Star Spangled Rhythm

Any film which features a star trio of Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour and Veronica Lake warbling "A Sweater, A Sarong and A Peek-A-Boo Bang" has got to be OK with me! The women are singing about themselves of course, Lamour having made a career out of appearing in tropical island movies, and petite Lake distinguished by a fall of blonde hair that covered about a third of her face (which during the war she was requested to put in a hair net to set an example for women called to work with machinery).

During the darkest days of WWII, each studio made an effort to release an all-star entertainment package to let both the public and the troops know Hollywood was Doing Its Part, and "Star-Spangled Rhythm," like "Hollywood Canteen" and" Stage Door Canteen"and "Follow The Boys," was one of those.

The film's exceedingly slender plot concerns Betty Hutton passionate for meek sailor Eddie Bracken, merely an excuse for Bob and Bing, Dorothy Lamour, Alan Ladd and numerous others to strut their stuff in patriotic material or comic skits like "If Men Played Cards As Women Do," a risible exercise in stereotyped humor by today's standards of sex role.

To anyone largely unfamiliar with Paramount stars of the period, a good deal of this may look fairly silly, but there are still some funny moments, as when Bob Hope tries to hide in a shower from Jerry Colonna, or Hutton attempts to get over a wall with some military help. Other moments, like Bing warbling "Old Glory" with waving flags and Mount Rushmore behind him are perhaps a wee bit over the top for today's less patriotic world. To those who are familiar with these folks, I'd set aside a long Sunday, get plenty of popcorn, and watch two or three of these Stars of Parade extravaganzas just for fun!

A potpourri of star turns lift the charming but silly plot above itself. Worth seeing for the Dick Powell/Mary Martin number alone. I kept backing the tape up and watching this part again and again. Why Martin wasn't a greater Hollywood star is a mystery to me, but H'wood's loss was B'way's gain. Many other nice things to see, but I have a feeling some numbers were cut from the final print. Wonder what they were?

Sailor Johnny Webster (Eddie Bracken) and his pals are on shore leave in California. Johnny's dad Pop (Victor Moore) is the head of Paramount Pictures, which is also where Johnny's girlfriend Polly (Betty Hutton) works. Only Polly and Pop have been lying to Johnny, as Pop is only a lowly guard at the front gate. They decide to try and continue with the ruse, which results in comic hi-jinks as they try to avoid the real studio chief Mr. DeSoto (Walter Abel). This all leads up to a big show put on by the stars of Paramount for the Navy boys.

As corny, frivolous, and plotless as these all-star wartime crowd-pleasers are, I still like them. Maybe it's the upbeat attitude, the stars goofing around, or the rapid pacing, I'm not sure, but they seldom fail to leave a smile on my face. Having Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken as the leads in the main "story" doesn't hurt, either, as they are both manic and funny. One of the aspects of this particular extravaganza that stood out for me were the lovely ladies in energetic dance numbers.. Paramount kept this one in theaters longer than usual, and it ended up being one of the top ten hits of the year. It also nabbed Oscar nominations for Best Score (Robert Emmett Dolan) and Best Song ("That Old Black Magic").

Pretty much this is Paramount's contribution to the war effort in 1942. Plot basically sees Victor Moore as Pop, who by way of some deceit has to keep up the pretence to his sailor son Johnny Webster (Eddie Bracken) that he is head of the studio, when in fact he is just a gatekeeper there. As Johnny and his sailor pals make their way to the studio, Pop, aided by switchboard operator Polly Judson (Betty Hutton), sets about putting on a all star show for the boys. Cue sketches and variety turns by a ream of Paramount performers. Some of the situ comedy works, such as Bob Hope in the shower with William Bendix and Hutton trying to scale a wall aided by two bendy blokes, other moments, however, fall a little flat. But when the froth is war-oriented or the stars are poking fun at themselves, it scores well and the musical numbers are never less than pleasant.

Good old time cinema while it's also fun to play spot the star. 7/10

At best, 1942 was a year of confusion because of World War Two. Perhaps that is why the movie is uneven. The movie was released before the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which drew the United States into the war as a legal active participant. The purpose of this film seems two-fold: to entertain in time of war and to provide Paramount with a opportunity to do its part in the war effort in public. There are some extraordinary scenes, such as the dance number in the aircraft plant and Betty Hutton's singing during a jeep ride. In general, however, the movie promises more than it delivers, and the scene with Bing Crosby singing of "Old Glory" in front of Mount Rushmore (with a patriotic chorus) is simply too jingoistic. One bright result is the Bracken-Hutton screen relationship in this movie which blossomed into very good comedy in a later film, "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek."