''Follow Me Quietly'' is a 1949
semidocumentary film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
/
police procedural film directed by
Richard Fleischer
Richard O. Fleischer (; December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director whose career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave.
Though he ...
. The drama features
William Lundigan
William Paul Lundigan (June 12, 1914 – December 20, 1975) was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include ''Dodge City'' (1939), ''The Fighting 69th'' (1940), ''The Sea Hawk'' (1940), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), ''Dishonored Lady'' ...
,
Dorothy Patrick
Dorothy Patrick (born Dorothea Davis; June 3, 1921 – May 31, 1987) was a Canadian-American film actress and a John Robert Powers model.
Early life
Patrick was born on June 3, 1921, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mr. and ...
,
Jeff Corey
Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.
Life and career
Corey attended New Utrecht High ...
, and others.
Plot
A mysterious killer, known only as "The Judge", kills anyone he considers worthless and immoral. Lieutenant Harry Grant (
William Lundigan
William Paul Lundigan (June 12, 1914 – December 20, 1975) was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include ''Dodge City'' (1939), ''The Fighting 69th'' (1940), ''The Sea Hawk'' (1940), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), ''Dishonored Lady'' ...
) is assigned to track him down. With just a handful of clues, Grant constructs a faceless dummy to help his men conduct their investigation. Meanwhile a persistent young female reporter (
Dorothy Patrick
Dorothy Patrick (born Dorothea Davis; June 3, 1921 – May 31, 1987) was a Canadian-American film actress and a John Robert Powers model.
Early life
Patrick was born on June 3, 1921, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mr. and ...
) for a tabloid magazine is dogging Grant for a story on the killings, much to his annoyance.
Police finally break the case after receiving an important clue, the significance of which they realize only after the reporter explains it to them. Finally, after cornering the killer during a chase on the catwalks of a refinery, the killer is revealed to be a middle-aged man whose cruel disposition and unattractive appearance lead him to become "The Judge".
Cast
*
William Lundigan
William Paul Lundigan (June 12, 1914 – December 20, 1975) was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include ''Dodge City'' (1939), ''The Fighting 69th'' (1940), ''The Sea Hawk'' (1940), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), ''Dishonored Lady'' ...
as Police Lt. Harry Grant
*
Dorothy Patrick
Dorothy Patrick (born Dorothea Davis; June 3, 1921 – May 31, 1987) was a Canadian-American film actress and a John Robert Powers model.
Early life
Patrick was born on June 3, 1921, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mr. and ...
as Ann Gorman
*
Jeff Corey
Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.
Life and career
Corey attended New Utrecht High ...
as Police Sgt. Art Collins
*
Nestor Paiva
Nestor Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American actor of Portuguese descent. He is most famous for his recurring role of Teo Gonzales the innkeeper in Walt Disney's Spanish Western series ''Zorro'' and its feature film ''The ...
as Benny
*
Charles D. Brown
Charles D. Brown (July 1, 1887 – November 25, 1948) was an American stage and film actor.
Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Brown wrote and directed a single short film in 1914. As an actor, he appeared in more than 100 films, stretching fro ...
as Police Insp. Mulvaney
*
Paul Guilfoyle as Overbeck
* Edwin Max as Charlie Roy aka The Judge
*
Frank Ferguson as J.C. McGill
* Marlo Dwyer as Waitress
* Archie Twitchell as Dixon
* Douglas Spencer as Phony Judge
Reception
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' was dismissive of the film and wrote, "There is no intelligent reason why anyone should heed the proposal of ''Follow Me Quietly''...
r this utterly senseless little thriller is patently nothing more than a convenient one-hour time-killer between performances of the eight-act vaudeville bill." Reviewing it on DVD, Gene Triplett of ''
The Oklahoman
''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...
'' wrote, "
is obscure gem packs a remarkable amount of thrills and dramatic weight into a mere 59 minutes". Paul Mavis of
DVD Talk rated it 4.5/5 stars and called it a "strange, unsettling film noir mystery, with a disturbing subtext".
References
External links
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''Follow Me Quietly''at DVD Beaver (includes images)
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{{Richard Fleischer
1949 films
1940s serial killer films
American mystery thriller films
1940s English-language films
American black-and-white films
Film noir
Police procedurals
RKO Pictures films
Films directed by Richard Fleischer
1940s mystery thriller films
American serial killer films
1940s American films