Broadway Limited (1941) User Reviews

Good cast of character actors on a train with a baby

[csteidler · 7/10 · 7 October 2011]

Big shot movie director Ivan Ivanski (Leonid Kinsky) insists, in his best Russian accent, that his hot starlet (Marjorie Woodworth) must have a baby—for publicity reasons. Assistant Patsy Kelly, train driver Victor McLaglen, young doctor Dennis O'Keefe and movie fan Zasu Pitts are along for the ride—a train ride to New York, actually, along with a "borrowed" baby who is passed back and forth among these reluctant guardians for the duration of the trip.

The plot isn't much, but some entertaining moments and enthusiastic performances add up to a pleasant 75 minutes. O'Keefe and Woodworth are the cute young stars, and they have a silly off-again, on-again romance that is not particularly exciting but inoffensive enough. McLaglen has a charming, hilarious scene telling the story of the three bears to the (mostly indifferent) baby. Kinsky is great fun as the temperamental movie man who will do anything to make his next picture.

Kelly and Pitts stand out in their roles—Patsy is the practical-minded, quick-moving secretary who manages Ivanski's erratic moods handily and is hoping to catch a few moments on the trip with McLaglen, her boyfriend; Zasu is the slightly loony fan who is slightly obsessed with Renfrew, her radio hero (apparently a mounted policeman who may or may not kiss Melinda on tomorrow night's episode).

Zasu: "Must you go, Renfrew?" Patsy: "Yes, he must!" –It doesn't exactly look like great dialog, but delivered by these two pros that simple exchange is hilarious.

It's all good-natured silliness. Lots of neat footage of trains, too!

A serious subject for laughs

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 17 November 2015]

Over the course of his career Victor McLaglen played a lot of very thick characters including one for which he got an Oscar. But in Broadway Limited he's asked by his old girl friend Patsy Kelly to come up with a baby that star Marjorie Woodworth needs for a publicity stunt. She's traveling with her producer Leonid Kinskey and Kelly her publicity agent on the famous Broadway Limited which McLaglen is the engineer.

Poor McLaglen he takes a baby all right and it could just be a famous kidnapped baby. The whole crowd could be in trouble and that also includes Dennis O'Keefe playing a former boyfriend of Woodworth who's heating things up again. Also traveling is sob sister columnist Zasu Pitts who is eager for a story and to be a mother.

Hal Roach produced this comic caper for United Artists release and as you see cast it with some identifiable character players who perform as they are typed. I wish Kelly and Pitts had done more films together as they were quite funny jealously guarding the baby. And Kelly also was funny with McLaglen as well.

Kinskey was in a part that might have been originally meant for Adolph Menjou. Menjou played these wild eyed artistic eccentrics including at least once for Hal Roach. Kinskey is a more than adequate substitution.

Infant kidnapping was a serious subject in the Thirties for film after the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping. I'm surprised that Roach used the subject for laughs. Still he put it over well.

Very funny plot in a low-budget comedy

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 1 November 2013]

"Broadway Limited" earns a good rating (7 of 10) mostly for its screwball plot. The last two-thirds of the film are cleverly funny as the cast play 'pass the baby.' I don't think this could have been staged any other way than on a train. So, the railroad setting adds some to the fun. I imagine younger people watching today in most of the U.S. would find scenes of rail travel quite foreign. I remember it well.

The cast of supporting comics is quite good, but Dennis O'Keefe was just fair and Marjorie Woodworth was flat and far too serious. Had the romantic leads been able to get into the comedy, the film would have rated and fared much better.

This was Woodworth's first lead role since Hal Roach discovered her three years earlier. He had been building her up with publicity to become the next Jean Harlow. But, as some news accounts of the time, and later articles noted, Roach pushed her too soon. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready to debut with a talented cast of accomplished comedians and comediennes. With this and a few more co-starring roles that didn't fare well, Woodworth's promising young career soon faded from view.

