A send-up song for Veronica Lake, Paulette Goddard and Dorothy Lamour in Paramount’s Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), a rather limp but somewhat entertaining (for a 40’s Paramount Films musical ensemble extravaganza).
Names like Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Preston Sturges, Alan Ladd, Cecil B. DeMille and Eddie Bracken provided a parade of Hollywood’s (Paramounts) biggest stars for a song based show. With Eddie Bracken as a sailor who brings his pals to the Studios to meet his father, a guard and one-time cowboy star now posing as a movie director.
Bing Crosby and Bob Hope head up the cast of course, being the biggest names, but it did give some exposure to the newly discovered Veronica Lake (who certainly wasn’t known of her singing voice) to appear to sing besides two huge contemporary female leads.
I say ’appear to sing’ because Veronica was not a singer and the studio quickly decided to dub all her parts and in the case of this movie her singing voice was provided by by Martha Mears.
The on screen qwerks of Goddard and Dorothy Lamour were their costumes: Goddard being often put in a sweater and Lamour in a sarong. Combined with Lake’s flapping fringe a song was put together highlighting and poking a bit of fun at their iconic styles.
Listen here:
A Sweater, A Sarong, and A Peek-A-Boo Bang" refers to the iconic look of Veronica Lake, a popular American actress from the 1940s. Veronica Lake was known for her distinctive hairstyle, which featured a peek-a-boo bang that covered one eye, creating a sense of mystery and allure. This hairstyle became her trademark and a major trend among women of that era. The phrase encapsulates not just her hairstyle but also elements that hint at the glamour and style of the period, with "a sweater" and "a sarong" pointing towards popular fashion choices of the time.
Veronica Lake’s influence extended beyond her films; she became a fashion icon, influencing hairstyles and fashion trends. Her peek-a-boo bang was particularly influential, as it was emulated by many women and remains a reference point for vintage and retro hairstyles today. The combination of her hairstyle with fashionable attire like sweaters and sarongs contributed to the era’s distinctive style, blending Hollywood glamour with practical elegance.
While the phrase "A Sweater, A Sarong, and A Peek-A-Boo Bang" succinctly captures the essence of Veronica Lake’s style, it also reflects the broader fashion and beauty trends of the 1940s, a time when Hollywood stars significantly influenced public fashion preferences.
