During preparations for the 1936 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie “Follow The Fleet”, the folks at RKO pictures decided to vary the formula a bit. Instead of carrying the plot’s major love story, Fred and Ginger played secondary, comic partners in a settled relationship, while the principal romantic story centered around Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard.  Astaire & Rogers still carried the bulk of the film’s musical moments, of course. But with Fred & Ginger untouched by serious setbacks, the film’s producers had to create an ingenious “play-within-a-play” device: The team, supposedly in the midst of rendering a dramatization, performed one of Irving Berlin’s most dramatic masterpieces: “Let’s Face The Music And Dance.” In this way, as characters “playacting” upon a stage, these “frivolous” partners were able to render the number in all it’s stark, relevant poignancy. Performing the song now is Minnesota’s voice, Connie Evingson

During preparations for the 1936 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie “Follow The Fleet”, the folks at RKO pictures decided to vary the formula a bit. Instead of carrying the plot’s major love story, Fred and Ginger played secondary, comic partners in a settled relationship, while the principal romantic story centered around Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard.  Astaire & Rogers still carried the bulk of the film’s musical moments, of course. But with Fred & Ginger untouched by serious setbacks, the film’s producers had to create an ingenious “play-within-a-play” device: The team, supposedly in the midst of rendering a dramatization, performed one of Irving Berlin’s most dramatic masterpieces: “Let’s Face The Music And Dance.” In this way, as characters “playacting” upon a stage, these “frivolous” partners were able to render the number in all it’s stark, relevant poignancy. Performing the song now is Minnesota’s voice, Connie Evingson