Time Out for Rhythm

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.

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.

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.

When Sony/Columbia announced they were going to put their library on DVD, I thought it would probably be a cold day in you-know-where before they issued any of Ann Miller's films. But they have indeed released this film, and not only that, it's digitally remastered so the quality is pristine. No more bootleg copies made from wonky TV broadcasts.

This is the film Miller made for Columbia before she got her long-term contract with that studio and it was her performance here that assured the outcome. She got top billing over veterans Rudy Vallee and Rosemary Lane, which must indicate that Columbia already thought highly of her.

In this film, Miller dances more than in any of her other Columbia films. So if you're a Miller fan, you will be satisfied with acquiring a copy.

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.