considered one of the greatest Wagnerian (dramatic) sopranos of the 20th century. ... In Norse mythology, Brünnehilde was a shieldmaiden and a Valkyrie. ...
In the two films presented here -- "The BigBroadcast of 1938" and "College Swing" -- Hope is merely another brand of fresh-face, smart-ass light comic from the Broadway stage that populated thirties comedies like Stepford Comics.
As far as the films themselves are concerned, they are mish-mashes, with absurd and flimsy plots that serve as a framework for comedy and musical numbers.
In "The BigBroadcast of 1938," Hope's name crops up sixth in the credits as he mingles with a collection of Paramount's radio, film, and recording stars (Dorothy Lamour, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Ben Blue, and W.C. Fields -- Fields gets top billing and it's mostly Fields's film).
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