College Rhythm

1934 film by Norman Taurog

Walter DeLeon
Francis Martin
John McDermott

Story byGeorge Marion, Jr.Produced byLouis D. LightonStarringJack Oakie
Mary Brian
Joe PennerCinematography

Ted Tetzlaff
Leo Tover

Edited by

Edward Dmytryk
LeRoy Stone

Music byTom Satterfield

Production
company

Paramount Pictures

Distributed byParamount Pictures

Release date

November 23, 1934 (1934-11-23) (United States)

Running time

86 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$537,000

College Rhythm is a 1934 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Jack Oakie, Mary Brian, and Joe Penner.

The film's budget was $537,000.

Plot

Cocky college football star Francis Finnegan has his eye on the attractive Gloria van Dayham, as does his rival, Larry Stacey.

Francis takes a job in a department store owned by Stacey's father, where salesgirl June Cort is attracted to him. Finnegan proposes that Stacey's store sponsor a football team, which causes rival shop owner Whimple to do the same. The team's head cheerleader Mimi falls for team mascot Joe, and everyone pairs off with the perfect partner after the big game.

Cast

Jack Oakie as Finnegan
Joe Penner as Joe
Lanny Ross as Larry
Helen Mack as June Cort
Mary Brian as Gloria
Lyda Roberti as Mimi
Franklin Pangborn as Peabody
Dean Jagger as Coach Robbins
George Barbier as J. P. Stacey
Robert McWade as Whimple

Production

Several of the film's cast had appeared in the 1933 hit musical film College Humor.^[1] Dorothy Dell had been cast in the leading female role but was killed in an automobile accident on June 8, 1934.^[2]

Screenwriter Francis Martin spent four weeks with Joe Penner, a vaudeville and radio star who had no previous experience acting in feature films, before the script had been written.^[3] Penner also gave three performances at the Paramount Theatre in New York so that the screenwriters could witness how he performed before a live audience.^[4]

Lanny Ross, who had recently signed a 70-week radio contract, continued to be heard on his Maxwell House Show Boat program, the nation's top-rated show, by live remote during the filming of College Rhythm.^[5]^[6]

Filming took place from mid-August until October 1934.^[7]^[8] It had originally been scheduled to begin in June 1934 but was delayed repeatedly,^[9] including a two-week period just before shooting began in which the film's producers scrambled to find pretty girls with acting talent to fill two roles, which were won by Helen Mack and Mary Brian.^[10]

The film's score, with seven new songs, was composed by the songwriting team of Mack Gordon and Harry Revel.^[11]

The football scenes were shot at the Rose Bowl and featured the entire USC Trojans football team.^[12]^[13]

The College Rhythm title was originally intended for the unrelated film She Loves Me Not, but Paramount preserved the other film's original title because of the notoriety of its related novel and stage production.^[14]

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Frank S. Nugent called College Rhythm "a mad and generally merry concoction, unbelievable, nonsensical and designed solely for eye and ear amusement" and wrote: "[T]he plot hangs by less than a thread and the saving grace of the film is its ability to capitalize on the singing talents of Mr. Ross, the charm of Miss Roberti, the handsomeness of Misses Brian and Mack and Mr. Penner's clowning."^[15]

References

^ Shaffer, George (1934-03-29). "Will Rogers and Fred Stone in 'Maybe We'll Co-star'". Daily News. New York. p. 60.
^ Crow, James Francis (1934-06-11). "Warners Plan Special on Famed Flying Unit". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 4.
^ Penner, Joe (1934-06-26). "Duck Man Writes a Column". The Washington Times. p. 4.
^ Skolsky, Sidney (1934-07-20). "Hollywood". Daily News. New York. p. 38.
^ Pendergrast, Mark (1999). Uncommon grounds: the history of coffee and how it transformed our world. ISBN 0-465-05467-6. By the beginning of 1933 "Maxwell House Show Boat" was the top radio show in the country, a status it would maintain for the next two years. ...
^ "Combines Radio and Pictures". The Montclair Times. 1934-07-20. p. 14.
^ "Production Schedules". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1934-08-21. p. 7.
^ "Production Schedules". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1934-10-09. p. 5.
^ "Lanny Ross Delays Trip". The Kansas City Star. 1934-05-27. p. 14C.
^ Parsons, Louella (1934-08-21). "'Lookers' Who Can Act Found Scarce". The Minneapolis Tribune (Morning ed.). p. 9.
^ "Composers Finish Songs for Musical". Washington Times-Herald. 1934-08-21. p. 10.
^ Pantages, Lloyd (1934-08-22). "I Cover Hollywood". San Francisco Examiner. p. 11.
^ Pantages, Lloyd (1934-08-21). "I Cover Hollywood". Oakland Post-Enquirer. p. 14.
^ Arthur, Art (1934-03-02). "Reverting to Type". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 25.
^ Nugent, Frank S. (1934-11-24). "The Screen: Mr. Penner Sells His Duck". The New York Times. p. 19.