The Big Broadcast (1932) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

After meeting at a speakeasy, both men discover they have been betrayed by the women they loved. Crosby learned that Mona Lowe betrayed him, while Leslie was swindled out of $100,000 by a woman who broke his heart. Feeling wronged and despondent, they get drunk together in Crosby's apartment and decide on a gas-poisoning suicide pact. The moment is played as darkly comedic, interrupted by a ghostly visitation that saves them.

Foreshadowing: The earlier mention of Crosby's career troubles and the looming lawsuit sets a tone of desperation that builds to this moment.

• suicide pact
• betrayal
• despair
• speakeasy
• crosby
• leslie

As Crosby and Leslie near death from gas poisoning, a surreal ghost appears, a skull and an accordion player who sings 'Here Lies Love,' a macabre song about life's fragility. This ghostly intrusion is a brief supernatural element in an otherwise realistic comedy. It serves as the dramatic interruption that prevents the men from completing their suicide pact, before the doorman and Anita arrive to physically rescue them.

• ghost
• skull
• accordion
• supernatural
• here lies love

Leslie McWhinney is a Texas oilman who, despite being down on his luck and believing he was ruined by a woman's betrayal, still possesses $900,000. This substantial fortune allows him to purchase WADX when the station faces bankruptcy. He uses the money to rescue the station and support Crosby's career, believing it will help foster the romantic connection between Crosby and Anita.

• leslie mcinwhey
• $900000
• station purchase
• oilman
• bankruptcy

Anita Rogers, the WADX secretary who was formerly engaged to Leslie, explains that she has fallen in love with Crosby because he reminds her of Leslie. This creates a complicated romantic triangle where Anita's feelings are partly a transfer of her original affection. The revelation adds a bittersweet layer, especially when she later asks Leslie for a kiss, showing her conflicted emotions.

Foreshadowing: The earlier connection between Anita and Leslie is established when she arrives to rescue them.

• anita
• leslie
• crosby
• love triangle
• reminds

During the big broadcast, Crosby returns to the microphone for the second verse and improvises lyrics to send a message directly to Anita. The altered lyrics tell the audience that Leslie deserves a second chance, effectively orchestrating a reconciliation between Anita and Leslie. This moment transforms what could have been a simple performance into a public declaration of support for his friend's romance.

Foreshadowing: Crosby had been secretly orchestrating the plan to let Leslie and Anita's romance flourish.

• crosby
• improvised lyrics
• broadcast
• message
• anita
• leslie

Mona Lowe, Crosby's original fiancée, returns and reinstates the wedding just before the big broadcast is set to air. Her sudden reappearance pulls Crosby away from his developing relationship with Anita and threatens to destroy the romantic arrangement he has been building. Mona's jealous and possessive nature creates conflict, and she watches the broadcast from the booth with a black eye from an earlier confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Crosby's impending marriage to Mona was established early, creating tension throughout.

• mona lowe
• wedding
• return
• broadcast
• jealousy

Desperate to keep the broadcast going when Crosby seems unavailable, Leslie attempts to simulate a live Crosby performance by finding a record and spinning it on air. This leads to a farcical chase around the city, he battles closing stores, drops records, clashes with a policeman, encounters a misdirected pineapple, and tumbles into a pile of records. The record ultimately shatters, creating chaos that nearly derails the show but eventually becomes the lifeline that allows Anita to recognize Leslie's voice.

• leslie
• record
• chase
• comedy
• broadcast
• radio

When the melted record yields a broken, unclear sound, Anita is in the radio studio and recognizes that the voice being broadcast is actually Leslie's, not Crosby's. Her surprised reaction confirms that the broadcast is being carried by Leslie's voice rather than a Crosby record, which signals that the plan might still work and rekindles her connection to Leslie.

Foreshadowing: The earlier record-chasing sequence sets up this moment of recognition.

• anita
• leslie
• voice
• recognize
• broadcast
• radio

Gracie Allen plays the stenographer at WADX whose unpredictable antics and comic hijinks constantly test manager George Burns' patience. Her energy drives much of the farcical chaos at the station, and her actions contribute to the mounting paperwork and confusion that push the station toward bankruptcy. Her presence creates comic relief while also escalating the station's sense of teetering collapse.

• gracie allen
• stenographer
• hijinks
• chaos
• station

Crosby appears to be drinking and in a somber mood, but he is actually pretending to be intoxicated to allow the show to proceed on schedule. His deception is part of a larger plan to let Leslie and Anita's romance flourish by stepping aside. This creates tension with Leslie, who pushes Crosby to perform, while Mona's fury builds behind the scenes.

Foreshadowing: Crosby's earlier invitation for Leslie to join them at WADX hints at his willingness to facilitate their romance.

• crosby
• pretend
• drunk
• broadcast
• plan
• intoxicated

As Crosby and Leslie sit in the kitchen, drunk and despondent, with gas filling the room, a doorman and Anita Rogers arrive at the apartment. Their timely intervention stops the suicide pact before it reaches the point of no return. Anita's role as Leslie's former fiancée gives the rescue an additional layer of emotional significance, as she pulls him back from the edge both literally and figuratively.

Foreshadowing: The ghostly visitation interrupts the men's despair just before the rescue arrives.

• doorman
• anita
• rescue
• suicide
• apartment
• timing

The big broadcast culminates in reconciliation rather than competition. Crosby returns to perform and publicly encourages Anita to take Leslie back as her fiancé. Anita accepts, Leslie supports the new arrangement, and Mona watches from the booth with disapproval. The film ends with the new romantic arrangement intact, Crosby has shifted his affection toward enabling Leslie and Anita's relationship rather than pursuing Mona.

Foreshadowing: Crosby's improvised lyrics were specifically directed at reuniting Leslie and Anita.

• ending
• reconciliation
• crosby
• anita
• leslie
• relationships