Synopsis
Tim Bart (Dix), star of silent Western films, is not given a contract when talking pictures begin. Although he has lost his ranch, Tim will not accept a gangster role in talkies. He is about to leave Hollywood when a young boy who idolizes him shows up as his door, having hitchhiked from Indiana to see him. Tim throws a party to introduce the boy to the stars. However, rather than the real stars, their stand-ins attend masquerading as the stars. The boy is fooled, but he is injured and cannot be moved. Neither Tim nor his young actress friend Gloria Gay (Wray) has the money to take care of him. Tim is about to rob a bank when real robbers arrive and he pulls out his gun and stops them. The resulting publicity and the return of Western films renews his career. The boy lives with them and they have a camp for children on their ranch.
Discussion
The transition from silent to talking films affected the careers of many actors. Some were able to maintain stardom, but others, perhaps most famously John Gilbert, declined. The Tim Bart character does not make a successful transition, but his career is revitalized when technical advances permit the production of outdoor films including Westerns.
It Happened in Hollywood is notable for its behind the screen views of film production, including the actors on a set surrounded by the director, various production assistants, the camera platform and other equipment. The microphone and camera truck are shown tracking Dix as he walks down the street during his aborted role as a gangster.
Samuel Fuller received his first screen credit on this film, as a screenwriter. In his autobiography, Fuller states that Tim Bart is based on famed cowboy actor Tom Mix, who did not maintain his star position after the transition. Toby, Bart's horse, is based on Tony, Mix’s horse.