Time Out for Rhythm

Here's another solid 'B' musical, this time not from Universal but Columbia. Universal has bunches of these which have never been released on VHS or DVD (e.g., "The Merry Monahans(1944), but Columbia is somewhat more liberal with their product. Here is one that could go over well in release. It stars, principally, Rudy Vallee and Richard Lane as theatrical agent partners who butt heads over egotistical chanteuse Rosemary Lane. Lane likes her, Vallee does not - he finds Ms. Lane irritating and is taken with Ann Miller. This picture marks a departure for Vallee, whose character has more depth than most of his other movie appearances, and a meatier role for Richard Lane than at any other time in his career. Though not top-billed, he is the male lead and he is quite good.

There are several good musical numbers sung by Joan Merrill, and couple of song-and-dance numbers by Ann Miller, including one with Allen Jenkins (I'll bet you've never seen him sing and dance - and he's pretty good!). Throw in the Three Stooges with some comic routines and you have a pretty fair movie. The music is from the 40's, of the jive and swing variety. Just the right mix of comedy, romance and music to earn a rating of 7. A quality production in all departments.

With a cast that included Rudy Vallee, Ann Miller, Allen Jenkins and The Three Stooges, this looked like being quite an enticing movie. Unfortunately, however, it turned out to be as dull as ditchwater.

The only good thing about it was, in fact, the presence of the extremely talented dancer Ann Miller, who acquitted herself admirably in this, her debut in movies as a dancer.

I'm usually quite fond of The Three Stooges, just as long as Shemp Howard was part of the trio. Those others (Curly Howard, Joe Besser and Joe DeRita) hardly ever made me smile, let alone laugh. In this movie it was the unfunny Curly Howard who appeared, and most of the schticks they performed have been seen before in their short subjects.

I found Blanche Stewart and Eliva Allman (I've never heard of either of them) as Brenda and Cabrina respectively, most unamusing.

With a terrible plot, about two constantly quarreling agents, the movie gave me little watching pleasure.

The five stars are strictly for Ann Miller.

This little known Columbia musical stars Rudy Vallee and Ann Miller, but is of great interest due to the appearance of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard (aka The Three Stooges). Although they are not starred and have nothing to do with the nonexistent plot of the film, the Stooges have a good amount of screen time and what they have is stellar. In this film, they perform their trademark set piece "Maharajah". Compare this version to the 1946 version with a sick Curly. Here Curly is high energy and the piece is full of life. It is also superior to their television versions with Shemp and Curly Joe. The Stooges show up often in the film for a handful of gags and they participate in a group of musical numbers. The finale with the Stooges "au natural" is priceless. Vallee had developed into a fine character comedian as well and Miller's dancing is always welcome. This is a light, fun budget musical comedy.

Time Out for Rhythm (1941)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A great cast elevates this musical-comedy but it can't quite reach a good level. The story itself is pretty simple as business partners (Richard Lane, Rudy Vallee) try to get Frances Lewis (Rosemary Lane) into the big time. The duo eventually break up so the Lane character tries to make Kitty Brown (Ann Miller) a superstar.

TIME OUT FOR Rhythm features a pretty good cast full of familiar faces but the plot is just so routine and predictable that the film never manages to be more than a decent "B" picture. I think the best thing the film has going for it is the cast, which is certainly good enough to keep film buffs entertained throughout the short running time. Lane is actually pretty good and believable in his role here and Vallee makes for a nice rival. Allen Jenkins is also good in his supporting bit as a piano player and there's no question that Lane is good. Ann Miller easily steals the film in her role and her dancing is certainly the highlight. THe Three Stooges appear throughout the film in brief skits as they are constantly trying to break into show business. I found their skits to be decent but at the same time they take away from the main focus of the story.

As I said, there are some problems here with the screenplay being the biggest issue. There's a love conflict that's thrown in but just adds a bunch of boring scenes and you know where they're going to go. The musical numbers are fairly good considering the budget. TIME OUT FOR Rhythm isn't a classic but if you're a fan of the cast then it's certainly worth sitting through.

Before sitting down to watch this film I did remember it vaguely from seeing it on television as a kid in the early sixties. At that time the Three Stooges were in a comeback via television and they were who I knew and remembered. As an adult I saw that Time Out For Rhythm starred Rudy Vallee and Ann Miller.

Well we sure saw a lot of Ann Miller dancing in fact she carries the film when the Stooges aren't there. But I was amazed that Rudy Vallee sang not a note and he was first billed. His stuff had to end up on the cutting room floor.

Vallee with his stuffy personality was a hard sell as a musical film star. It was right after this film that Preston Sturges cast him in The Palm Beach Story recognizes how his type could be played for laughs and successfully.

But the Stooges with their special brand of nonsense really dominate things, especially Curly doing a swami routine. They are equally aided and abetted by Brenda&Cobina a female comedy team that were regulars on Bob Hope's Pepsodent Radio Show. They were a pair of brain dead plain Jane switchboard operators and using them with Moe, Larry, and Curly was a stroke of genius for Columbia.

The rather thin plot involved a talent agency headed by Rudy Vallee, Richard Lane, and Allen Jenkins trying to give a break to Ann Miller who is the maid of star Rosemary Lane. Lane has forbidden Miller to seek a career of her own. I think you know where this is going.

This is Columbia and not MGM so the production values on this musical are paper thin. But the film is definitely a must for Three Stooges fans.