- Jan 10 "Pete the Tramp" cartoon strip by C D Russell debuts
Film Premier
Feb 3 "Shanghai Express" directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook and Anna Mae Wong premieres in Los Angeles
Marlene Dietrich
- Feb 12 Sonja Henie of Norway wins her 2nd of 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals in women’s figure skating at the Lake Placid Winter Games; beats Austria’s Fritzi Burger into 2nd place for 2nd straight Games
- Feb 14 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show debuts on CBS radio, airing there until 1937, moving to NBC until 1949, and returning to CBS in 1949, before moving to television
- Feb 18 Sonja Henie wins her 6th straight World Women's figure skating title
- Mar 24 1st US radio broadcast from a moving train (Belle Baker WABC from MD)
Event of Interest
Mar 29 Jack Benny debuts on radio, on Ed Sullivan's New York interview program
Ed Sullivan
Jack Benny
Event of Interest
Apr 4 George Bernard Shaw's comedy "Too True To Be Good" premieres in NYC; runs for 59 performances
George Bernard Shaw
Film Premier
Apr 12 "Grand Hotel" directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore premieres in New York, includes the line "I want to be alone" (Best Picture/Production 1932)
Greta Garbo
Film Release
Apr 16 Short film "The Music Box" released in the US, starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (1932 Academy Award Best Live Action Short Film)
Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
- Apr 29 1st broadcast of "One Man's Family" on NBC radio, longest-running dramatic serial on US radio (ends 1959)
Event of Interest
May 2 Jack Benny's 1st radio show premieres (NBC Blue Network)
Jack Benny
- May 25 Goofy, aka Dippy Dawg, 1st appears in 'Mickey's Revue' by Walt Disney
Film Release
Jul 28 "White Zombie" - 1st feature length zombie film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi is released in the US
Bela Lugosi
- Aug 6 1st Venice Film Festival opens, the world's oldest film festival
- Aug 22 BBC begins experimental regular TV broadcasts
- Sep 18 Actress Peg Entwistle commits suicide by jumping from the letter "H" in the Hollywood sign
- Oct 11 1st political telecast (Democratic National Committee) at CBS, NYC
- Oct 20 Journalist Robert Trout joins CBS
Film Premier
Oct 22 Film "Red Dust" directed by Victor Fleming, starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Mary Astor premieres
Academy Awards
Nov 18 5th Academy Awards: Fredric March and Wallace Beery in 1st ever tie for Best Actor. "Grand Hotel" and Helen Hayes also win.
Event of Interest
Nov 28 Groucho Marx performs on radio for the first time
Groucho Marx
- Dec 2 "Adventures of Charlie Chan" 1st heard on NBC-Blue radio network
Film Premier
Dec 22 Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers 1st joint movie "Flying Down to Rio," directed by Thornton Freeland, premieres in NYC
Fred Astaire
Ginger Rogers
Film Release
Dec 22 "The Mummy" directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff is released in the US - 1st Mummy horror film
Boris Karloff