Follow the Fleet

Follow the Fleet
original theatrical poster
Directed byMark Sandrich
Written byAllan Scott
Dwight Taylor
Lew Lipton (add'l dialogue)
Based onShore Leave
1922 play
by Hubert Osborne
Produced byPandro S. Berman
StarringFred Astaire
Ginger Rogers
Betty Grable
Randolph Scott
CinematographyDavid Abel
Edited byHenry Berman
Music byIrving Berlin
Max Steiner
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • February 20, 1936 (1936-02-20) (U.S.)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$747,000[1]
Box office$2,727,000[1]

Follow the Fleet is a 1936 American RKO musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Lucille Ball and Betty Grable also appear, in supporting roles. The film was directed by Mark Sandrich with script by Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor based on the 1922 play Shore Leave by Hubert Osborne.

Follow the Fleet was extremely successful[2] at the box office, and during 1936, Astaire's recorded versions of "Let Yourself Go", "I'm Putting all My Eggs in One Basket", and "Let's Face the Music and Dance" reached their highest positions[3] of 3rd, 2nd, 3rd respectively in the US Hit Parade. Harriet Hilliard and Tony Martin made their screen debuts in this film. RKO borrowed Randolph Scott from Paramount and Astrid Allwyn from Fox for the production.[4]

  1. ^ a b Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55
  2. ^ Croce: "with all its flaws Follow the Fleet was a shattering hit", p.84
  3. ^ Mueller p.412
  4. ^ TCM.com