Follow the Fleet (1936)

A Navy sailor tries to rekindle a romance with the woman he loves while on liberty in San Francisco.

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Dwight Taylor (screen play), Allan Scott (screen play)

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott

2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Bake Baker
Ginger Rogers	...	Sherry Martin
Randolph Scott	...	Bilge Smith
Harriet Nelson	...	Connie Martin (as Harriet Hilliard)
Astrid Allwyn	...	Mrs. Iris Manning
Betty Grable	...	Singer in Trio
Harry Beresford	...	Captain Hickey
Russell Hicks	...	Jim Nolan
Brooks Benedict	...	David Sullivan
Ray Mayer	...	Dopey Williams
Lucille Ball	...	Kitty Collins

Storyline

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. But it's not all smooth sailing: Bake has a habit of losing Sherry's jobs for her; and despite Connie's dreams, Bilge is not ready to settle down.

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Plot Keywords:

remake | sailor | dancing | navy | fake crying | 

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Taglines:

In the Super-Dreadnought of Musical Shows

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sigamos la flota

Box Office

Budget:

$747,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 80 min (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (R C A Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the fight scene between Fred Astaire and Randolph Scott, Astaire - not skilled in movie fight scenes - accidentally bloodied Scott's nose; Astaire was mortified, but Scott remained pointedly nonchalant.

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Quotes

Sherry Martin: [singing] Let yourself go, Relax, And let yourself go, Relax, You've got yourself tied up in a knot, The night is cold but the music's hot, So, Come, Cuddle closer, Don't you dare to answer "No, sir"...

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Connections

Featured in Great Performances: The Fred Astaire Songbook (1991)

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Soundtracks

Let Yourself Go
(1936) (uncredited)
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Ginger Rogers
Backed up by Jeanne Gray, Betty Grable, and Joy Hodges
Reprised by her in an audition

User Reviews

Sappy, Naive and Delightful

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")