Main Cast: Jack Smart, Julie London, Rock Hudson, Clinton Sundberg, Jayne Meadows
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 77 minutes
Plot
The popular radio detective series The Fat Man was brought to the screen in 1951, with the series' original star J. Scott Smart retained in the title role. Smart plays porcine sleuth Brad Runyon, who tackles the mystery surrounding the murder of a Los Angeles dentist. With the assistance of general factotum Bill Norton (Clinton Sundberg), Runyon follows the trail of clues all the way to a three-ring circus. Famed Barnum & Bailey clown Emmett Kelly makes his screen debut as one of the suspects; others essential to the action are such up-and-comers as Rock Hudson, Julie London and Jayne Meadows. The film's flashback-within-flashback structure helps to enliven its more verbose passages. For the most part, The Fat Man plays more like a radio show than a movie--at least until the exciting climax, inventively staged by director William Castle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The first in what was to be a series of films, The Fat Man ended up being the only one, largely due to the death of titular star J. Scott Smart (aka Jack Smart). It's a shame that no other entries followed, for if Fat Man is no classic, it's a modest and lightly entertaining little detective film. While it was definitely made on a budget, its cheapness gives it a little unassuming charm. Some will find the film too talky, especially in the first two-thirds, and it's true that it betrays its origins as a radio show; film is about showing and doing, radio is about telling and describing, and a tad too much of the latter infuses Fat Man. Still, it does take advantage of the medium to show things related to the lead character's girth that couldn't have been done on radio. And the climax is very visual, and quite well done. Smart is an amiable presence and clearly fits the part like an old shoe, and he's surrounded by an interesting supporting cast that includes the always-lovely Julie London, a young Rock Hudson, and an especially good Emmett Kelly. If Fat Man never gives the kind of thrills associated with a Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep, it still is a nicely satisfying little mystery flick. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Bernard Herzbrun - Art Director, Richard H. Riedel - Art Director, Rosemary Odell - Costume Designer, William Castle - Director, Edward A. Curtiss - Editor, Bernard Green - Composer (Music Score), Joseph E. Gershenson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Irving Glassberg - Cinematographer, Aubrey Schenk - Producer, Aubrey Achenck - Producer, Harry J. Essex - Screenwriter, Leonard Lee - Screenwriter
