Intended as vehicles to promote his image as a pop singer, many of the films of Elvis Presley fit a rigid formula that Elvis disparagingly called “the Presley Travelogue.” In these romantic musical fantasies, Elvis plays a singing race-car driver, airplane pilot, or boat captain who woos the perfect girl with a cool demeanor and a never-ending supply of pop songs. As I discussed in last week’s post, Presley’s movies are disliked and even misrepresented by many biographers and most music historians who prefer their Elvis raw and rockin’.

Actually, Elvis Presley appeared in 33 films during his lifetime, and many of them do not follow the rigid formula of the Presley Travelogue. His first four films, released during the 1950s, predate the establishment of the formula, which evolved from G.I. Blues and Blue Hawaii. But, even some of his 1960s films deviate from the Travelogue model, including Follow that Dream - one of my favorite Presley flicks.

On the surface, it might seem that Follow that Dream (1962) is indeed a typical Presley musical: Shot on location in sunny Florida, it is a romantic comedy, and it does feature Elvis singing six songs. Also, the direction is competent but lackluster – an unfortunate characteristic of the later Presley films. Some of the songs are not showcased to their advantage by director Gordon Douglas. While Elvis is lying on the ground with one of the two female leads, he sings “Follow that Dream” in close up. But, because he is physically restricted by his position, and because of the choice to shoot the song in close up, he cannot move while he sings. Moving to the music is an Elvis Presley trademark to say the least. He twitches a bit during the song, but the effect is unnatural and awkward, and the musical number looks stilted. It was a perfect example of what Elvis hated about musicals – bursting into song at the most ridiculous of times in a way that was unnatural and unrealistic.

Despite its weaknesses, I have a special fondness for Follow that Dreams not only because of the film itself but also because I visited the Florida locations where it was shot.

Dream is based on the satirical novel Pioneer, Go Home by Richard Powell, which makes it a unique entry in the Presley filmography. While the satire is sharper and the storyline more complex in Powell’s novel, the film’s script by veteran Hollywood writer Charles Lederer still contains some witty jabs. Dream follows the adventures of the Kwimper family, who homestead a small strip of beach alongside a new Florida highway, much to the chagrin of local bureaucrats. The Kwimpers, who hail from the backwoods of the South, have a rare, simple outlook on life that many mistake for ignorance or stupidity. Though Presley’s character, Toby, is handsome and attractive to women, he is also a naive bumpkin – a far cry from his typical cocky leading man.

THE KWIMPERS

The characters and storyline are structured around a series of oppositions: country vs. city, common sense vs. psychiatry, simple values vs. sophisticated lifestyles, just-plain folks vs. bureaucrats. Toby and his family represent the down-to-earth values of small-town life, which at first seem outdated and unsophisticated. After all, they lack education, direction, and ambition. Their car is old, their clothes are plain, and, prior to staking their claim on the Florida beach, they survived through government assistance. Pop’s only accommodation to modern living is to install a commode – the epitome of luxury in his eyes. However, as the story unfolds, the audience learns they have misjudged the Kwimpers, just as the other characters in the film do. The Kwimpers may be simple, but they are unaffected by consumerism, free from the pressure of the rat race, compassionate toward the less fortunate, and motivated by the simple pleasures of family, fun, and fishing.

The modern world intrudes upon the Kwimpers via several characters who try to change them, get rid of them, or con them. Alicia Claypoole, a psychiatrist who is physically attracted to the rugged Toby, represents modern, “progressive” modes of thought. She feels superior to the Kwimpers, who embrace old-fashioned family values. When Toby rejects her advances, preferring down-home girl Holly Jones, Dr. Claypoole tries to prove to social services that Pop Kwimper is unfit to raise children by using “scientific” means in the form of her word association test. A low-level bureaucrat assigned to keep Florida’s newest highway in top condition joins forces with Dr. Claypoole, so he can oust the Kwimpers from their homestead. Finally, two big-city thugs who run an illegal floating gambling operation for an organized crime syndicate try to homestead next to the Kwimpers because Pop’s beach is not in the jurisdiction of any law enforcement.

By the end of the film, Toby’s honest, straightforward approach to life and Pop’s wise understanding of human motivations help them outsmart dishonest gamblers, pushy local bureaucrats, and sophisticated women. Their simple old-fashioned values are proven – in a courtroom – to be superior to such modern concepts as psychiatry, social welfare, the highway beautification projects, and even “living the high life.” While most facets of modern life are lampooned in the film, psychiatry and the social welfare system are absolutely skewered. Pop Kwimper insists that his receipt of government benefits such as relief, disability, and child support stem from his sense of patriotism. If the government is so determined to give their money away, then it’s his duty as a good citizen to take it! Alicia Claypoole is completely vexed when she gives her word association test to Toby. For example, he answers “death” to her prompt of “girl,” because it reminds him of the folk song “On Top of Old Smokey,” in which the girl dies. Toby’s atypical but valid answer reveals the narrowness of Alicia’s test, and by extension psychiatry.

ELVIS IN PARADISE

The Kwimpers did find something in Florida that made them want to settle down. They found a new life and a new home for their family, complete with the luxury of a flush toilet. To the Kwimpers, this was paradise. Exteriors for Follow That Dream were shot entirely in Florida, and the state’s natural splendor was used to good advantage. The Kwimpers’ stretch of Florida, with its white-sand beaches, palm trees, and blue water, looks like many traveller’s idea of paradise – including mine.

