It was directed by Erich von Stroheim, Raoul Walsh, Alfred L. Werker, and Edwin Burke, although none of those directors are credited.

The story follows the relationship between an innocent, small-town boy and girl who are overmatched by the vastness and crudeness of New York City, but whose love overcomes both their surroundings and their friends' attempts to separate them.

'"[1] Mona encourages her two friends Millie and Peggy, both newcomers to the city, to accompany her "walking down Broadway" to meet men.

But Mac, an abrasive New Yorker, takes Peggy for his partner and Jimmy is forced to be with Millie as the group heads off to Coney Island.

On the way home, they see a dog hit by a car and Jimmy picks up the injured animal; Peggy offers to help treat it at her apartment.

Back at the rooming house, Peggy settles Millie into a warm bath and joins Jimmy, Mac, and Mona in the latter's apartment.

[1] The final shooting script was filed on August 9, 1932, with the subtitle "An inconsequential story concerning small people along The Great White Way".

[1] ZaSu Pitts, the star of von Stroheim's silent films Greed (1924) and The Wedding March (1928), was chosen by the director to play the part of Millie.

Von Stroheim once called Pitts "the greatest psycho-pathological actress in the American cinema"; in this film, he envisioned her as the centerpiece of the story, the "romantic martyr".

[3] Von Stroheim originally wanted George Raft to play Mac;[3] the part was ultimately filled by Terrance Ray.

[4][5] Cinematographer James Wong Howe alleged that von Stroheim physically bruised Mallory when she was too exhausted to cry on cue.

[6] According to White, the screening audience was composed of "studio lot secretaries" and the feedback was that the production was "morbid, unpleasant, strange, and unsavory".

… James Dunn and Terrance Ray, other two members of the cast, gave poor performances with the direction rather than their ability blamed for the result.

[6]Writer Edwin Burke, coming off an Academy Award win for Best Adapted Screenplay for the Fox film Bad Girl, was brought in to script new scenes and also direct some retakes, as did directors Alfred L. Werker and Raoul Walsh.

According to the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, Mac is even more vulgar in Walking Down Broadway, while Millie plays a more important role thematically.

[1] In the re-edited film, the apartment blaze is caused by dynamite that has been stored in the basement by a drunkard, who also functions as comic relief.

He also called the storyline "hokum", explaining: "When they have to have an explosion caused by a habitual drunk with a mania for collecting dynamite to arrive at a climax, you may be sure that the story tellers are running out of ideas".

[9] Gilbert Kanour of the Baltimore Evening Sun panned the film, writing: "Half a dozen actors do the best they can to make 'Hello Sister' something else than a dull torment, but the task is too much for them".

[1] Harold R. Cohen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did not even bother reviewing the film upon its 1933 release; referring to the combined cost of the original and re-edited versions, he summed it up as "$375,000 worth of pure, unadulterated cinematic garbage".

The Hartford Courant wrote: Hello Sister is a typical James Dunn picture, full of sweetness and light and young romance.

[13]The Kansas City Star credits Mallory, Dunn, and Pitts for lifting the film above its forgettable plot, writing: For its real entertainment comes from the beauty and charm of Boots Mallory (who saves the picture), from Jimmy Dunn's always welcome portrayal of an earnest and honest young punk in the city, from Zasu Pitts' comedy and from the tender and sympathetic handling of the 'pick-up' problem as it affects girls who want to be good but who don't want to be lonesome.

[15] The Akron Beacon Journal stated that the film is "aimed at the feminine trade and the romance is frequently relieved by laughs".