Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 857

Bumping into Broadway

191923 minUnited States

Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 24:38
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Hal Roach · Public domain

Synopsis

A struggling playwright gives his remaining money to an actress who shares his boarding house, leaving himself unable to pay the rent. His attempts to sell a play and help her lead from theatrical rejection to an illegal gambling club. Accidental success at roulette briefly improves his prospects, just before a police raid turns the evening into another escape.

Cast

Harold Lloyd

Bebe Daniels

DirectorsHal Roach

Behind the scenes

This was Lloyd's first two-reel comedy featuring his glasses character. The expanded length links a boarding-house struggle, a theatrical ambition and a nightclub chase within the same romantic situation.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Harold Lloyd — Daniel Blum · Public domain
Bebe Daniels — National Photo Company · Public domain

Audience rating

Loading ratings…