Navy against lovesickness

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Movie
German title Navy against lovesickness
Original title Follow the fleet
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 110 minutes
Rod
Director Mark Sandrich
script Allan Scott ,
Dwight Taylor
production Pandro S. Berman
music Irving Berlin
camera David Abel
cut Henry Berman
occupation

Marine Against Lovesickness (Originally Follow the Fleet ) is an American musical comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich from 1936. The screenplay is based on the play Shore Leave by Hubert Osborne. The premiere in Germany took place on April 13, 1973 on German television ( Bayerischer Rundfunk ). The original version was broadcast with German subtitles. A synchronized version was shown for the first time on October 17, 1985 on ZDF .

action

Bake Baker and Sherry are a dance revue couple that split up. Baker joined the Navy while Sherry is employed in a dance hall. Baker visits the dance hall with his comrade Bilge. While Baker and Sherry dance together again, Bilge is drawn to Sherry's sister Connie. But when Connie brings up the talk about wedding, she rejects Bilge. He now turns to a divorced celebrity, Iris, a friend of Sherry.

The two sailors return to their ship. Connie tries to raise money to save her late father, a captain's ship, from being scrapped. Back in San Francisco, Baker tries to get Sherry a job on a Broadway show. But misunderstandings and mix-ups prevent Baker's intention. Baker puts on a charity show that will raise the missing $ 700 for renovating Connie's ship. In addition, Baker and Sherry are offered a Broadway show. Both decide to perform again.

Reviews

"The insignificant and overconstructed plot is just the starting point for the excellent performances by Fred Astaire, who, together with his partner Ginger Rogers, succeeds in creating excellent dance roles with attractive melodies."

- Lexicon of international film

"(...) with spectacular dance choreography and a brilliant cast."

- Cinema

background

The RKO production had a budget of just under $ 750,000. The film grossed almost 2.7 million US dollars worldwide. In this film, Harriet Hilliard made her feature film debut. Betty Grable can be seen in a supporting role as a singer .

Producer Pandro S. Berman , incidentally the brother of film editor Henry Berman , who won an Oscar in 1967, was not mentioned in the credits.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers together made 10 films, four of which were directed by Mark Sandrich. This film is their fifth collaboration. Randolph Scott, more familiar from westerns, was one of Fred Astaire's best friends. Astaire's friends also included composer Irving Berlin.

The musical director was Oscar-winning Max Steiner from Austria . Commander Harvey S. Haislip of the US Navy acted as military advisor. The choreographer for the dance ensemble was Hermes Pan , who worked with him in all of the Astaires' films for the RKO.

Hubert Osborne's play on the stage, on which the script was based, was filmed before this film. In 1930 Luther Reed directed the comedy Hit the Deck . A remake of this film was shot in 1955 under the same original title (Eng. Title: In Frisco Anchor ) by Roy Rowland.

Songs

  • We Saw the Sea - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Fred Astaire
  • Let Yourself Go - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Ginger Rogers. This number is certainly not one of the highlights of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as a dance couple. Astaire in a mate's uniform and Rogers in baggy trousers first dance with other guests. This scene later turns out to be a dance competition in which two other couples can be seen in very short excerpts. Apart from a dance number that is not very spectacular musically, choreographically or in terms of tap dancing, there are only a few "hand-claps" added as the only change.
  • Get Thee Behind Me, Satan - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Harriet Hilliard
  • I'd Rather Lead a Band - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Fred Astaire
  • But where are you? - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Harriet Hilliard
  • I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This rather long and unspectacular number by Astaire and Rogers is first introduced vocal by both. You are on the ship's deck, the sound of the taps is rather muffled here. Sometimes it has something grotesque about it, in that both of them hold their arms close to the body with their shoulders raised while dancing, then stretch them up again. The tap dance is not very exciting and seems almost "etude-like", for example the shim-sham restart after both of them have briefly steered themselves out of the dance. The quilted rhythms are not very interesting. In the moments performed in pantomime, it is often not clear what is meant here. So there is no comic here either. In the second part, a couple of bars of waltz sound twice, which is rare in tap dancing. Astaire and Rogers first have to think about which steps are right, but are then immediately brought back into a rapid swing rhythm. The way in which Rogers slips Astaire out of his hand and falls to the floor is not very elegant. The comedy in the extended final chords, in which neither of them can agree on a common finale, is also limited.
  • Let's Face the Music and Dance - composed by Irving Berlin, performed by Fred Astaire

DVD publications

  • Follow the Fleet (1936) - Universal Pictures UK - Release: April 4th 2005
  • Follow the Fleet - Turner Home Entertainment - Release August 16, 2005
  • Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 - Warner Home Video - Release: August 16, 2005
  • Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition - Warner Home Video - Release: October 24, 2006

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Lexicon of International Films 2000/2001 (CD-ROM)
  2. ↑ Review of "Cinema"
  3. ^ Internet Movie Database