Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)

58% of users liked it
(50 ratings)

Star-Spangled Rhythm is a typical wartime all-star musical-comedy melange, this time from Paramount Pictures. The slender plot involves the efforts by humble studio doorman Pop Webster (Victor Moore) to pass himself off as a big-shot Paramount executive for the benefit of his sailor son Jimmy (Eddie… More Star-Spangled Rhythm is a typical wartime all-star musical-comedy melange, this time from Paramount Pictures. The slender plot involves the efforts by humble studio doorman Pop Webster (Victor Moore) to pass himself off as a big-shot Paramount executive for the benefit of his sailor son Jimmy (Eddie Bracken). The overall level of humor can be summed up by the scene in which Webster is advised that the best way to pretend to be a studio big-shot is to say "It stinks!" to everything -- whereupon Cecil B. DeMille shows up to ask Webster's opinion about his current production. Betty Hutton, cast as studio switchboard operator and co-conspirator Polly Judson, is at her most rambunctiously appealing here. The huge lineup of guest performers includes Bing Crosby (and his 8-year-old son Gary!), Bob Hope, Veronica Lake, Dorothy Lamour, Dick Powell, Mary Martin, Alan Ladd, Fred MacMurray, William Bendix, Paulette Goddard, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, most (but not all) of them going through their characteristic paces. Highlights include a surrealistic rendition of That Old Black Magic with Johnnie Johnston and Vera Zorina; a frantic staging of the old George S. Kaufman sketch "If Men Played Cards as Women Do" with MacMurray, Ray Milland, Franchot Tone, and Lynn Overman; and The Sweater, the Sarong and the Peekaboo Bang, first performed by Goddard, Lamour and Lake, then lampooned in drag by Arthur Treacher, Sterling Holloway and Walter Catlett! PS: The actor playing Rochester's chauffeur in the Smart as a Tack number is John Ford "regular" Woody Strode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: George Marshall
Written By: Arthur Ross
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 2, 1942 Wide
On DVD: Jul 13, 1994
Studio: Universal Studios Home Video

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
So-so all-star film with a few bright moments.

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Another movie from the forties which looks specifically made for the war effort. Like many others the skits, songs, and dance numbers take priority over the plot of the film. The cool thing is that they always have so many stars in these movies, so it's interesting to see what… More
Another movie from the forties which looks specifically made for the war effort. Like many others the skits, songs, and dance numbers take priority over the plot of the film. The cool thing is that they always have so many stars in these movies, so it's interesting to see what they will all do. It's an alright movie, but be prepared for lots of song and dance.
jay n

Pure corn but the wall scaling skid is hysterical.

Cast

            Victor Moore as Pop Webster

            Betty Hutton as Polly Judson

            Eddie Bracken as Jimmy Webster

            Anne Revere as Sarah

            Walter Abel as Frisbee

            Cass Daley as Mimi

            Gil Lamb as Hi-Pockets

            Edward Fielding as Mr. Freemont

            Edgar Dearing as Mac

            Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson as Specialty

            Katherine Dunham as Dancer

            William Haade as Duffy

            Maynard Holmes as Sailor

            James Millican as Sailor

            Ed Johnson as Tommy

            Slim and Slam as Themselves

            Irving Bacon as Farmer 'Old Glory' number

            William Bendix
            
            Gladys Blake as Liz

            Karin [Katharine] Booth as Kate

            Virginia Brissac as Lady from Iowa 'Old Glory'

            Rod Cameron as Petty Officer

            Macdonald Carey as Louie the Lug

            Don Castle
            
            Walter Catlett
            
            Chester Clute as Bob Hope Skit

            Jerry Colonna as Specialty

            Bing Crosby as Himself

            Gary Crosby as Himself

            Boyd Davis as Capt. Kingsley

            Albert Dekker
            
            Eddie Dew as Petty Officer

            Dona Drake
            
            Ellen Drew
            
            Frank Faylen as "Black Magic" Number

            Eva Gabor
            
            Frances Gifford
            
            Paulette Goddard as Specialty

            The Golden Gate Quartet as "Dreamland" Number

            Dorothy Granger as Officer

            Lynda Grey as Girl

            Susan Hayward as Genevieve

            Sterling Holloway as "Sweater Sarong and Peek-a-Boo Bang" Number

            Bob Hope as Guest

            Johnny Johnston
            
            Cecil Kellaway
            
            Victor Laplace
            
            Alan Ladd as Scarface

            Veronica Lake as Herself

            Dorothy Lamour as Herself

            Arthur Loft as Casey

            Richard Loo as Hirohito

            Jimmy Lydon
            
            Diana Lynn
            
            Fred MacMurray
            
            Eddie Marr as "Old Glory" Number

            Mary Martin
            
            Matt McHugh as Man from Brooklyn 'Old Glory'

            Lorraine Miller
            
            Frank Moran as Man with Sturges

            Lynne Overman as Card-playing Skit

            Mabel Paige
            
            Barbara Pepper
            
            Jean Phillips
            
            Paul Porcasi as Mussolini

            Robert Preston as Guest

            Marjorie Reynolds as Specialty

            Betty Jane Rhodes
            
            Sherman Sanders as "Swing Shift" Number

            John Shay as Sentry

            Charles Smith
            
            Woody Strode as "Smart As a Tack" Number

            Franchot Tone as Guest

            Arthur Treacher
            
            Ernest Truex as "Priorities" Number

            Vera Zorina as Specialty

            Cecil B. DeMille as Himself

            Jack Hope
            
            Ray Milland as Guest

            Ralph Murphy as Himself

            Dick Powell as Specialty

            Preston Sturges as Himself

            Tom Dugan as Adolf Hitler

            Jack Roberts as Assistant Director

            Maxine Ardell
            
            Marjorie Deanne
            
            Alice Kirby
            
            Peter Potter as Georgia boy 'Old Glory' number

            Barney Dean
            
            Frederic Henry
            
            Christopher King
            
            Donivee Lee
            
            Marcella Phillips as Finale

            Susanna Foster
            
            Keith Richards (II) as Officer

            Keith Richards (I)
            
See full cast