Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Action Comedy Drama Horror Thriller Sci-Fi Romance Mystery Animation Crime
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) movie poster

Timeline

Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1989 · 93 mins · English
Starring
Tamara Tunie, Steve Buscemi, Randy Quaid, Rutger Hauer, Julie Hagerty, Richard Edson

Set in 1930s New York, the musical adapts Damon Runyon tales. Gambler Feet Samuels agrees to a scientific experiment as he learns Hortense loves him and chooses life. Harriet mourns her dead parrot. “Regret,” a gambler, becomes a murder suspect chased by bloodhounds. “The Brain” bleeds out, and his friends rush to find a transfusion.

Romance Comedy Drama Cast, crew & box office
On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Bloodhounds of Broadway
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989)

Where can you watch Bloodhounds of Broadway? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Bloodhounds of Broadway Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Diner kickoff: New Year's Eve gathering

    On New Year's Eve 1929, a bustling diner becomes the opening stage for several interwoven lives. The Brain, a gangster with multiple girlfriends, sits with Regret and an outsider with bloodhounds, while Feet Samuels declares his love for Hortense Hathaway. Hortense is tossed out of the diner for her unsavory reputation, setting a volatile mood for the night to come.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    Diner, Broadway

  2. Flower girl scene and a strange bargain

    A girl selling flowers arrives as Feet settles a debt with the Brain. The Brain offers $5 for a 5-cent flower and slyly tells her to keep the change. The moment reveals the night’s quirky economics, where money and favors weave through even the smallest acts. It foreshadows the chaotic mixture of crime and whimsy that follows.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    Diner, Broadway

  3. The Brain is stabbed

    Before anyone can leave, a hitman for the Brooklyn Mob stabs the Brain, wounding him severely. The Brain, in pain, tells his men to take him 'home.' His girlfriends, however, refuse to let him into the room for a range of reasons, leaving his fate uncertain as the night advances.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    Diner, Broadway

  4. Feet enters a wild craps game

    Feet Samuels plunges into a high-stakes craps game with reckless gambles and canny luck. The tension of the room crackles as chips fly and fortunes shift in moments. His presence heightens the sense that the night could tilt toward tragedy or glory at any moment.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    Gambling hall

  5. Feet wins big: money and jewelry

    Through a stroke of luck, Feet scores a massive payoff of money and jewelry. The victory feels hollow against the looming personal promise he has made. The win intensifies his determination to fulfill a desperate plan he has kept hidden.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    Gambling hall

  6. Feet reveals his plan to die

    Regret presses Feet about life and death, only to hear Feet reveal his plan to kill himself rather than welch on a past bet. Regret tries to talk him out of it, but Feet remains steadfast in keeping his last promise. The moment cements the personal stakes driving the night’s drama.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    Gambling hall

  7. Harriet MacKyle plans a grand party

    Harriet MacKyle, a sheltered socialite, hires a fixer to arrange a big party at her estate for that night. The plan is to gather many players from the city’s crime, media, and high society circles. The stage is set for a night of simultaneous celebrations and potential reckonings.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    MacKyle estate

  8. Regret contacts the reporter at the party

    Regret dials up Waldo Winchester, the muckraking reporter, who is now at Harriet MacKyle's party. He asks Winchester to talk to Hortense Hathaway and to help her realize Feet is smitten with her. The connection between crime, media, and romance tightens the night’s narrative threads.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    MacKyle estate

  9. Hortense is urged to quit show life

    Hortense faces the pressure to abandon her dangerous life as a lounge singer and move to New Jersey to start a family. The request comes through the channel opened by Regret and Winchester, putting Feet’s hopes on a fragile future. Hortense wrestles with loyalty, ambition, and the possibility of a safer life.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    MacKyle estate

  10. Lovey Lou’s unflagging love for Regret

    Despite Regret’s perpetual bad luck, Lovey Lou’s affection remains unwavering. Her devotion adds another layer of tension and tenderness to a night already thick with risk and romance. The couple’s dynamic contrasts with the night’s tougher machinations.

    When
    New Year's Eve, 1929
    Where
    MacKyle estate

  11. The party as the nexus of the four stories

    The New Year’s Eve party becomes the central hub where the four major stories intersect—Feet’s romantic pursuit, the Brain’s collapse, Regret’s gambling misfires, and Hortense’s future choices. The event is framed by the muckraking reporter as the night unfolds and the stories push toward their climaxes. Tension builds as midnight approaches and alliances shift.

    When
    Midnight approaching
    Where
    MacKyle estate

  12. Waldo Winchester frames the night's four stories

    As the clock nears midnight, Waldo Winchester begins to frame the four major stories that defined the wild New Year’s Eve. The reporter’s perspective ties together the disparate threads—the personal, the criminal, and the media-driven narrative. The resulting timeline captures how a single night can expose both glitter and grime of Broadway.

