Like other established silent-film directors Christy Cabanne, William Beaudine, Elmer Clifton, Lambert Hillyer, and Harry Fraser, Hill was given fewer major assignments in talking pictures. Although Hill began the sound era with Universal, he soon was forced to freelance for independent producers like Sol Lesser, Max and Arthur Alexander, and Sam Katzman.
Unlike other prominent silent-film directors Cabanne, Beaudine, Clifton, Hillyer, and Fraser, Hill's career in talkies was characterized by fewer significant roles. Initially working with Universal, he eventually had to seek work from independent producers such as Lesser, the Alexanders, and Katzman.