Woodworth's story is interesting. She did have talent and the usual attributes that went with early Hollywood stars. And, she got a chance to make it big. But, as with many another would-be star, Woodworth's career in films soon died. To show how abruptly and completely she fell from the scene, the DVD issued today of "Broadway Limited" doesn't include her name on the front cover. She's in the cover photo, but the names across the top billboard are O'Keefe, Pitts, McLaglen, Kinskey and Kelly. Even IMDb didn't have a bio or trivia section on Woodworth as of the time of this review. But, I was curious and found an interesting article about Woodworth's Hollywood "career" and later life online at obscureactresses.wordpress.com.

Brief Summary and review of "Broadway Limited"

[GldnEgle · 5 March 2001]

Plot Summary:

A Hollywood publicity stunt staged upon the Pennsylvania Railroads' once infamous Broadway Limited, from Chicago to Manhattan, goes awry when it is discovered that a baby involved is kidnapped. Much scurrying about and plenty of off the wall shenanigans ensue in this light-hearted Hollywood romp.

What I thought of it:

A typical period piece, that is both surprisingly enjoyable as well as accurate in it's portrayal of Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives and equipment and the track-side shots of the train taking nearly the same Route that Amtrak's Broadway limited still takes to this day.

If you are a rail-fan, you're bound to enjoy it. Otherwise it's enjoyable, just pretty bland by todays standards. I loved this movie, unfortunately it is extremely difficult to find. It can be purchased however through the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania's gift shop, and several smaller online railroad merchandise retailers, you just have to have the patience to look around.

One more little side note: One of the Pennsylvania Railroad Locomotives #1223, a small 4-4-0 steam engine featured in "Broadway Limited", was re-dressed as a NYC locomotive and featured in the Beginning of Hello Dolly in 1969. That same locomotive was featured in a number of other TV shows and movies, and operated on the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1950. She then went on to operate on the Strasburg Railroad from the mid 60's until 1990 when she was retired and put on display at the Railroad museum of Pennsylvania where she still stands to this day.

Nuts on a train

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 17 June 2015]

Broadway Limited is a madcap, low-budget comedy from 1941. It stars Marjorie Woodworth, Dennis O'Keefe, Leonid Kinskey, Victor McLaglen, Patsy Kelly, and Zazu Pitts.

Wanting publicity for his star, April (Woodworth), a director, Ivan (Kinskey) wants her to take a baby with her on a train going from Chicago to New York.

The director's secretary (Kelly) asks her old beau, who is the train's engineer, for help. He hears from a stranger that he has just such a baby. Once on the train, April runs into an old love, Harvey (O'Keefe), who knew her at school.

Meanwhile the search is on for a kidnapped baby, and the engineer wonders if the baby on the train is that child.

The best scenes in the film are those showing the Pennsylvania Railroad trains, equipment, and the pacing shots. Excellent.

Kinskey, Pitts, and McLaglen are just great, very funny. I admit that I've never cared for Patsy Kelly. She had a loud voice and a flat delivery (to me) and that's about it. O'Keefe and Woodworth were okay - with a touch better casting, this comedy might have gone up a few notches. Woodworth was apparently pushed into stardom before she was ready, and O'Keefe, always solid and likable, doesn't have a flair for comedy.

Fun and enjoyable. The baby is cute, too.

Well Conceived but Some Plot Devices Lost in History

[trainman1969-1 · 7/10 · 21 June 2020]

It was a greater movie in 1940 than it is today, because back then, the railroad was much more a part of everyday life than it is now. People who were familiar with the real Broadway Limited would have better understood the urgency behind getting the train through on schedule, and the audience would likely have been on the edge of their seats as the train neared Harrisburg, where the train would be switching from steam to electric power for the run into Penn Station New York. Most people watching the film today wouldn't even know this was going to happen, whilst it would have been common knowledge back then. Also, arriving in New York by train was a much bigger deal in those days, as the original Penn Station was far fancier than the one under Madison Square Garden is today. Those exotic locales, which are mostly gone today, would have added to the intrigue in 1940. They are, sadly, lost on a modern audience.

