Follow Me Quietly (1949)

Directed by Richard O Fleischer; produced by Heman Schlom

Lieutenant Grant (William Lundigan) is leading the city’s hunt for ‘the Judge’, a crazed killer who strikes only when it rains. His task is complicated by pressure from his superiors and persistent reporter Ann Gorman (Dorothy Patrick), hoping to make her mark in journalism with the case.

A low-budget film that could have been much more than it is, Follow Me Quietly is nonetheless an entertaining and interesting movie. Running at a mere sixty minutes, it packs a good story into its hour. The actors would be mostly unknown to the average viewer, but are capable for all that.

All the actors contribute decently. Lundigan makes a good lead, and he and Patrick develop convincing chemistry. There is an effective scene in a car which highlights their interaction, when the audience isn’t sure if they’ll hit each other or kiss. The tension is broken by a call coming over the police radio.

The scene illustrates the capable acting but also the direction, which is the best thing about Follow Me Quietly. This is probably to be expected with Fleischer, who went on to direct such fine movies as The Narrow Margin, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, The Boston Strangler, Tora! Tora! Tora!, 10 Rillington Place, and more. Here, Fliescher creates the atmosphere that cloaks the movie. The low budget, the short running time, the sinister rain and, with purposeful irony, the dry, almost dusty environment of the climax, all contribute.

The story itself is actually routine, but without too many disadvantages. It is the script that is the principal villain of the production. Despite an inherent problem with any unnecessary padding, Follow Me Quietly could have used some, perhaps to flesh out the characters and provide more insight into the killer. He murders those whom he believes have outraged morality, but we never learn why he has chosen his particular victims, or how the diverse victims have transgressed the Judge’s principles. Furthermore, the police don’t seem interested in that aspect of the case.

There is a glaring problem with the script that is handled well visually (Fleischer again) while making no sense in terms of the story. It involves a faceless mannequin devised by the police to represent the killer. At one point, its place is taken by the real murderer, though the latter could not have known about the mannequin or where it was. Nor could he have easily penetrated to the room in police headquarters where it was stored; in fact, there is no reason for him to have done so. So far as can be determined, the scene was included just for a neat visual.

Even the title was ill-considered, since it does not relate to the story, and would have been better changed to Follow Me in the Rain, or something of relevance. This is a minor but typical problem with the writing.

Even so, playing more like a typically quick, cheap entry in a 1950s tv anthology series, rather than a movie, Follow Me Quietly serves its purpose, and provides an enjoyable hour of viewing - especially if it’s raining outside.