The Moviegoer

In 1936 the members of the Class of '51 were little boys, Shirley Temple was the the biggest box-office attraction, and the king of England tossed away an Empire for an American divorcee. That year three of the most popular entertainers of the day, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, and Irving Berlin, Pooled their talent in a picture called "Follow the Fleet." It was a slick, sophisticated job, and it provided its stars with an excellent vehicle for their song-and-dance routines.

The Center Theater has revived this fine relic of the last decade, giving evidence that the musicals of that time will stand the wear and tear of twelve years change in tastes. The frequent dance numbers are always solid stuff, especially one called "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," a comedy routine that is supposed to be unrehearsed. Berlin's music does not always shine so brilliantly as one would expect, but there's plenty of it, and it includes some excellent tunes. Best is the memorable "We Joined the Navy," which is perhaps replayed one time too many during the film.

All this frivolity is pinned to a conventional story involving Astaire and Rogers as a couple of hoofers. Astaire has gone and joined the Navy when Miss Rogers, a fine broth of a lass, refuses to marry him on the grounds that matrimony will ruin her career. The picture depicts Astaire's return and Rogers' reconciliation, as well as a more or less uninteresting subplot about another sailor and another girl. But the characters seem happy enough all the way through, and it is evident that none of them takes the plot too seriously.

Aside from the dubious point that today's musicals lack the talent that is provided by a Berlin or an Astaire, the main superiority of a film like "Follow the Fleet" is that it lacks the horrible brassiness of modern musicals. It is inexpressibly delightful to sit in a theater without the constant danger of having a big-name band jump up and down noisily. Here the commercial Jazz is present but not overpowering, and the picture wends its pleasant way without mishap. A perhaps interesting note: Betty Grable is in the billing, but it was impossible to find her in the movie. Perhaps she dyed her hair, or perhaps she was a maid, but don't look too hard and you'll be safe.