Last summer, a friend and I spent part of our vacation driving through parts of Florida as a movie tourist. In other words, we visited the locations where various Hollywood films had been shot – including Follow That Dream. The experience was unique and memorable; it transformed ordinary towns that are generally not tourist destinations into something special. And, it not only helped me get more out of the locations but also out of the films.

Follow that Dream was shot primarily in and around Inglis, Yankeetown, and Inverness, which are located close to the Gulf Coast, though some exteriors were shot inland in Ocala. Inglis and Yankeetown are two tiny towns that share a redlight, a few stores, some bars, several churches, and Highway 40. I had read that a seven-mile strip of Highway 40 from the intersection at Highway 19 to the Gulf of Mexico was christened Follow That Dream Parkway by the locals, but sadly we could not find a highway sign with that designation on it.

However, there is a brown historical marker that reads, in part, “Elvis Presley spent July and August of 1961 in this area filming his ninth motion picture FOLLOW THAT DREAM.” Tourists and Elvis fans regularly stop to have their photo taken under the sign, and locals often offer to take the photo for them so that everyone can get in the picture. A kind resident did this favor for us, generating the small-town friendliness that reminded me of the Kwimpers. Our Follow That Dream movie tour was off to a good start.

Traveling west toward the Gulf, we drove over Bird Creek Bridge. In the film, Toby and his family fish from the original version of this bridge as do some of their fishing-camp clients. The original bridge was destroyed during a hurricane or storm in the early 1990s, but I was happy to see that several fishermen – not unlike those in the film – were still casting off the rebuilt Bird Creek Bridge. The area remains a fisherman’s paradise largely because of the Withlacoochee River, which runs through Inglis and dumps into the Gulf of Mexico. The river begins as a freshwater source and ends in the salty waters of the Gulf, so anglers get the best of both freshwater and saltwater fishing. Though I am not a fisherman, it was restful and relaxing to gaze out over the beautiful marshy landscape, a part of Florida I would have missed if not for Follow That Dream.

Even though the film was shot 47 years ago, residents still know all about the summer Elvis Presley shot a movie in their neck of the woods – a bit of local lore that turned out well for us. We stopped at a tiny real estate office looking for information and struck up a conversation about Elvis with the two people inside. One of them informed us that the final courtroom scene in Follow That Dream was not shot in Ocala, like many assume, but in nearby Inverness. Being dedicated movie tourists, we struck out for a new adventure at this unscheduled stop, driving south on Highway 19 and then west on 44.

We discovered that Inverness has a new modern courthouse, but the old building where the film was shot is now the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum. The majestic-looking, yellow-brick building, constructed in 1912, stands in the middle of the historic district. Like courthouses from times past, its central location defined the layout of the original town. Inside, there are displays that chronicled local history and the area’s contributions to the state. We ran into two of the museum’s very friendly and helpful employees, Laurie Diestler and Linda Varone, who were founts of information on the production of Follow That Dream. They let us leaf through some of the museum’s collection of articles and photos, which showed a relaxed Elvis having fun on the courthouse lawn between takes. He chatted up the local residents, played football with his buddies, and signed autographs.

THE OLD COURTHOUSE IN INVERNESS

We learned that if it were not for Follow that Dream, the upstairs courtroom could not have been restored to its original splendor. During the 1970s, the interior of the main courtroom had been redecorated with a “modern” look. If you remember 1970s colors, designs, and decor, you can imagine what a bad idea that was. When the new courthouse was built, and the decision was made to turn the old building into a museum, the town agreed that it should be restored to its original look. However, few if any color photos of the original courtroom décor could be found. Then someone remembered that the climactic scene of an Elvis film had been shot in the courtroom, and someone tracked down a video copy of Follow That Dream. The courtroom scene was extensive enough to include views of the room from many angles, and screen grabs were used as guides to the redecoration. Tourists can visit the courtroom restored to its former glory and sit in the seats where the stars sat during the climactic sequence. I had a good time sitting in the seat where Elvis had sat and having my photo taken from where the judge rendered his final verdict. It was like recreating some of the shots from the movie.

In addition to working on the film, Elvis took some time to be a tourist in Florida. My friend and I found ourselves on the same trek that the King took as he visited the big attractions. At Weeki Wachee Springs, I bought a postcard of Elvis and some of the girls who worked as the famous mermaids. Later I learned that Elvis and his costar Anne Helm, along with his father and new stepmother, attended a special ceremony and mermaid show arranged in his honor. His manager, the notorious Colonel Tom Parker, renamed the mermaids the “Elvis Presley Underwater Fan Club” for the day’s events, which were attended by 3,000 fans and tourists. Nowadays, Weeki Wachee is lost in the shadow of the big theme parks, but at one time it was a major vacation destination as evidenced by Elvis’s day with the mermaids. Knowing Elvis and the entourage of friends and bodyguards that travelled with him (called the Memphis Mafia by the press), I bet those mermaids were lucky to escape with their tails intact!

Later, my friend and I reflected on how old movies shot on location are like snapshots of the past; they preserve the history of a locale in ways original audiences could never have realized – not only the physical buildings that give a location its unique identity but the spirit of the place. Follow that Dream not only captured the scenic beauty of the state’s natural environment but also its civic history as well as the friendly spirit of small-town Florida. Because of Dream, I saw sites, met people, and experienced events I never would have otherwise. In 1961, Mr. Wendall Jarrard of the Florida Development Committee told the Pensacola Journal, “I’ve never seen a movie filmed here which showed Florida off to better advantage.”

I know exactly what he meant.