Mildly amusing screwball comedy with typical misunderstandings causing havoc...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 6 November 2008]

The only really surprising thing about this pleasant little caper is that LEONID KINSKEY (a very funny character actor) has a major part and runs off with most of his scenes. Even when actors like VICTOR McLAGLEN and DENNIS O'KEEFE are around. Pretty MARJORIE WOODWORTH is the bland romantic lead as O'Keefe's love interest, a movie star on a publicity stunt involving a baby that turns out to be the subject of a kidnapping investigation.

The misunderstandings pile up as everyone takes a turn at shielding the baby from the police. PATSY KELLY and ZASU PITTS supply some comedy relief and do well enough to provide a few chuckles.

Gordon Douglas directs, keeping the farce moving along at a rapid enough pace except for a few lulls where things get a little dull due to script problems.

Summing up: Nothing special about this harmless enough B-film that manages to be cheerful enough but entirely forgettable. Railroad fans get to see the Broadway Limited in action with plenty of shots of trains and tracks for good measure.

Story not great, but rare scenes of PRR

[ecberman · 7/10 · 18 January 2005]

Victor McLaglen was at his best in Gunga Din or The Quiet Man, as a boisterous, brawling Scot (in real life, McLagelen had been a military provost in WWI in (if I recall properly) Constaintinople and was well used to using his fists and strength to enforce British military law). Unfortunately, The Broadway Limited was more of a romance than an action movie (except for some very good railroad scenes on the Pennsylvania RR), and McLaglen's acting appears forced and uncomfortable for the big man. On the other hand, J. Farrel McDonald once again demonstrated that he must have been a railroad man prior to becoming a good character actor. Too bad that Wallace Beery wasn't in this movie as well, since Beery had been an engine hostler for the Santa Fe and would have been more at home romancing the love interest.

A Misfire.

[arfdawg-1 · 3/10 · 27 January 2017]

The plot.

As a ploy to gain publicity, a motion picture director wants his star actress to take a baby with her on a train trip.

The director's secretary asks the train's engineer, an old boyfriend, for help.

As the engineer ponders what to do, a stranger in the train station tells him that he has a baby that could be used. On board the train, the actress meets a young doctor whom she knew in school, and whom she is still in love with.

The presence of the baby causes a series of misunderstandings between them, but the real problems begin when the engineer begins to suspect that the baby may have been kidnapped.

Kookie Hal Roach Studios comedy during his waning days. Lots of familiar faces. The director, a Roach regular, went on to direct some notable features later in life -- a bunch of Sinatra flicks and Viva Knievel, among them.

The movie starts out promising but really dissolves into nothing. Needs more slapstick and humor.

One for McLaglen's legion of fans!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 18 June 2016]

This Hal Roach "A"-grade offering is a definitely a must-see for train buffs and Victor McLaglen's many admirers, but it's saddled with a confused, confusing and nonsensical screenplay. In fact, it's not a movie that would appeal to anyone who was not a firm fan of at least one of the stars. McLaglen is joined by Marjorie Woodworth, Dennis O'Keefe, Patsy Kelly, Zasu Pitts and Leonid Kinskey (in a large role here). True, the women are great, but the males, led by McLaglen, tend to over-do the double takes inherent in the wordy screenplay. True, McLaglen is easily the worst offender, but he does have the largest part to play and that does make his gross over- acting less bearable. Sluggish pacing and direction by Gordon Douglas doesn't help either. Here's one movie that really deserved to be edited "to make the laughs come faster!" True, the editor tries hard to speed things up and makes good use of stock railroad footage at every opportunity – and that certainly enlivens an otherwise rather small – at least for an "A" feature – budget! Available on a Mill Creek DVD.

Small Fun with Baby on a Train

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 13 July 2010]

For her train ride from Chicago to New York on the "Broadway Limited" press agent Leonid Kinskey (as Ivan Ivanski) tells star actress Marjorie Woodworth (as April Tremaine) she should have a baby. They contact train engineer Victor McLaglen (as Mike Monohan), and acquire an infant in time for the desired publicity. On board, Ms. Woodworth meets old sweetheart Dennis O'Keefe (as Harvey North), who becomes confused about her baby boy's parentage. En route, the baby gets shuffled around, and is mistaken for a kidnap victim. Comic secretary Patsy Kelly (as Patsy Riley) and fan club president Zasu Pitts (as Myra Pottle) try to lighten the load. The supporting characters steal the movie… not that there's anything much to steal.