    When
    Midnight
    Where
    MacKyle estate

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:31

Was this helpful?

Timeline questions answered

Bloodhounds of Broadway Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Feet Samuels plan to kill himself?

Feet Samuels has lost a bet he cannot pay back, so he sold his body to a medical doctor to settle the debt. Rather than face the shame of defaulting, he decides to end his life on New Year's Eve, making it his final night of freedom before honoring this fatal promise.

Foreshadowing: The diner scene establishes Feet as hopeless and desperate early in the film, foreshadowing his tragic decision.

  • Feet Samuels suicide
  • why Feet dies
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway plot
Q2

Why was Hortense kicked out of the diner?

Hortense Hathaway was thrown out of the diner because she has a tainted reputation in the Broadway scene. The exact nature of her reputation is not detailed, but it is unsavory enough that the diner staff refuses to serve her.

Foreshadowing: This early rejection sets up her vulnerability and the obstacles she faces in pursuing a relationship with Feet.

  • Hortense kicked out
  • diner scene
  • Hortense reputation
Q3

What happens to The Brain after being stabbed?

The Brain is stabbed by a hitman from the Brooklyn Mob and is severely wounded. He bleeds out while his girlfriends argue about where to take him. He ultimately dies from his wounds, though his friends rush to find a transfusion as a desperate attempt to save him.

Foreshadowing: The violent confrontation is foreshadowed by the tense atmosphere in the diner and the criminal underworld elements present from the start.

  • The Brain dies
  • Brooklyn Mob
  • The Brain stabbed
Q4

Why do The Brain's girlfriends refuse to let him go home?

When The Brain is wounded and tells his men to take him 'home,' his numerous girlfriends refuse. They refuse because they do not want him to return to whatever place awaits him there, likely associated with danger, the Mob, or perhaps another woman. Their refusal leaves his fate uncertain as he bleeds out.

Foreshadowing: The tension between The Brain and his multiple lovers is established early, hinting at the conflict that prevents them from helping him.

  • The Brain girlfriends
  • refuse home
  • Bloodhounds character
Q5

Why does Feet still choose to die after winning big at craps?

Despite winning a massive payout of cash and jewelry in the craps game, Feet remains committed to his suicide plan. His decision is driven not by financial desperation but by honor, he made a blood promise to end his life rather than welch on his bet, and his win does not change that commitment.

Foreshadowing: Feet's rigid sense of honor is established early when he declares his love for Hortense while simultaneously planning his death.

  • Feet wins craps
  • gambling win
  • Feet honor suicide promise
Q6

Why does Regret become a murder suspect?

Regret becomes a murder suspect because he is present at the diner when The Brain is stabbed. Though the actual attacker is a hitman for the Brooklyn Mob, Regret's presence at the scene and his notorious bad luck make him the prime suspect, leading to him being chased by bloodhounds.

Foreshadowing: Regret's reputation as the world's unluckiest gambler sets him up as a target for suspicion when violence erupts.

  • Regret murder suspect
  • bloodhounds chase
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway plot
Q7

What decision does Hortense make about her future?

Hortense must choose between continuing her glamorous but dangerous life as a lounge singer on Broadway or moving to New Jersey to start a family with a steadier, more respectable life. The pressure comes through Waldo Winchester, who contacts her on behalf of Feet's feelings.

Foreshadowing: Her earlier ejection from the diner foreshadows her struggle to find a place in society beyond her tarnished reputation.

  • Hortense future
  • New Jersey
  • Hortense decision
Q8

How do the four stories connect at Harriet MacKyle's party?

Harriet MacKyle's New Year's Eve party serves as the central hub where all four storylines converge. The party brings together Feet's romantic pursuit of Hortense, The Brain's collapse and potential death, Regret's gambling misfires and murder suspicion, and Hortense's life-altering decision. Reporter Waldo Winchester frames these intersecting narratives as midnight approaches.

Foreshadowing: The timeline sets up the party as the nexus from the moment Harriet begins planning it.

  • Harriet party
  • four stories converge
  • Bloodhounds plot
Q9

Why do the bloodhounds chase Regret?

The bloodhounds pursue Regret after he becomes a murder suspect in The Brain's stabbing. Though he is not the actual killer, the authorities and possibly the Mob use the bloodhounds to track him down due to his presence at the crime scene and his notorious bad luck making him an easy target.

Foreshadowing: The enigmatic outsider with bloodhounds who appears early in the diner hints at this chase sequence.

