''Follow That Dream'' is a 1962 American

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

made by

Mirisch Productions The Mirisch Company was an American film production company owned by Walter Mirisch and his brothers, Marvin and Harold Mirisch. The company also had sister firms known at various times as Mirisch Production Company, Mirisch Pictures Inc., Miris ...

and starring

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. The film was based on the 1959 novel ''

Pioneer, Go Home! ''Pioneer, Go Home!'' is a satirical novel by Richard P. Powell, first published in 1959. The novel follows a New Jersey family, The Kwimpers, who move to Columbiana, a fictional state that resembles Florida, and squat on the side of a highway wher ...

'' by

Richard P. Powell Richard Pitts Powell (November 28, 1908 – December 8, 1999) was an American novelist. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Powell graduated from Princeton University

. Producer

Walter Mirisch Walter Mortimer Mirisch (born November 8, 1921) is an American film producer. He is president and executive head of production of The Mirisch Corporation, an independent film production company, which he formed in 1957 with his brother Marvin ...

liked the film's song "Follow That Dream" and retitled the picture accordingly. The film reached #5 on the ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' 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 Arthur Joseph O'Connell (March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American stage, film and television actor, who achieved prominence in character roles in the 1950s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both ''Pic ...

), his good-natured but unsophisticated son Toby (

), and various informally "adopted" children, including their babysitter, a 19-year-old named Holly Jones (

Anne Helm Anne Helm (born September 12, 1938) is a retired Canadian-born actress and children's author (as Annie Helm), who primarily appeared in guest roles on episodes of various American television series. Her few film roles include playing Elvis Presl ...

), is traveling through

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. 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 Herbert Rudley (March 22, 1910 – September 9, 2006) was an American character actor who appeared on stage, films and on television. Early life Rudley was born in 1910 in Philadelphia and attended Temple University. He left Temple after winnin ...

) 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. ...

and

Simon Oakland Simon Oakland (August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television. During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between ...

) 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 Joanna Moore (born Dorothy Joanne Cook, November 10, 1934 – November 22, 1997) was an American film and television actress, who, between 1956 and 1976, appeared in 17 feature films and guest-starred in nearly a hundred television series episod ...

), 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 In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court". Overview The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient j ...

. 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 Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

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, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

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 the summer heat of Florida. It was filmed in Citrus, Marion and Levy Counties, specifically

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

, 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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. 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 (29°00'35.6"N, 82°45'08.6"W). 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 musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

, whose uncle was involved in the film's production. Shortly afterward, Petty swapped his slingshot for a friend's collection of Presley records. He also met and was photographed by future

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer/songwriter Ronny Elliott, then 14 and a native of

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

. 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 his ...

of ''

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 ...

'' 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' was caviar." A review in ''

'' 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 publisher ...

'' 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'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' 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'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbilly, hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written a ...

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 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' dismissed the picture as "a rag-bag of film conventions, handsomely photographed by Leo Tover, but barely memorable."

Soundtrack

References

External links

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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 films 1962 drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films