Marine gegen Liebeskummer

This is just a great, fun, lovely film. It captures the true essence of the decade and of the people, and tells a beautiful love story of two sisters with two sailors. Though this film may only be in Black and White, it definitely doesn't count against it now in modern days. The main basic purpose of the movie is timeless. This movie features great acting, beautiful song and dance numbers, and great design work and film shots. Follow the Fleet is also comical, there are funny moments, moments that will make you laugh, but other moments where the acting just gets you so involved into the storyline. Its amazing how though this movie may be set in a certain decade, how it can affect those today. If you want to see something great, check this out.

The dancer Bake Baker (Fred Astaire) has joined the navy to forget his former partner and love Sherry Martin (Ginger Rogers) that has declined to marry him, but he misses her. Now his ship is anchored in San Francisco and he goes with his pal, the sergeant Bilge Smith (Randolph Scott), to the Paradise nightclub.

Meanwhile at Paradise, the intellectual teacher Connie Martin (Harriet Hilliard), who has just come from Bellport, visits her sister Sherry that is working there and she stumbles with Bilge at the entrance. She goes to Sherry's dress room and her sister produces Connie with a new dress and make-up, changing her old-fashioned style to a modern look. Sherry meets Bake in the joint and they rekindle their love, and Bake decides to get a better job for Sherry. Meanwhile Connie is infatuated with Bilge, but he is not ready to commit to marriage.

When Bake returns to the vessel, he is ordered to sail and leaves Sherry unemployed without any notice. Meanwhile Connie repairs a salvage to give her to Bilge after their wedding. However, Bilge is dating the divorced and wealthy Mrs. Iris Manning (Astrid Allwyn) and is not ready to settle down. When Sherry has an audition with New York theatrical producer Jim Nolan (Russell Hicks) and is ready to sign a contract with him, Bake arrives in the office and overhears that a girl will sign a contract with Nolan without knowing that she is Sherry. He decides to sabotage her audition with bicarbonate soda. But sooner their misunderstandings resolve and they dance together again.

Like most of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films, "Follow the Fleet" is sappy, naive and delightful. The story is a silly romance, but supported by funny gags and wonderful musical numbers.

The blonde Harriet Hilliard makes fun with blondes in her debut in a feature. The sabotage of Bake Baker with bicarbonate soda is hilarious. And Bake Baker luring Mrs. Manning and Bilge Smith in her apartment is also very funny. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nas Águas da Esquadra" ("In the Fleet's Waters")

This film is nice because there are two love stories-- something of a plot departure, and the second couple (Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard Nelson) are given the bulk of the dramatics, which allow our stars to be looser, more comical. Astaire chews the gum a little too severely, but he was anxious to make a departure from his customary tuxedoed playboy. Rogers is much more at ease in the role of struggling dancer-singer, and plays well opposite sister Hilliard. (The history is that Ms. Hilliard had to darken her naturally blond hair to distinguish her from Ms. Rogers. But wouldn't they better resemble sisters if they were both blonds?) The Irving Berlin numbers are quite good, ranging from light and airy ("Let Yourself Go," "I'd Rather Lead A Band") to elegant ("Let's Face The Music And Dance"). This final number is the film's bewitching finale, performed on a lovely Art-Deco rooftop and illustrates Astaire's penchant for full-frame, single-take dancing. It is, in a nutshell, singularly gorgeous. The trivia history goes that Rogers' metallic thread gown had weights in the sleeves and hem to make the skirt wind and unwind; the dress was unintentionally difficult to perform in because its flared sleeves hit Astaire across the face IN THE FIRST TAKE- and after many re-shoots trying to cover it up, they ended up printing that first take (we have to assume that was apparently the best performance of the dance, but you can see the sleeves brush across Astaire's face). It loses one-half point from me, because Randolph Scott says 'bebby' once too often.

This is my all-time favorite Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film. The dialogue between the two is so cute and funny and very clever. Not to mention this film contains some of the best songs recorded by the two; like I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket and Let's Face the Music and Dance. If I remember correctly, this was the film that introduced me to Fred Astaire so I suppose because of that it will always hold a special place in my heart (sorry for the sentimental cr*p but I'm woman so get over it)All in all this film gets an 8/10 from me. The choreography was superb and also the fact that Lucille Ball is in it makes it even more awesome.

Although I enjoyed seeing Harriet Hilliard and Lucille Ball as other characters than Desi's "Lucy" and Ozzie's "Harriet", I would be happy to just watch the final dance number over and over and never see the rest of the movie--it's hauntingly beautiful and the most touching I've ever seen.

It's not just a dance number! With body language alone they act out a very emotional, but unspoken drama.