AllMovie

No more accurate than other MGM musical biopics, Three Little Words has some interesting elements to it, even if they're not fully exploited. The fact that both Kalmar and Ruby have outside interests other than songwriting -- magic and dancing for the former, baseball for the latter -- is a nice change. (Unfortunately, Kalmar's injury that keeps him from dancing is conveniently forgotten; this allows Fred Astaire to perform as he must, but it damages the "integrity" of the plot.) Also of note is the believable and entertaining verbal sparring and friendly antagonism between the two lead characters, as well as the curious moral question raised (but not appropriately resolved) concerning whether friends should lie to one another to spare their feelings. None of this really matters in the long run, of course; what matters are the numbers, and as long as Astaire and Vera-Ellen are around, the film is in excellent hands. Red Skelton and Arlene Dahl also handle their numbers well, but with less aplomb than their co-stars. The film has a leisurely but somewhat comforting pace; although several numbers make an impression, none are spectacular, but this adds to the overall relaxed atmosphere of the piece. Astaire and Vera-Ellen would team up again in The Belle of New York.