Broadway Thru a Keyhole

1933
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Russ Columbo, Abe Lyman, and Walter Winchell in Broadway Thru a Keyhole (1933)

Racketeer Frank Rocci is smitten with Joan Whelan, a dancer at Texas Guinan's famous Broadway night spot. He uses his influence to help her get a starring role in the show, hoping that it wi... Read allRacketeer Frank Rocci is smitten with Joan Whelan, a dancer at Texas Guinan's famous Broadway night spot. He uses his influence to help her get a starring role in the show, hoping that it will also get Joan to fall in love with him. After scoring a hit, Joan accepts Frank's marri... Read allRacketeer Frank Rocci is smitten with Joan Whelan, a dancer at Texas Guinan's famous Broadway night spot. He uses his influence to help her get a starring role in the show, hoping that it will also get Joan to fall in love with him. After scoring a hit, Joan accepts Frank's marriage proposal, more out of gratitude than love. The situation gets even stickier when she f... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

247

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The film is based so exactly on the courtship of Ruby Keeler and Al Jolson that Jolson, having read the script, knocked out Walter Winchell when they met accidentally at the Hollywood American Legion stadium on the night of July 21, 1933. Keeler, who was a dancer at Texas Guinan's nightclub, was dating gangster Larry Fay when she met Jolson. Fay visited Jolson after hearing of this just to tell him that he could marry her.

Quotes
2nd Girl with Louie at the Beach: [after Louie's friends walk away from him] Well, you certainly were the life of the party, Louie, while it lasted...

Connections
Edited into Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America (1997)

Soundtracks
Doin' the Uptown Lowdown
Music by Harry Revel
Lyrics by Mack Gordon
Sung and Danced by Frances Williams with chorus and the Abe Lyman Orchestra (as Abe Lyman Band)
Danced by Dewey Barto and George Mann

User reviews10

Review

Featured review

4/10

If you love something, let it go...

"Broadway Thru a Keyhole" is a strange movie with one very inconsistent character. Paul Kelly plays Frank Rocci, a mobster who works the protection racket. His Poultry Protection Association offers to prevent 'accidents' in order for a piece of the profits. Yet, oddly, you are expected to believe he's fallen in love with Joan (Constance Cummings) and is so smitten and honest that he really only wants what's in her best interest! So, when she falls for another man, Clark (Ross Columbo), Frank isn't all that upset! What's next? Watch the film...or not.

While I found this film reasonably diverting, I must admit that the script was a bit hard to believe from time to time. Not a terrible film but one that should have been better...and less schmaltzy.