The Fleet's In (1942)

The Fleet's In is a 1942 American romantic musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger. Produced and released by Paramount Pictures, it stars Dorothy Lamour, William Holden and Eddie Bracken. Although sharing the title of the 1928 Paramount film starring Clara Bow and Jack Oakie, it is not a remake. It is instead the second film adaptation of the 1933 Kenyon Nicholson and Charles Robinson stage play "Sailor, Beware!", the first being Lady Be Careful from 1936.

Enlivened with songs by Schertzinger and lyricist Johnny Mercer. The score, under the musical direction of Victor Young, introduced the songs "Tangerine", "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry" and "I Remember You", which all went on to become hits and are part of the Great American Songbook.

Jimmy Dorsey and his band are prominently featured in the movie. Supporting cast members singers Betty Jane Rhodes, Cass Daley, and Betty Hutton in her film debut. This was the final film of Schertzinger's long directorial career.

Plot

Singer and film star Diana Golden is performing for a group of sailors. When the performance is finished, timid sailor Casey Kirby goes backstage to get Golden's autograph for his sister. Casey is tricked by Golden and her manager into kissing her for a publicity stunt. When news spreads of Casey kissing Golden, he earns a shipwide reputation of being a casanova. Barney Waters, Casey’s pal, bets with fellow shipmate Jake that Casey will be able to kiss the renowned singer known only as ‘The Countess’, who is well known for her icy personality. While Barney is scrounging up money for the bet, he accidentally bets his buddy Spike’s expensive watch, which he gave to him for safekeeping.

News of the bet spreads across the ship and everyone is betting on Casey. Spike, upon learning that Barney betted his watch, tells Barney that unless he wins the wager, he’ll beat him up. Terrified, as the ship docks in San Francisco, Barney hauls Casey to The Countess’s dance hall, called Swingland, and forces Casey to sit with The Countess. The Countess is uninterested by Casey but when her manager attempts to force an old wealthy patron onto her for business, she pretends to romance Casey. To further avoid meeting this patron, The Countess makes Casey walk her home, accidentally falling for him when he carries her up the long flight of stairs to her apartment.

Impressed by Casey, the Countess invites him into her apartment and begins flirting with him. Meanwhile, Bessie Dale, the roommate of the Countess who’s also a singer, returns home with Barney. Bessie and Barney met and romanced a while ago. So they begin to rekindle their relationship. While flirting, Barney accidentally mentions the bet to Bessie. Bessie immediately runs to tell the Countess, interrupting her as she is about to kiss Casey.

Barney and Casey are kicked out of the apartment. Casey, who has just learned of the bet and is genuinely in love with the Countess, buys her an expensive engagement ring. Bessie and Barney have once again gotten back together and are boating, but Barney repeats an erroneous plan that Casey is planning on proposing to the Countess with a cheap ring to coax her into kissing him for the bet. Bessie tells the Countess, which enrages her. Later that night, Casey arrives to propose to the Countess. The Countess, believing what Bessie said, throws the ring out the window. Casey, shocked, explains his intentions to the Countess and the two search for and retrieve the ring.

Later that night, the Countess is participating in a conga line at Swingland. Casey once again attempts to propose to the Countess, but the dance hall’s bouncers believe Casey to be drunk and a fight begins between the sailors and the other patrons. Casey is knocked unconscious and dragged off by Barney before law enforcement can arrive. Despite this, Casey is brought to trial as the instigator of the fight.

Casey refuses to stand up for himself in court and prepares to be dishonourably discharged. Suddenly, the Countess arrives, she lies to the judge stating that she coaxed Casey into proposing to her so she could get the expensive ring. The charges against Casey are dropped. Casey and the Countess are hurriedly married by a minister and so are Barney and Bessie. Casey and the Countess finally kiss in front of all the sailors at the dock. Casey and Barney get onto the ship and the Countess and Bessie see them off.

Cast

Soundtrack

Victor Schertzinger (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics) wrote ten songs for the movie, only eight were used.

The songs used are:

”The Fleet's In" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Betty Jane Rhodes and reprised by Eddie Bracken with Male Chorus

"Tangerine" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

"When You Hear the Time Signal" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Dorothy Lamour with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

"If You Build a Better Mousetrap" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Betty Hutton with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra and reprised by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell

"Not Mine" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Bob Eberly with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

"I Remember You" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Dorothy Lamour, Bob Eberly, Helen O'Connell with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra. Reprised by Lorraine and Rognan

"Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Betty Hutton with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

"Tomorrow You Belong to Uncle Sammy" — (Music by Victor Schertzinger & Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) Performed by Cass Daley with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

Three of these songs have lived on and become part of the Great American Songbook — "Tangerine", "I Remember You", and "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In a Hurry".

Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra released recordings of five of the songs from the film, "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry" on the A side with vocals by Helen O'Connell and "Not Mine" on the B side with vocals by Bob Eberly on Decca 4122. "Tangerine" on the A side with vocals by Eberly and O'Connell on Decca 4123. "I Remember You" on the A side with vocals by Eberly and "If You Build A Better Mousetrap" on the B side with vocals by Eberly and O'Connell on Decca 4132.

Production

Filming took place from September to October 1941.

Director Victor Schertzinger originally intended the film as a vehicle for Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Schertzinger died unexpectedly in his sleep on October 26th, 1941, three days before production of the film was scheduled to end. Filling in as Director for Schertzinger after his passing was Ralph Murphy. Murphy refused on screen credit in the film, seeing it as a monument to Schertzinger's legacy. In Dorothy Lamour's autobiography "My Side Of The Road" she claims that assistant director Hal Block stepped in after Schertzinger's passing. This has not been backed up by any contemporary sources.

Betty Hutton stated in her autobiography, "Backstage, You Can Have" that due to her unfamiliarity in motion picture acting she would constantly bounce off frame in her numbers. To combat this, Buddy DeSylva, her mentor and producer of the film, set up three cameras surrounding Hutton so that she would never go off frame while performing her numbers.

Release and reception

The film premiered at the Michigan Theatre in Detroit on March 6th, 1942, without a stage show. The Fleet's In had its nationwide premiere at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on March 11, 1942 with the stage show headed by Connee Boswell.

Variety said that, "The Fleet’s In (Paramount) is exactly what its title suggests: something to entertain the boys on shore leave. Some of this entertainment weighs around 120 lb., looks good and steps lively. The rest is a massive aggregation of singers, dancers, assorted entertainers (rubber-jointed Betty Hutton, et al.) and little Jimmy Dorsey’s molten musicians. The result is hot & cold, but makes a cheerful rushing sound. It took seven writers to produce Fleet’s story—a prodigal waste of talent."

The Motion Picture Herald wrote that, "The Fleet's In," is a nautical story, one of gobs on leave and girls, interspersed with romance, songs, music and dancing and an abundance of entertaining comedy. It is a story designed and produced to relieve patrons and exhibitors of the strain and concern perpetrated by the daily headlines. It is also a story which will send the patrons home happy and humming while the showman counts his receipts."

Australian newspaper Truth gave a positive review, "It's certainly a case of 'girls, gobs and giggles' when the picture gets going. Dorothy Lamour, William Holden and Eddie Bracken are leads in this melody-packed, hilarious sea comedy, and included in an extravaganza of gorgeous rhythm are Jimmy Dorsey and his famous orchestra."

References

External links

The Fleet's In at IMDb

The Fleet's In at AFI Catalog of Feature Films