Follow That Dream
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''Follow That Dream'' is a 1962 American
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
film made by Mirisch Productions and starring
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. The film was based on the 1959 novel '' Pioneer, Go Home!'' by Richard P. Powell. Producer
Walter Mirisch Walter Mortimer Mirisch (November 8, 1921 – February 24, 2023) was an American film producer. He was the president and executive head of production of The Mirisch Corporation, an independent film production company which he formed in 1957 wit ...
liked the film's song "Follow That Dream" and retitled the picture accordingly. The film reached #5 on the '' Variety'' weekly Box Office Survey, staying on the chart for three weeks, and finishing at #33 on the year-end list of the top-grossing movies of 1962.


Plot

A vagabond family composed of Pop Kwimper ( Arthur O'Connell), his good-natured but unsophisticated son Toby (
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
), and various informally "adopted" children, including their babysitter, a 19-year-old named Holly Jones ( Anne Helm), is traveling through
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. Pop drives onto an unopened section of a new highway. The car runs out of gas and the Kwimpers intend to wait until a government vehicle passes by to help them out. In the meantime, they set up a temporary camp. After a time, the first vehicle to come by belongs to state highway commissioner H. Arthur King, who is appalled that the Kwimpers' presence on the pristine highway might negatively impact its dedication ceremony that day featuring the governor of Florida. King tries to have the Kwimpers forcibly removed, but when the governor arrives in advance of the ceremony, Pop informs him that they are invoking the state's homesteading laws and plan to live near the highway permanently. The governor applauds the Kwimpers' pioneering spirit and tells the police to respect "private property." King, who considers the Kwimpers to be a huge nuisance, leaves angrily and vows to return. Holly tells Toby that she is thrilled by the prospect of homesteading because she has never had a real permanent home. A chance encounter with an avid fisherman ( Herbert Rudley) gives Holly an idea: with the help of a $2,000 bank loan, they will build a thriving business catering to sport fishermen. Trouble soon follows. King has the Kwimpers cut off from all social assistance from their home state. As the area is technically outside the jurisdiction of any law enforcement, two gamblers (
Jack Kruschen Jacob "Jack" Kruschen (March 20, 1922 – April 2, 2002) was a Canadian character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio. Kruschen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Dreyf ...
and Simon Oakland) soon set up a raucous casino in a trailer. They attempt to buy the Kwimpers' land and belongings, but Pop refuses to sell at any price. Shortly thereafter, Toby rejects the advances of an amorous social worker named Alicia Claypoole ( Joanna Moore), an ally of King. In an act of revenge, she begins legal action to have the children taken away from Pop and make them
wards of the state Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pri ...
. Toby becomes the new community's sheriff and tries to quell the noise coming from the casino every night. His presence as a law-enforcement officer causes the casino patrons to flee. The gamblers bring in a team of hit men from Detroit to eliminate Toby and build a bomb to destroy the Kwimpers' home. However, Toby naively but successfully deals with the casino's armed thugs, and after Holly innocently returns a bag (containing the bomb) left under their front porch by their neighbors, the casino trailer blows up. The gamblers cut their losses and flee, convinced they are lucky to be leaving with their lives. In the end, Toby's earthy wits and honesty win over the judge at the children's custody hearing. The judge orders the children to be returned to Pop and also praises the Kwimpers' pioneer spirit in his statement to the court. The family happily returns to its new land and home. Holly also gets Toby to recognize that she is now a grown woman, and it is implied they will soon marry.


Cast


Production

With a
working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
from the novel of ''Pioneer, Go Home!'' by Richard P. Powell, the title ''Follow That Dream'' was chosen because the songwriters allegedly could not find a rhyme for "''pioneer''".Victor, p.169 At first, Powell was unhappy that Presley had been chosen for the role, but after seeing the finished film, he thought Presley had performed well. Filming began on July 11, 1961 in northwestern-central
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. It was filmed in the counties of
Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...
, Marion and Levy, specifically
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
, Ocala, Inglis and Yankeetown. The courtroom scene took place in the 1912 Citrus County Old Courthouse in Inverness, which has been restored and is now listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Part of the courtroom restoration can be directly attributed to the film in that it was the only record of the original courtroom configuration. Yankeetown memorializes Presley's stay in the form of a major highway, Follow That Dream Parkway, which opened on July 27, 1996 with a dedication and celebration held in Inglis. The parkway was so named because of the efforts of four of Presley's fans. The location of the Kwimper compound is at the southwestern point of Pumpkin Island at the bridge. The bank scene was filmed in Ocala at a bank on Silver Springs Boulevard. "Elvis was a damned good actor and played some damned good scenes," said Gordon Douglas. "He could do more than sing." During filming, Presley met a 10-year-old
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
, whose uncle was involved in the film's production. Shortly afterward, Petty swapped his slingshot for a friend's collection of Presley records. Director Gordon Douglas "always wondered" why the film was called ''Follow that Dream'': "It sounded like a Doris Day picture."


Reception

Critical reviews were mixed.
Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote, "Judging by this laboriously homespun and simple-minded exercise about just plain folks, somebody must have decided that the Presley films have been getting a little too glossy lately. In any case, compared to yesterday's serving of corn-meal mush (from United Artists), '
Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Amer ...
' was caviar." A review in '' Variety'' stated that "by Presley pix standards, it's above average ... Presley conveys the right blend of horse sense and naivete in his characterization, and delivers five songs with vocal competence and nary a wiggle." ''
Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City–based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publish ...
'' graded the film as "Good," lauding it as "a smoothly-paced, warmth-giving attempt at story-telling, which may even rub off on the adults thus giving the box office take a nice boost." Richard L. Coe of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' called the film "absurd nonsense," adding, "Presley's guitar is along for several ballads, delivered with reasonable restraint. I don't object to him as a performer, in fact he does reasonably well by a character that seems to be a cross between
Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...
and Tammy. What is objectionable is the tasteless corn and frankly political pitch." ''
The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' dismissed the picture as "a rag-bag of film conventions, handsomely photographed by Leo Tover, but barely memorable."


Soundtrack


See also

* List of American films of 1962


References


External links

* *


DVD Reviews


Review of the movie collection "Elvis: MGM Movie Legends Collection (Follow That Dream, Kid Galahad, Frankie and Johnny, Clambake)
by Paul Mavis a
DVD Talk
July 24, 2007. {{Charles Lederer 1962 films 1960s musical comedy-drama films American musical comedy-drama films Films directed by Gordon Douglas Films set in Florida Films shot in Florida Films based on American novels United Artists films Films with screenplays by Charles Lederer Films scored by Hans J. Salter 1962 comedy-drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films Films about squatting English-language musical comedy-drama films