**** Broadway Limited (6/13/41) Gordon Douglas ~ Victor McLaglen, Leonid Kinskey, Patsy Kelly, Zasu Pitts

Fun movie with interesting cast and great railroad scenery.

[opsbooks · 9/10 · 4 January 2006]

This movie turned up in one of those cheap 50 movie comedy DVD packs recently and I was surprised to see a number of great character actors of the 40s playing lead parts.

The story itself is pretty simplistic and has been covered by other reviewers. Having typed that, I should add that the script is tight, the performances fine and the direction good. So what you have is a typical 40s screwball comedy which will provide an enjoyable diversion for all age groups.

Finally but most interesting of all are the outstanding Pennsy railroad scenes, especially the pacing shots. Unusually, railroad fans are treated to a number of long shots and station scenes.

All in all, good fun for railroad and comedy fans alike.

A comic collection of great performers in a comedy with potential that never lands.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 10 April 2014]

When the Broadway Limited takes off from Chicago to New York with a publicity starved movie actress (Marjorie Woodworth) aboard, she ends up getting more press than she intended due to the alleged kidnapping of a baby which she claims is hers. Along with Woodworth on board are producer Leonoid Kinskey, press agent Patsy Kelly and hanger-on fan Zasu Pitts, Kelly's engineer boyfriend (Victor Mclaglen) and Woodworth's college beau (Dennis O'Keefe). When McLaglen learns that the baby he provided for Woodworth might be the victim of a kidnapping, he schemes to get the child off the train and anonymously into the hands of the law. But wait, there's more! The baby miraculously re-appears as the train pulls into Penn Station and the press awaits.

There could be a lot more farce in this Hal Roach produced comedy where the promise made is never delivered. There are a few laughs here and there (most notably the sudden wetness of the bed which Pitts and Kelly are sleeping in with the baby between them), but mostly, this is just mild fare that is only slightly amusing. McLaglen, so serious in most of his films, gets to be light-hearted as he moves from the train's engine to the dining car and gets some subtle laughs from the passengers as he tries unsuccessfully to be classy but comes off totally crass.

For romance, there's O'Keefe and Woodworth, rather bland considering the comic talent surrounding them. Pitts and Kelly could get laughs in pretty much any situation and do just that with no aid from the script. Hal Roach's non-Laurel and Hardy films were a mixed bag, and like the water bottle, this bag had a leak.

Little-known gem among screwball comedies

[gimhoff · 9 August 2004]

The Broadway Limited is much funnier, and more consistently funny, than many better-known screwball comedies of the period. Its plot builds on several interlaced misunderstandings. A movie star (Marjorie Woodworth) is pressured by her scheming, tyrannical Hollywood producer (Leonid Kinskey) to pretend to adopt a baby for publicity purposes. The producer's assistant (Patsy Kelly) turns to an ex-boyfriend, a railroad engineer (Victor McLaglen), to borrow a baby for the stunt, but the baby he gets may have been kidnapped and the subject of a widespread police hunt. The movie star runs into her ex-boyfriend (Dennis O'Keefe), who thinks the baby really is hers. And the baby keeps disappearing and reappearing on a cross-country train trip.

As in many comedies, the romantic lead roles are blander and less interesting than those written for the character actors, who get all the best lines. Top-billed Victor McLaglen has a substantial role -- watch his underplayed reaction to the bratty kid who asks him, "Is that your real face?" But so does Leonid Kinskey, who has a ball and one of his biggest parts ever as the manipulative producer. Down-to-earth Patsy Kelly replaced dithering Zazu Pitts as Thelma Todd's partner in two-reel comedies, but this is the only film in which they appeared together. That's a shame, as they make a superb team, particularly when they share a bed with the baby (and a leaky hot-water bottle) between them.

