Follow the Fleet (1936)

Disappointment for a huge fan!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Continuing my affair with the delightful Ginger Rogers, I can't go for long without her. This is great stuff, up there with Top Hat and Shall We Dance - the three best Fred 'n' Ginge films - all directed by Sandrich in the mid 30s. Irving Berlin's tunes are all pedigree again here, including 'Let's Face the Music and Dance', the scene paid tribute in Fellini's Ginger and Fred. The dancing is lively and inventive, and it's good value at 110 minutes.To draw the story out, the subplot follows another couple, Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard - the latter even gets a couple of songs. The contrast between Hilliard and Rogers (who play sisters) is fascinating. Rogers' face somehow sparkles and you know she's witty, humane and is high on emotional intelligence by her mannerisms and the way she uses her voice with that cute Southern edge. Hilliard is good but doesn't have that something which is evidently star quality. We don't have to worry about Fred, he is so good at what he does it all looks like a holiday for him - he lets himself go and enjoys it, and the others follow his lead. Sandrich clearly had the knack of getting everyone in the right frame of mind.I'll no doubt be dipping into this regularly, as I do with the other Fred & Ginger films, particularly on those nights when you can't sleep and you want a reason for not hating the world.

. . . Fred Astaire as Seaman "Bake" Baker has convinced me that any recruiting center I may enter will be playing "Anchors Aweigh!" In the Navy, according to FOLLOW THE FLEET, multiple rich chicks seem to fight over any sailor who's halfway decent-looking. In the Navy, you can then leave the girls for months at a time to make "their hearts grow fonder" (and/or give them a chance to refurbish giant ships for your eventual personal use). In the Navy, you have lots of free time between ports to conduct jazz bands and perfect dance routines. In the Navy, it's okay for enlisted guys to punch out officers, as long as it's at a social gathering during off-duty hours (you even can deck them aboard ship while on-duty, if you have a really good reason!). In the Navy, you can study for and pass tests to become a civilian ship captain the minute you're mustered out. In the Navy, they have cooks and galleys, so you don't have to settle for C-rations, or K-rations, or any other kind of alphabet soup. In the Navy, you're never ordered to dig fox holes. In the Navy, there's not as much of that noisy shooting you have to put up with in the Army or in the Marines. As far as I'm concerned, FOLLOW THE FLEET!

Follow the Fleet is a lot of fun and very charming. It isn't quite as good as Top Hat and Swing Time, but fans of Fred and Ginger won't be disappointed and will be enthralled instead. Like with almost all of their outings the story is somewhat silly and plays second fiddle to everything else and Harriet Hilliard, apart from her two wonderfully done solos(especially But Where are You?), is a little dull. However, while perhaps not as audacious or sophisticated as Swing Time, it is beautiful to look at with the photography particularly pleasing, the standout being Let's Face the Music and Dance. Irving Berlin's score and songs are not quite as consistent as his ones for Top Hat but are still wholly memorable and put a smile on your smile. Let's Face the Music and Dance is the jewel of the crown, helped also by Fred and Ginger's best ever dance routines, but Let Yourself Go and I'd Rather Lead a Band also stand out among the songs. The choreography is energetic and poised, Let's Face the Music and Dance once again comes to mind but Let Yourself Go positively makes you want to tap your toes. The dialogue is smart, funny and sweet, while charmingly swaggering Fred Astaire and sassy Ginger Rogers, in their graceful and full-of-personality dancing and in their performances, are entirely captivating. Randolph Scott is appropriately virile and doesn't look too out of his depth(considering that he's better known for his westerns), one wishes though that he had a stronger partner in Hilliard, who comes to life in her musical numbers but is lacking elsewhere. In conclusion, great fun and easy to like. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Follow the Fleet, an RKO production in 1936, stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in a complex romantic comedy. Although Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have had many similar romantic movies together, RKO helped them to once again create a worth-while storyline that incorporates relevant situations to society at the time it was made. The narrative of Follow the Fleet relies heavily on the use of layered story lines between the two sets of main characters to create a satisfying romantic comedy.The general plot of the movie revolves around Bake Baker, a Sailor in the U.S. Navy played by Fred Astaire, and Sherry Martin, Bake's former love and dance partner who is now a singer and dancer played by Ginger Rogers. Their story begins when Bake is on the ship and his shipmate Bilge Smith finds a photo of the two of them together, and Bake reveals that the last time he saw her he had asked her to marry him, so Bilge suggests that they try and meet up with her when they are on land, in hopes that she might have a friend. The next major scene begins the second plot of the movie when Connie Martin, Sherry's sister, is refused entry into Paradise where her sister works unless she is escorted by a gentleman. She turns around to find Bilge behind her with a bag full of beverages, so she plays it off like she was waiting on him and buys his entrance into Paradise as well. Connie then finds Sherry and tells her that she is depressed because she cannot have the luck Sherry does with men, so Sherry suggests she get a makeover from her friends while she is performing on stage. Connie gets made over, and enters the ballroom once again, and approaches Bilge again, who is awestruck by the sight of her. This commences the second romantic storyline between Bilge and Connie.Throughout the remainder of the movie the story and rising actions are transitioned between altering comedic reliefs of the two couples' troubles that create several mini rising and falling actions within the overall plot. Bake and Sherry hit it off their first moments together as they compete in a dance competition and end up winning it, reminding them of the success and pleasure the two have when they are together. Similarly, Bilge is able to swoon Connie through his romantic attempts of pleasing her, and they retire to her house. This series of happy events is soon followed by unsettling measures that brings the rising action back down. Bake left Sherry the previous night to retire to the ship before midnight, and told her that he would come for her in the morning. Unfortunately the ship sets course after the shipmates have returned, upsetting Sherry and leaving her to think Bake was still being a typical sailor looking for a good time when he's on land. The mood is again changed as another subplot is entered into the film when a "party of big shots" is taking a tour of the ship. This alternate storyline is used to create a buffer between the stories of the two main relationships of the film, as well as help build confidence and fondness of Bake's overall good intentions. The party is interrupted by the oblivious music playing coming from Bake and his companions when they missed the sounding to report on deck for the company. The ladies are intrigued and ask to hear them play, and Bake gladly begins to entertain them with some dancing, which ultimately helps brighten the mood of the film, as well as bring happiness to the sailors. After returning to the couple's intertwined stories, Sherry is trying to prove to Bake that she does not need his help with landing a job. Unfortunately Bake is unaware that she is auditioning, and goes to put in a good word for Sherry when he overhears his friend at the studio talking about the remarkable lady auditioning. Bake takes it upon himself to help Sherry out by tampering with her water, making her unable to sing correctly and destroying her audition. In addition to Bake's mistake, Connie spent all of her money to repair a ship that she was hoping Bilge would take over as captain. She had also planned a remarkable dinner date for him when he was supposed to come over, but Bilge was aware of her intentions and hopes of soon marrying and was no longer interested, so he stood her up. The remainder of the movie continues in the same format of mini rising and falling actions until the climactic point is reached between the two couples, ending the movie with the happiness of both couples. The use of the altering stories helps to build interest and emotion within each couple as they deal with both happiness and pain through each of their struggles. The intertwining stories are also able to relate with one another, as well as incorporate other unrelated subplots to help carry the narrative through to the concluding scenes. Although Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have countless films together that incorporate romance, comedy, song, and dance, Follow the Fleet is a unique film for the two actors that successfully use the technique of subplots to aid the narrative between the two main characters.