Navy who go on shore leave. Instead of the typical accidental acquaintance, the dancing duo are the former lovers Bake Baker and Sherry Martin, who are still in love since their dancing days. In the basic plot, Bake Baker Fred Astaire and Bilge Smith Randolph Scott are shipmates in the U. But one day the fleet returns to home port and the partnership is renewed - at least for one more show. The sabotage of Bake Baker with bicarbonate soda is hilarious.
But sooner their misunderstandings resolve and they dance together again. Good but far from great. She sings Get Thee Behind Me Satan and The Moon and I Are Here, But Where Are You, both with real feeling and class. In small early-career roles, catch a very blonde Lucille Ball and a very young Betty Grable. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch 'Follow the Fleet' right now, here are some specifics about the Radio Pictures musical comedy flick.
The two also have the task of playing Cupid to Bake's buddy Bilge Randolph Scott before his cowboy days and Sherry's sister, Connie Harriet Hilliard. The dancing does a marvelous job evoking and enhancing the somber mood set by the preceding action, and each gracefully drags the reluctant other across the floor. Ginger also shows that she has a equally talented voice when it's not filled with bicarbonate soda see the movie. It's probably my favorite informal dance number out of all their films. While trying to make up to his longtime partner, he continually sabotages her career. Everyone and everything is once again just so enjoyable.
Synopsis When the fleet puts in at San Francisco, sailor Bake Baker tries to rekindle the flame with his old dancing partner, Sherry Martin, while Bake's buddy Bilge Smith romances Sherry's sister Connie. After the concert, Bake and Sherry are offered a show on Broadway, which A. And then in the grand tradition of dwindling finances, there's nothing better for Hollywood's best entertainers than put on a show. The film was directed by with script by and based on the 1922 play Shore Leave by. So where does the principal conflict come in? This dance audition is actually occasion for Ginger's first of only two dance solos in the Rogers-Astaire film series. Sherry meets Bake in the joint and they rekindle their love, and Bake decides to get a better job for Sherry.
Nothing to worry about, Bake assures her. Curious to know what the movie's about? When Bake returns to the vessel, he is ordered to sail and leaves Sherry unemployed without any notice. It captures the true essence of the decade and of the people, and tells a beautiful love story of two sisters with two sailors. It only runs a few minutes longer than Swing Time, for example, but it feels a heck of a lot longer. Unfortunately, Bake's liberty gets canceled and the fleet pulls out that night. As it is, it's a fine movie but overly long with a tedious subplot, i. Had this film been put together a tad better, it would be up there with the best of Astaire and Rogers.
Astaire plays Bake Baker, a Navy man whose on-again off-again relationship with Sherry Martin Rogers is the source of many laughs. Although close to two hours, the story drags a bit. Rogers wears one of the great dresses in movie history. Musically speaking Irving Berlin gave Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers another pluperfect musical after Top Hat if that was possible. The dialogue is not as zippy as 'Top Hat' for example and Randolph Scott seems out of place. And more than that, they give top hats, tails and evening gowns a rest for most of the film, playing rather typical people; a refreshing change, I think. Their dancing on this one is absolute magic.
Otherwise, the supporting cast isn't up to the usual standard of Fred and Ginger's better efforts. But now the two are on shore leave. But the real hit of the show is Let's Face the Music and Dance which is a number done at a Navy show. Before going, he makes an acquaintance with Iris Manning Astrid Allwyn , a society girl who later takes him on a scenic route back to his ship, causing him to be late from liberty leave. Neither Ozzie or Harriet sang on television.
When the boys return to San Francisco, Bake attempts to get Sherry a job in a show, but fails amidst a flurry of mistaken identities and misunderstandings. Rogers is his ex-partner Sherry, now convoying the Navy around a ballroom for 10 cents a dance. As the titles appeared, I sat back to enjoy what I expected to be a memorable movie. Although in this case like that Jerome Kern confection Roberta that they were in, Follow the Fleet retained Randolph Scott with another singer, this time Harriet Hilliard. Scott meets Hilliard the first time when she looks like a stereotypical librarian, and later on after Ginger Rogers has asked her friend a blond but unmistakable Lucille Ball to glamor her up.
Though Fred and Ginger are fine and do a couple of good numbers, 'Let Yourself Go' and 'Let's Face the Music and Dance', there are, in addition to some forgettable tunes, a number of dead spots where the camera seems to linger for no good reason, usually when on board the boys' ship. Film clips of this routine were featured in the 1981 film — detested by Astaire, — where it was also reinterpreted by and with revised choreography by. She had a varied career, becoming the more famous Harriet Nelson with Ozzie. This is simply a nice, feel-good film and good one if you want to to enjoy the great talents of Astaire and Rogers. It has Fred and Ginger who when they are dancing take any film into heavenly heights and they don't disappoint here. Meanwhile, Astaire tries to pick up where he and his old dancing partner left off. Meanwhile Connie is infatuated with Bilge, but he is not ready to commit to marriage.