Time Out for Rhythm

The popularity of the Three Stooges was soaring so high in the 1940s they were asked to appear in several feature films. In one of their more lengthy roles in a full-length picture was June 1941's "Time Out for Rhythm," a musical with Rudy Vallee, Ann Miller and Rosemary Lane. The three comedians pop in and out of the movie several times, posing as maharajahs auditioning for a show, Western Union messengers, gangsters, and even Carmen Miranda (Curly) and her (his) Brazilian sidekicks.

"Time Out for Rhythm," wrote film reviewer Stuart Galbraith, has as its "main draw for audiences today is that it features the Three Stooges, then consisting of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard. The Stooges were in the middle of their long and highly profitable run of two-reel comedies." Critic JP Roscoe adds, the picture is "simple entertainment, made all the more enjoyable by the Stooges' interludes, yielding a healthy, breezy movie that holds up rather well all these years later."

The musical fun fest features several songs from melody makers Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn, with the standout tap-dancing of Ann Miller, who even though only 18, appears in her 12th credited movie. She reportedly could tap 500 times a minute while performing her dance routines, and she proves it in "Time Out for Rhythm." Born Johnnie Lucille Collier in Houston, Texas, she was the daughter of a criminal lawyer famous for defending the Barrow Gang, Machine Gun Kelly and Baby Face Nelson. Suffering from rickets, Lucille took dance lessons as a child to strengthen her legs. Her mother, who was deaf, moved to Los Angeles after her divorce, and Lucille, looking much older than 13, lied about her age to secure work in nightclubs dancing, giving herself the stage name of Ann Miller. Lucille Ball along with a talent scout saw her dancing in a San Francisco club and had RKO hire her for small uncredited roles such as 1934's "Anne of Green Gables." She rose to more lengthy parts, including playing an eccentric relative in Frank Capra's Oscar Best Picture 1938 "You Can't Take It With You." Her starring role in "Time Out for Rhythm" as a young protege of talent agent Danny Collins (Rudy Vallee) was the first of eleven B musicals Miller did for Columbia Pictures.

This hilarious and very hep B grade Columbia musical turns up often on Australian Television, so someone at Channel 9 besides me likes to see it programmed a lot. Good swing/jive music, great Ann Miller tap numbers, some spooky boogie woogie, Allen Jenkins being obnoxious and a lot of very funny 3 stooges routines.....and Brenda and Corvina....yikes! Two female stooges! I would never have believed it. Must have been great fun to see in the 40s in a 2000 seater and a full house. The "Twiddling My Thumbs Number" is a lot like the Jesse Matthews "Dancing On The Ceiling" number from Evergreen but here its a real toe tapper from Ms Miller.

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.

I first read of this rare Three Stooges-Moe, Larry, and Curly-feature when reading the book "The Stooges' Lost Episodes" which loved the Stooges' routines here especially the "Maharraja of Vulgaria" one when Curly hadn't yet suffered his stroke as they say was evidenced when he later performed that in the Three Little Pirates short. Anyway, the Stooges aren't the only highlights here, tap dancer Ann Miller is introed by her glamorous legs first before we then see the rest of her in her maid outfit. No wonder Columbia gave her a long-term contract after she performed in this. Character actor Allen Jenkins Is also on hand doing fine comedy takes as well as occasionally doing a musical number as he does with Ms. Miller here. Crooner Rudy Vallee does occasionally sing with one of the numbers being with Joan Merrill who warbles a couple more solo. Besides the Stooges, Blanche Stewart and Elvira Allman also provide comic relief as secretaries Brenda and Cobina. Watch both teams during the rumba number near the end, what laughs! So on that note, I highly recommend Time Out for Rhythm for all the Stooges fans out there.

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.