Campus Rhythm

Gale Storm who was Monogram's musical star in the Forties stars for them in Campus Rhythm about a female vocalist who has her own radio program for Crunchy Wunchy Flakes. Gale has a longing to go to college, something like Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana who wanted to have a normal high school experience. What she does is exchange identities with another girl and enrolls.

Where she's being vigorously courted by Robert Lowery who leads a college swing band and is the big man on campus and also by Johnny Downs who runs the student newspaper.

Between Gale's romantic life and the desire of Crunchy Wunchy cereal to get back their Crunchy Wunchy Girl you've got the sum and substance of Campus Rhythm.

Nothing terribly special about Campus Rhythm. Those who remember and watched The Gale Storm Show of the Fifties might be interested in the film.

Lively, attractive cast lift this ultra-cheapo to pretty good entertainment. Professional songbird Dorothy (Storm) tires of her radio program, taking off to college to enjoy the social life, instead. There she meets an engaging cast of characters, including the slightly befuddled Scoop (Downs), rubber-face Babs (Pearson), handsome Buzz (Lowery), and what-voice-comes-next Harold (Candido). While waiting in the wings is the catty Cynthia (Drake). Together, they're a sprightly mix.

I'd forgotten what an engaging performer Gale Storm is, so it was nostalgic to renew the acquaintance. And where did novelty act Candido come from. His voice range is truly astonishing. No, there's nothing special about this Monogram production. Looks like they spent about 50-bucks on the sets, while the few exteriors appear to have been shot on studio grounds. Still, I would say they got more than their money's worth.

I always had a fondness for Gale Storm since I enjoyed her in the "My Little Margie" TV series in the early 1950's. I had never seen her movies till I just saw a few on TCM cable TV. Pretty, perky Gale is the only really good thing in this movie.

This movie is a great example of "suspension of disbelief." Gale's character is the top singer on U.S. radio, who flees radio and her contract to attend college under an alias (she wants to enjoy the life of an average college girl). Even though she is a RADIO star, it seems unbelievable that no one on campus would recognize/suspect who she is especially after it is announced that she is hiding in some unknown college under an alias!

I wish to draw attention to one clever scene in this routine movie: how she foils her uncle's attempt to expose her and bring her back to radio. Humorous Uncle Willie (played to good effect by Douglas Leavitt ) follows a lead that she is at a certain college. He sneaks into the girl's gym to find her, but accidentally tears his pant-leg. Gale then comes across him and has him go into the empty girl's dressing room. She says she will return with a needle and thread to sew the pants, which he is to toss out the door when she returns. However, she tells on him to the gym instructor. He tosses out the pants and is about to be booked by the cops, but Gale pleads for him by making a deal with the cops that if he promises to leave town and never return, he won't be charged as a pervert to spare his family scandal.

Shown on Turner Classic Movies. So half the cast is thirty, playing college students, and the rest of the cast wasn't much younger. There are more musical numbers here than there is plot.... the typical college campus antics. A whole lot of singing in this shortie. Gale Storm is Joan Abbott, who is sick of her job, and for SOME reason, has to change her name and go back to college. Not quite sure why she needed to change her name... were people not allowed to quit their job in the 1940's ? They send "uncle willie" to track her down and bring her back, and we watch HIM while he watches HER exercise in the gymnasium... a little creepy. Then there's the voice gag, where Candy Candido's voice (that's a guy, not a chick) keeps going high and low, even multiple times in the same sentence. Might have been fun the first time, but the repetition gets annoying, especially when he signs "Me, Myself, and I".

Directed by Arthur Dreifuss, who also directed Riot on the Sunset Strip, which is SO much more interesting, and is based on actual events in Los Angeles. Watch that one instead.

It's a Monogram musical with 6 songs in 63 minutes. I am almost at a loss at what else to tell you. Here I go.....teen singer Gale Storm has had enough of being 'The Crunchy Wunchy Thrush' which in those days meant 'radio show sponsor's singer' as opposed to today which means 'see your chemist for the right ointment'. Gale skips on her renewal and hotfoots it to minor rural college under an assumed name: Sally something. Upon arrival she is corralled into some fraternity house by 'Buzz" played like Jungle Jim on holiday by look-alike Robert Lowery (BATMAN from the serial of 1943)..... and accosted by "Scoop" the campus newspaper dude. The only highlight are the songs by delightful vocal funnyman Johnny Candy Candido who is so hilarious and effervescent... as he is in every film he appeared in the 30s/40s..eg: ROBERTA and SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT. Gale Storm is as usual her 'older pert Shirley Temple' teen self... but the film is basically dull, simple and forgettable. Even the other three songs make no sense and are un memorable.. as opposed to forgettable. Some contrived farce scenes at the radio station with exasperated squabbling replacing wit are slightly amusing only for their energy and obvious placement in the trailer. I wish I could say more positive things but CAMPUS RHYTHM but I would be out of sync with myself.