  • bloodhounds chase
  • Regret hunted
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway
Q10

What is Waldo Winchester's role in the story?

Waldo Winchester is a muckraking reporter who serves as the narrative frame for the entire film. He observes and weaves together the four major stories unfolding on New Year's Eve 1929, ultimately framing how the night's events unfold and connecting the various characters to each other.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Waldo observing the diner scene, establishing his role as storyteller from the start.

  • Waldo Winchester reporter
  • narrator
  • Bloodhounds character

Movie threads

More Movies Like Bloodhounds of Broadway, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Bloodhounds of Broadway tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Bittersweet ensemble tales on a single night like in Bloodhounds of Broadway

Stories where a specific night brings diverse characters together, changing their lives forever. If you liked the interwoven stories and New Year's Eve setting of Bloodhounds of Broadway, explore more movies like it. These ensemble dramas unfold over a single night, blending romance, desperation, and fate, creating a bittersweet and emotionally resonant experience.

  • ensemble
  • fateful night
  • romantic
  • desperate
  • melancholic
  • gritty
  • Tone: bittersweet, romantic, desperate
  • Pacing: variable, shifting from slow to fast
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives unfold over a compressed period, weaving together the lives of multiple characters—often gamblers, artists, lovers, and loners—who are united by a time and place. Their individual quests for love, fortune, or survival collide, creating a tapestry of interconnected fates that reach a climax simultaneously, resulting in a mixed emotional resolution.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared structure of a tight timeline and ensemble focus, a bittersweet tone that balances hope with melancholy, and a variable pacing that shifts between intimate character moments and frantic, high-stakes action.

Bloodhounds of Broadway movie poster

Bloodhounds of Broadway

1989
Plaza Suite movie poster

Plaza Suite

1971
Paris, je t'aime movie poster

Paris, je t'aime

2007
New York movie poster

New York

2009
Full Frontal movie poster

Full Frontal

2002
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs movie poster

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

2018
Wondrous Boccaccio movie poster

Wondrous Boccaccio

2015
The House of Flowers Presents: The Funeral movie poster

The House of Flowers Presents: The Funeral

2019

Jazz-age underworld dramas of love and desperation like in Bloodhounds of Broadway

Romantic and dangerous tales set in the smoky, high-stakes world of vintage urban crime. Find movies similar to Bloodhounds of Broadway that capture the same feverish vibe of 1920s/30s New York. These gritty period pieces feature gamblers, gangsters, and romantic showgirls in stories blending high-stakes risk, desperate love, and a bittersweet, melancholic mood.

  • 1920s
  • gambling
  • gangsters
  • romantic
  • desperate
  • gritty
  • Tone: bittersweet, gritty, romantic
  • Pacing: steady, with bursts of fast-paced action
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot typically revolves around characters operating on the fringes of society, where fortune is fleeting and love is a high-stakes gamble. The narrative explores themes of fate, loyalty, and survival, often culminating in moments of violence or profound sacrifice set against a backdrop of period-specific music and style.

Why they belong together: They share a distinct historical setting that defines their mood, a central theme of risky endeavors like gambling, a tone that mixes romantic yearning with gritty danger, and characters whose desperate choices drive the narrative forward.

Playing Around movie poster

Playing Around

1930
Bloodhounds of Broadway movie poster

Bloodhounds of Broadway

1989
I Cover the Waterfront movie poster

I Cover the Waterfront

1933
The Jazz Singer movie poster

The Jazz Singer

1927
Sylvie's Love movie poster

Sylvie's Love

2020
The Jazz Singer movie poster

The Jazz Singer

1980
Blondie of the Follies movie poster

Blondie of the Follies

1932
Sinners in the Sun movie poster

Sinners in the Sun

1932

If you liked this

Movies Like Bloodhounds of Broadway

Similar movies to Bloodhounds of Broadway: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries
Broadway Danny Rose movie poster

Broadway Danny Rose

1984
They Live by Night movie poster

They Live by Night

1949
Broadway Love movie poster

Broadway Love

1918
Bumping Into Broadway movie poster

Bumping Into Broadway

1919
Red, Hot and Blue movie poster

Red, Hot and Blue

1949
Broadway Babies movie poster

Broadway Babies

1929
Bloodhounds of Broadway movie poster

Bloodhounds of Broadway

1952
The Barkleys of Broadway movie poster

The Barkleys of Broadway

1949
Big City Blues movie poster

Big City Blues

1932
New York Nights movie poster

New York Nights

1929
Broadway Melody of 1938 movie poster

Broadway Melody of 1938

1937
Dr. Broadway movie poster

Dr. Broadway

1942

Every angle

Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Bloodhounds of Broadway in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app