The Fleet's In

"Hey there, mister, you better watch your sister, 'cause the fleet's in". That song sticks in your mind long after you have seen this little early 40's movie. It may not be to all tastes and was a vehicle for actors that would go on to bigger and better things....William Holden, Betty Huttton, Dorothy Lamour,etc. But it is fun. Some of the supporting players, although popular in their day, don't play as well now...Cass Daley and the irritating Gil Lamb. The music of Jimmy Dorsey and the singing of Bob Eberley and Helen O'Connell make it worth watching if for no other reason. Eddie Bracken is great,as usual and a lot of familiar faces show up...Dave Willock, Robert Warwick and Rod Cameron (before his cowboy roles). If you are a fan of "B" musicals that make you smile and go away humming, then this is for you.

"Hey there, mister! You'd Better Hide Your Sister, 'Cause the Fleet's In!" That is the vivacious opening of a film that captures the spirit of an era fondly remembered by those who lived it. I remember the film specially since it was one of the first I ever saw. I saw it as a teenager when it came out, and enjoyed it greatly. There were laughs, which would sound rather dated now, perhaps, but charmingly innocent. William Holden as an innocent young sailor is a wonderful contrast to the roles he played later. In spite of the impression left by the words of the opening song, the sailors were very polite, and the film is a romance as well as a comedy. The high point for me was an extraordinarily beautiful vocal by Betty Hutton, in a serious vein, of the song: "It's Somebody Else's Moon Above, Not Mine." Dorsey's orchestra is fine, and Helen O'Connell, but Betty Hutton's heartbroken rendering of that moving song steals the show. A winner.

It has all the winning elements – romance for the ladies, fighting Navy men for the guys, and great music, singing, dancing and acting for everyone. Credit for music lyrics went to Johnny Mercer. The fleet is in and naturally, the males are pursuing their favorite sport of trying to charm the females. Through a series of misunderstandings, a very young William Holden is thought to be a lady's man. The fleet is betting he can get the Countess (played by Dorothy Lamour) to kiss him in public. She is the top singer at a San Francisco nightclub and has the reputation of being unapproachable. William Holden is convinced to give it a try by his buddy (played by Eddie Bracken) who will get beat up by Spike if he loses the bet. Thus, the story line is set and goes on from there as a musical comedy based on love-hate relationships. The acting was all top-notch. Dorothy Lamour was about 28 years old in this movie and very beautiful, her acting superb. William Holden was about 24 but somehow seemed to possess more maturity. Remember him playing the jet pilot in Bridges of Toko Ri? In real life, his younger brother was a Navy pilot killed in WWII. He was voted one of the 100 sexiest stars in a magazine and was best man for Ron and Nancy Reagan. Betty Hutton had a sizable part but I would like to have seen even more of her. Now there - is a blonde bombshell exploding with energy, talent and appeal. She came through as cute, cute, cute and used expressive eyes to demonstrate her own style of comedy while singing and acting. She is a rare talent we have not seen since, nor will we likely see repeated in today's array of actresses. Her boyfriend in the movie was played by Eddie Bracken, always a very capable funny man who was not afraid to play the self-effacing, bumbling types in films. In real life, he was married for over 60 years then he and his wife died within 3 months of each other. I also enjoyed seeing him in "Hail the Conquering Hero" opposite another beauty, Ella Raines. I like to look beyond the first row of stars and see who is hiding there. One of the sailors was Rod Cameron being miscast with dialog for someone of slighter build. In later years, he is better remembered playing tough guys in cowboys and other TV and movie works. In real life he divorced his wife and married her mother – now I've heard of loving your mother-in-law, but wow! Gil Lamb played Spike who was also miscast as the guy going to beat up Eddie Braken. Gil Lamb reminds one of Ray Bolger if you get the idea. It would have been better to give Rod Cameron his speaking parts and switch Cameron's to Lamb. No complaints otherwise. Gil Lamb did much character work on TV and in the movies. Cass Daley played a singer and comedian who resembled and reminded me of a combination of Martha Raye and Mary Wickes. There is a slight coincidence from the film in that both Cass and William Holden died as the result of a fall and laceration – Cass to the throat and William to the forehead. Pretty Barbara Britton had a small part in this and she will be remembered as Mrs. North in Mr. & Mrs. North and the Revlon Girl for 12 years. Most people don't know that she also played Laura Petrie in the pilot of The Dick VanDyke show that eventually went to Mary Tyler Moore. Then there was the great music of the Dorsey Band with Helen O'Connell singing and vocalist Bob Eberly and the dance routine of Lorraine and Rognan. If you have an opportunity to see this one, I do not think you will be disappointed.

This is a slight, inconsequential little Paramount musical that somehow manages to be whimsical & appealing.

Directed by Victor Schertzinger (his last movie), it boasts a good cast of rising stars at Paramount: Dorothy Lamour as the Countess of Swingland, a glamorous nightclub hostess who entertains sailors on leave; Betty Hutton as Lamour's impetuous roommate Bessie; William Holden as Casey the shy sailor who intends to win a bet so he can kiss the Countess; Eddie Bracken as the eccentric shipmate of Holden; and a very young and upcoming Barbara Britton.

While Lamour and Holden are the leading stars in this slightly erratic war-time entertainment, it is actually Betty Hutton's star-making show. She made her feature debut here. She literally steals almost every scene she's in, with her wacky comic acts. And her rapport with Bracken was a delight in its self.

Some scenes drag pretentiously, especially the routine comic acts performed on stage to entertain the soldiers. Still, the songs and numbers are quite enjoyable in their own whimsical sort of way, especially Hutton's delivery of "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry."

Nice Fun and worth a catch, if you like this sort of musicals.

It took almost 65 years from my first viewing of this musical to the recent viewing when I managed to acquire a DVD of "The Fleet's In". Can't think of another musical in which such disparate performances of classics appear in the same movie. "Tangerine" was identified with Helen O'Connell for her entire career. "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In A Hurry" was never associated with anyone but the irrepressible Betty Hutton. Although Dorothy Lamour was not as closely identified with the classic "I Remember You", it was the third standard that emerged from this low budget musical. The marvelously funny Lorraine and Rognan were to appear in only one more performance recorded on film ('Salute For Three' in 1943)

Gil Lamb may not have been a believable threat to Eddie Bracken but his many and varied comic abilities were superlative such as his 'harmonica' routine. Enough of his work was included to make the 'trip home' delightful. (You CAN go home again for old movies) If the opportunity ever arises, leap at the chance to see this WWII movie.