It's a time passer and not much more

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 29 September 2010]

This is a kooky little film from Hal Roach Studios. By the early 1940s, Roach was no longer in the business of making comedy shorts--like the Laurel & Hardy and Charley Chase films. Instead, they tried to fill the niche for B-comedies--all at about one hour in length and starring a wider variety of actors (such as Carole Landis, Adolph Menjou, William Tracy and many others). This one features an unusual cast for a comedy--Dennis O'Keefe, Victor MacLaglen and Marjorie Woodward--not exactly the sorts you'd expect in a comedy. Casting Pasty Kelly and Zasu Pitts, however, in supporting roles was not that radical a departure, as both had been with the studio during the past decade. But what IS interesting about this is that both had been teamed with Thelma Todd in a long series of comedy shorts with Roach--now the two get to appear together (with Todd having died several years earlier). It's sort of a meeting of the sidekicks!

The story is like two stories running in parallel. The main plot involves a Carole Landis took-alike Woodward playing a popular new movie star whose Svengali-like mentor wants her to adopt a baby for publicity sake. However, they then learn that the baby MIGHT be one who has been kidnapped. This puts a cramp in Woodward's budding romance with a nice doctor (O'Keefe). The other plot involves Kelly and Pitts who are tangentially related to the other plot, but frankly almost nothing they do really has much to do with the plot--like they were tossed in at the last minute to provide comic relief. While they really weren't very funny, I was at least happy that Kelly's performance was more restrained than usual, though Pitts was a bit annoying with her Olive Oyl-like performance.

There is nothing bad about this little B-movie, nor, for that matter, is there much good, either. It's mediocrity in film making--a worthy time-passer with a few good scenes but not a lot more. Well, now that I think about it, there was one exceptional scene and that involved McLaglen telling the baby a story--now THAT scene was precious and I wish there'd been more scenes like that, as seeing the bear of a man (McLaglen) trying to make the baby smile made me smile.

Only Fair, Although A Good Cast Tries Its Best

[Snow Leopard · 25 January 2006]

This comedy is only fair overall, with some enjoyable moments but other material that doesn't really work. That's hardly the fault of the cast, which contains several talented performers who do their best with what they have to work with. The story idea is rather silly, but in itself that's not necessarily a problem, since some very entertaining movies have been made with similar setups. But the script and the direction don't always hold up their end well enough.

The story involves a star actress being accompanied by a baby on a train trip, as a publicity ploy by her director, with the baby's unknown origins and identity causing various misunderstandings, suspicions, and anxieties. The idea has possibilities, but a story like that needs a lot of snappy writing and brisk direction to make it work. Here, there are some pretty good scenes, but there are too many occasions when things move more slowly, or when the more implausible aspects of the story become too obvious to overlook.

The cast, though, is good. Victor McLaglen, as the train's engineer, works in the role of a lovable lug. Leonid Kinskey has some very funny moments as the eccentric director, and Patsy Kelly makes good use of her role as his spunky secretary. Marjorie Woodworth and Dennis O'Keefe are quite likable, if occasionally a little lackluster. They are backed up very capably by Zasu Pitts and George E. Stone.

It's a mildly funny movie, mostly pleasant, if hardly anything special. It's not really worth going out of your way to see it, but it's not bad as light entertainment.

Nutty Comedy That Is Lots Of Fun

[JTegeur · 20 April 2012]

Patsy and Zazu were made for each other. This is a crazy comedy where things turn, then turn again, and then again, and again. Interlaced is silliness that is just the ticket to relax and wind down an evening.

Don't expect any deep themes in this show. But everyone plays their part, or overplays it, to perfection. Just enjoy.

Mix in a producer, a star, a former lover, a secretary, a train engineer riding as a passenger, a radio show enthusiast, plus a baby from somewhere and you have non stop screwball. Almost the entire movie takes place on the Pennsylvania Railroad Broadway Limited running from Chicago through Philadelphia to New York. While the real turns take place on the train they have even tossed in some train trouble, which of course Mike the engineer solves, as a tiny subplot.