"Follow the Fleet" follows the flock of Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers dainties, which, in the past year, have delighted American lovers of song, dance, and whimsy. It musical score comes from Irving Berlin, and its plot is the product of the union of two Broadway successes, "Shore Leave" and "Hit the Deck."

Yet with all these high-sounding recommendations, "Fellow the Fleet" is topid at best. The producers had every reason to expect that a conglomeration of the above elements would find success easy and inevitable, but there is obviously lacking the spark of inspiration, indispensable to what is really good, even in the medium of celluloid. "Follow the Fleet" is the well-timed appearance of a cut-and-dried application of a tested formula.

All There, But Lukewarm

Astaire's dancing doesn't seem quite as ingenious as it has been. To be sure, he gives orders to the crew by the eloquent beat of his soles, but somehow this curious achievement is not so impressive as some of the former antics of his flickering, flashing feet. What is lacking in quality, however, is there in quality. Astaire's solos are "We Saw the Sea" and "I'd Rather Lead a Rand"; Ginger's; "Let Yourself Go". Together they frolic about in "All My Eggs in One Basket" and "Let's Face the Music". Another disconcerting fact is that these songs, in spite of their distinguished authorship, are not catchy enough to have become entangled in our memory.

Somewhat suppressed is the humor of the distinguished pair: Ginger's candid pertness and Fred's urbane, nonchalant thrusts. In this picture they go through a rather desultory courtship, which might amuse those who enjoy witnessing embarrassment, but can hardly satisfy those who look for the crisp and the bright. The other thread of romance between Randolph Scott and Harris Hilliard, adds but little.