The Fat Man (1951)

A dentist's murder is investigated by hefty sleuth Brad Runyan.

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Harry Essex (screenplay), Leonard Lee (screenplay),

Stars:

J. Scott Smart, Julie London, Rock Hudson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
J. Scott Smart	...	Brad Runyan
Julie London	...	Pat Boyd
Rock Hudson	...	Roy Clark
Clinton Sundberg	...	Bill Norton
Jayne Meadows	...	Jane Adams
John Russell	...	Gene Gordon
Jerome Cowan	...	Lt. Stark
Emmett Kelly	...	Ed Deets
Lucille Barkley	...	Lola Gordon
Robert Osterloh	...	Fletcher
Harry Lewis	...	Happy Stevens
Teddy Hart	...	Shifty

Storyline

An innocent dentist is murdered, the only apparent motive to steal a set of dental x-rays. To the police it looks like an accident, so Jane Adams, loyal dental assistant, consults massive private eye Brad Runyan (of radio fame); he's skeptical until he finds that Jane is being followed. The mystery deepens as Brad's search for missing dental patient Roy Clark reveals many ramifications and loose ends...

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Plot Keywords:

dentist | murder | based on radio series | detective

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Taglines:

RADIO'S FAMOUS FAT MAN SOLVES HIS BIGGEST CASE! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hombre gordo

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As Jane Adams (Jane Meadows) is searching the files for a dental record, she passes an index card bearing the name Ray Chandler, an inside reference to the detective-story writer Raymond Chandler.

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Soundtracks

"A Dream Ago"
(uncredited)
Music by Milton Rosen
Lyrics by Everett Carter

User Reviews

Not a Sydney Greenstreet film

Curiosity picture mainly because it is one of Rock Hudson's earlier films. I won't bother going over the film's many faults except to note the awkward humor. For example, after the nurse was killed, I couldn't believe the joking around. Also, why was she killed in the first place? It was never explained. This bummed me out because she was very attractive even if she couldn't act. It was obvious that this supposed to the first of a series of "Fat Man" detective movies, ala the "Thin Man" movies, but fortunately we are still waiting for the second one.