Time Out for Rhythm

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.