Star Spangled Rhythm is a 1942 American all-star castmusical film made byParamount Pictures during World War II as a morale booster. Many of the Hollywood studios produced such films during the war, with the intent of entertaining the troops overseas and civilians back home and to encourage fundraising – as well as to show the studios' patriotism. This film was also the first released by Paramount to be shown for 8 weeks.

Star Spangled Rhythm
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Credited director: George Marshall Co-director: Ralph Murphy "Old Black Magic": A. Edward Sutherland Contributing: Frank Tuttle Lewis Allen Paul Weatherwax (all uncredited)
Written by	Sketches: Melvin Frank George S. Kaufman Norman Panama Arthur A. Ross Fred Saidy(uncredited) Arthur Phillips(uncredited) Writer: Harry Tugend
Produced by	Joseph Sistrom
Starring	The Stars of Paramount Pictures
Cinematography	Theodor Sparkuhl Leo Tover
Edited by	Paul Weatherwax
Music by	Score: Robert Emmett Dolan Songs: Harold Arlen(music) Johnny Mercer(lyrics)
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	December 30, 1942 (1942-12-30) (New York City) February 12, 1943 (1943-02-12) (US) [1]
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,127,989
Box office	$3.85 million (U.S. and Canada rentals)[2]

Star Spangled Rhythm was directed byGeorge Marshall and others,^[3] and written by Harry Tugend with sketches byMelvin Frank,George S. Kaufman and others. The film has music byRobert Emmett Dolan and songs byHarold Arlen andJohnny Mercer, and the cast consisted of most of the stars on the Paramount roster.

Pop Webster is a former silent movie star once known as "Bronco Billy" who now works as the guard on the main gate atParamount Pictures. However, he's told his son Johnny, who's in the Navy, that he's the studio's Executive Vice President in Charge of Production. When Johnny shows up in Hollywood on shore leave, Pop and the studio's switchboard operator, Johnny's sweetheart Polly Judson, go all-out to maintain the illusion for Johnny and his sailor friends that Pop's a studio big-wig. Things get a bit complicated when Pop offers to put on a variety show for the Navy, featuring all of Paramount's stars, but Polly convincesBob Hope andBing Crosby to do the show, and they convince the rest of the stars on the lot.^[4][5]

Performers:

Cast notes:

• The character "B.G. Desoto" is modeled after Paramount executive producerBuddy DeSylva, and "Y. Frank Freemont" after vice-presidentY. Frank Freeman.^[6] When pretending to be "Mr Freemont"'s secretary, Betty Hutton speaks in an affected Southern accent; the real Y. Frank Freeman was a Southerner who was intensely loyal to Dixie.
• Others who appear in the film includeRod Cameron,Eva Gabor,Cecil Kellaway,Matt McHugh,Frank Faylen,Robert Preston andWoody Strode. Strode is seen only very briefly as Eddie Anderson's chauffeur in the "Sharp As a Tack" number.
• Star Spangled Rhythm marked the feature film debut of Bing Crosby's son,Gary Crosby, who was 9 years old at the time.^[7]
• Although "Benito Mussolini", "Hirohito" and "Adolf Hitler" are listed as characters in this film, the actors cast in those roles are not actually portraying the dictators themselves; they are merely impersonators showing up for a brief sight gag at the end of the novelty number "A Sweater, a Sarong and a Peekaboo Bang".Tom Dugan, a veteran character actor who appeared as "Adolf Hitler", also played "Bronski", an actor who plays the part of "Adolf Hitler", inErnst Lubitsch's comedyTo Be or Not To Be.^[6]

The songs inStar Spangled Rhythm were written byHarold Arlen (music) andJohnny Mercer (lyrics):^[8]

• "Hit the Road to Dreamland" – sung byMary Martin,Dick Powell and theGolden Gate Quartette
• "I'm Doing It for Defense" – sung byBetty Hutton
• "Old Glory" – sung byBing Crosby and chorus
• "He Loved Me Till the All-Clear Came"
• "On the Swing Shift" – sung and danced byMarjorie Reynolds, Betty Jane Rhodes andDona Drake
• "Sharp as a Tack" – sung byEddie "Rochester" Anderson,Katherine Dunham,Slim Gaillard andSlam Stewart, andWoody Strode
• "A Sweater, Sarong and a Peek-A-Boo Bang" – sung byPaulette Goddard,Dorothy Lamour, andVeronica Lake (dubbed by Martha Mears), and byArthur Treacher,Walter Catlett andSterling Holloway, in drag
• "That Old Black Magic" – sung byJohnny Johnston and danced byVera Zorina^[9]

The working title ofStar Spangled Rhythm wasThumbs Up. Paramount paid Arthur Ross and Fred Saidy for the rights to two sketches from their musical revueRally Round the Girls, which were used in the film. The "That Old Black Magic" sequence, which was directed byA. Edward Sutherland, was intended to be directed byRené Clair, who was unavailable at the time of shooting.^[6]

The film was in production from 11 June to 23 July 1942^[10] at Paramount's studios onMelrose Avenue inHollywood. Location shooting took place at theNaval Training Center inSan Diego, California.^[11] The final cost of the film was $1,127,989.^[6] The film premiered in New York City on December 30, 1942 and opened nationwide on February 12, 1943.^[1]

In 1943,Broncho Billy Anderson (real name:Maxwell Henry Aronson) sued Paramount for using the "Broncho Billy" name without permission. He objected to the "Bronco Billy" character inStar Spangled Rhythm being a "washed-up and broken-down actor", which he felt reflected badly on himself. Aronson asked for $900,000, but the outcome of the lawsuit is unknown.^[6]

Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd both appear - and they would team in two other all star films.^[12]

Star Spangled Rhythm received two 1944Academy Award nominations:Harold Arlen (music) andJohnny Mercer (lyrics) were nominated for "Best Original Song" for "That Old Black Magic", andRobert Emmett Dolan was nominated for "Best Score".^[13]

The film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute in these lists:

• 2006:AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated^[14]

• Star Spangled Rhythm atIMDb
• Star Spangled Rhythm at theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Star Spangled Rhythm atRotten Tomatoes
• Star Spangled Rhythm at theTCM Movie Database