Doctor Rhythm

'Doctor Rhythm' is not one of Bing Crosby's best films, for me it's one of his weakest, but even his weakest films are still worth seeing at least once.

If you're looking for a great story or script, look elsewhere. Anybody wanting good songs, some entertainment and decent performances will not feel short-changed. The story is very slight and silly even for a comedy musical, with a tone that can veer on the weird. The script is similarly flimsy with little attention to characterisation, and while some of the comedy is funny some of it bumbles along in a jumbled and tedious fashion.

Direction is at times routine, and Crosby while with an easy-going charm has looked more comfortable in other films. Mary Carlisle is a little dull in a ditzy sort of role with not much meat.

However, 'Doctor Rhythm' is a handsome-looking film, with a beautifully rendered opening and is very nicely shot. The song are very pleasant, with Crosby's contribution being excellent and makes one wonder why they are not better known, "My Heart is Taking Lessons" in particular. There are funny moments, and 'Doctor Rhythm' does have a good nature and a warm heart.

Crosby sings sublimely as always, his singing is often described as crooning and while the term is understandable it is somewhat unfair to Crosby's artistry. Stealing the show however is Beatrice Lillie, the film playing to her strengths as a sophisticated slapstick performer. "Two Dozen Double Damask Dinner Napkins", her justifiably famous stage and record sketch, is the highlight of the film.

All in all, worth seeing especially for Lillie but there are better Crosby films around. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of the large number of Paramount musicals for "Der Bingle" in the 1930s and 1940s, that are mostly pleasant feasts for lovers of his crooning, entertaining in their own right, but forgettable after watching. They all have high points in them, but the films that people remember for showing Crosby the actor were made after 1940. Then came his pair of performances as Father O'Malley, his visit to the court of Franz Joseph in THE EMPEROR'S WALTZ, and eventually movies like THE COUNTRY GIRL and HIGH SOCIETY. Perhaps the best to say about the early Crosby films was they gave him the training to become the fine serious actor he turned into. They also were adequate comic training for his series of "Road" films with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

The best portions of this film (aside from Crosby's singing) is Bea Lillie's comic points. Although she would have a long film career (she was, if you recall, the villain in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in the middle 1960s) Ms Lillie's basic career was as a satirist and stage clown. With her ladylike ways and soft speech she would sit on stage singing a song about "Fairies at the Bottom of My Garden", and suddenly you were listening to a devastating criticism about modern culture. That was never (as far as I know) put on film. But her routine about buying "a Dozen Double Damasque Dinner Napkins" (from poor, flustered Franklin Pangborn) gradually roles off their betwixt and be-twiddled tongues as "a dibble dizen madeques riddle nipkins" or whatever they come up with. She also does a lovely spoof of gypsy love songs, "Only a Gypsy Knows", that includes her bashing around with a tambourine, and yelling a friendly "Hiya!" at one point. I recommend the film for fans of "Der Bingle", but also for those masters of tongue-twisted, genteel comedy, Lillie and Pangborn.

The film starts out slow, but jumps to full speed whenever Bea Lillie is on screen. Mostly just a jumble of tedious situation comedy bumbling, the film is saved by Ms. Lillie's musical numbers and her "double-damask dinner napkin" routine with Franklin Pangborn.

The recollection of this film is from the 60's tv. There were several enjoyable characters, including Andy Devine. The most memorable part is a bit done between Bea Lillie, customer and Franklin Pangborn, store salesman. The difficulty of purchasing a doudle dozen damask dinner napkins is hilarious. If anyone out there has a copy of this film, I would love to see it again.

After years of knowing this obscure Bing Crosby movie was on YouTube, I finally decided to watch this just now there. The story is quite a mess concerning Crosby's doctor character switching places with Andy Devine's policeman for reasons I don't feel like revealing here. Also appearing is legendary British stage comedienne Bea Lillie who does her "dinner napkins" routine to hilarious effect with Franklin Pangborn and a few others. She also has another funny one with Devine as the doctor and one with Crosby near the end. She also performs some funny numbers sans Crosby who does his usual love songs to nice effect. In summary, Doctor Rhythm was a funny musical comedy but don't expect it to make too much sense if you want to enjoy it to its fullest...