Director: Gordon Douglas
Hal Roach hoped to make the blonde beauty Marjorie Woodworth a star when he offered her the leading part in Broadway Limited, a train-set screwball comedy boasting an impressive cast of character actors. Unfortunately for her, the screenplay doesn’t give her a whole lot to do, and she is largely relegated to serving as a generic young lover surrounded by much more colorful personalities. Victor McLaglen plays an engineer who is tasked with finding a baby as a publicity stunt for an actress (Woodworth). Once the child is aboard the train, however, news of a high profile kidnapping case begins to trickle in, and McLaglen fears what trouble awaits him once the train stops. The team of ZaSu Pitts and Patsy Kelly steals the show, with the former in particular giving the funniest performance as an enthusiast of a radio program entitled, “Renfrew of the Mounted.” Just the way Pitts longingly utters “Renfrew” is good for a couple of laughs, and there’s also a humorous scene in which a whole cabin of irritated listeners has to put up with the latest episode as Pitts is enraptured with delight. The screenplay doesn’t have the wit to match the cast, but it’s a pleasant diversion.
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