Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

edwagreen One of the best Astaire-Rogers film is this 1936 gem of a flick.With the constant theme of Let Yourself Go in the background, Astaire and Rogers dance up their usual storm and by film's ending- Let's Face the Music and Dance is so appropriately for how the story has turned.Astaire meets up with Rogers, his ex-girlfriend, while he is on liberty from the navy.Harriet Hilliard steals the show, particularly at the beginning, as the sister of Rogers. A spinster schoolteacher, she almost looked like Bette Davis in beginning scenes of 1942's "Now, Voyager."Randolph Scott co-stars as Astaire's mate, who falls for Hilliard after she dolls herself up.The plot may be corny, but the dance routines sparkle and there is a story after all.

Hitchcoc Fred and his friend, Randolph Scott (this is not a Western) are on shore leave. Obviously, these are show people. Ginger is around somewhere (his former partner) and in this effort they rekindle their relationship and their dancing skills. Along with them is the young woman who later became the wife of Ozzie Nelson. She's so young and it became surprising to me how well she could sing. I know that Ozzie was some second rate band leader in these days. There is some sparring because of the lack of seriousness of Fred's friend, Bilge. He is one of those guys who is full of himself and leads women on, only to desert them. Of course, who cares about the plot since we can see the most famous dance pair in history hoof it to some lesser known Irving Berlin songs. "Face the Music and Dance" is the only one that rings a bell with me.

Tad Pole . . . 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!

TheLittleSongbird 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