Any film which features a star trio of Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour and Veronica Lake warbling "A Sweater, A Sarong and A Peek-A-Boo Bang" has got to be OK with me! The women are singing about themselves of course, Lamour having made a career out of appearing in tropical island movies, and petite Lake distinguished by a fall of blonde hair that covered about a third of her face (which during the war she was requested to put in a hair net to set an example for women called to work with machinery).
During the darkest days of WWII, each studio made an effort to release an all-star entertainment package to let both the public and the troops know Hollywood was Doing Its Part, and "Star-Spangled Rhythm," like "Hollywood Canteen" and" Stage Door Canteen"and "Follow The Boys," was one of those.
The film's exceedingly slender plot concerns Betty Hutton passionate for meek sailor Eddie Bracken, merely an excuse for Bob and Bing, Dorothy Lamour, Alan Ladd and numerous others to strut their stuff in patriotic material or comic skits like "If Men Played Cards As Women Do," a risible exercise in stereotyped humor by today's standards of sex role.
To anyone largely unfamiliar with Paramount stars of the period, a good deal of this may look fairly silly, but there are still some funny moments, as when Bob Hope tries to hide in a shower from Jerry Colonna, or Hutton attempts to get over a wall with some military help. Other moments, like Bing warbling "Old Glory" with waving flags and Mount Rushmore behind him are perhaps a wee bit over the top for today's less patriotic world. To those who are familiar with these folks, I'd set aside a long Sunday, get plenty of popcorn, and watch two or three of these Stars of Parade extravaganzas just for fun!
