Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Melvin Frank (sketches)
George S. Kaufman (sketches)

Release Date:

January 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Pop, a security guard at Paramount has told his son that he's the head of the studio. When his son arrives...

Plot Keywords:

Variety

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Himself - Old Glory Number
Bob Hope	...	Himself - Master of Ceremonies
Fred MacMurray	...	Himself as Frank in Card Playing Skit
Franchot Tone	...	Himself as John in Card Playing Skit
Ray Milland	...	Himself as Joe in Card Playing Skit
Victor Moore	...	William 'Bronco Billy' Webster
Dorothy Lamour	...	Herself - Sweater, Sarong & Peekaboo Bang Number
Paulette Goddard	...	Herself - Sweater, Sarong & Peekaboo Bang Number
Vera Zorina	...	Herself - That Old Black Magic Number
Mary Martin	...	Herself - Hit the Road to Dreamland Number
Dick Powell	...	Himself - Hit the Road to Dreamland Number
Betty Hutton	...	Polly Judson
Eddie Bracken	...	Johnny Webster
Veronica Lake	...	Herself - Sweater, Sarong & Peekaboo Bang Number
Alan Ladd	...	Himself - Scarface Skit

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Naval Training Center, San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the jeep ride, one of the sailors is thrown out when the vehicle hits a bump and jumps onto a dirt road. The sailor is then shown back in the jeep in the next shot.

Quotes:

[In front of Old Glory and a plaster Mt. Rushmore]
Bing Crosby: [singing] Germans, Italians, and Japs / Can't kick us off our Rand-McNally maps.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Hit the Road to Dreamland

Actually a lot of 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?