THE FAT MAN (1951)

At a dental conference at a Manhattan hotel, California dentist Dr. Bromley is attacked and thrown out of a window to his death on the sidewalk below. The official police verdict is accidental fall, but his nurse Jane (Jayne Meadows) suspects foul play, especially because a set of dental x-rays was stolen. She approaches private detective Brad Runyon (J. Scott Smart) whom Bromley had an appointment to see. Known as the Fat Man for his large size and his love of gourmet food—we see him give a cooking demonstration as though it were a medical operation—he is reluctant to get involved until Jane and his associate Bill (Clinton Sundberg) are attacked. Jane relates the odd story of Roy Clark (Rock Hudson), the patient whose x-rays were stolen: he arrived one day looking disheveled and confused and needing a tooth pulled. A week later, he appeared in the office to pay for his extraction, dressed in nice clothes with a wad of cash and a chauffeur. Back in California, some interesting discoveries are made. Roy met a woman named Pat (Julie London) in a bar and they hit it off. He tells her of his criminal past: he served time for an armored car robbery though his accomplices escaped. When he was released, he went to Gene Gordon (John Russell), the planner of the robbery and now a respectable ranch owner, though the local police are sure he's got connections to the underworld. Gene gave Roy some money, but not his full share of the robbery dough, and now Roy is missing. Runyon tracks down Roy's former cellmate, Ed Deets, now a clown at an amphitheater circus. When Jane is murdered because of her suspicions, Brad and Bill have to get serious in order to get the guilty parties.

The Fat Man was a radio show character created by Dashiell Hammett and voiced by Smart, who plays him here. Smart is OK, amusing and light on his feet (especially in a short dance scene with Pat), but he lacks the gravitas and charisma of someone like Sydney Greenstreet who could have done this part in his sleep. Clinton Sundberg is fun as the doofusy but reliable assistant, Jayne Meadows is a standout as the nurse, and I like B-actor John Russell as the shady Gene. But the real standouts here are sultry singer Julie London and hunk Rock Hudson in one of his earliest featured roles. Later, Hudson acquired a veneer of seriousness even in his fluffy romantic comedies with Doris Day, but here he is fresh and baby-faced and casually sexy and is quite good. London gives her role some depth, and I'm sorry that both actors have somewhat limited screen time. Jerome Cowan is fine as the cop, and real-life clown celebrity Emmett Kelly is surprisingly subtle in a rare dramatic role as Ed Deets. There are characters named Pinky and Shifty and Happy, and both Brad and Bill call everyone "Sweetheart." Though Smart is adequate, I don't think he could have carried a Fat Man series, even a second feature series. Pictured are London and Hudson. [YouTube]