FOLLOW THAT DREAM
– From a Hawaiian paradise to the sunny shores of Florida
(Part 3)
The youngest actress, Pam Oglas, was only four years old when she joined the cast of the new United Artists production. The young actress played Ariadne Penning, the protagonist’s half-sister.
Speaking of child stars whose talents shone on the set of “Follow That Dream,” it’s impossible to forget the then-eight-year-old brothers Gavin and Robin Koon, the adorable and slightly mischievous twins Eddy and Teddy. “No, we’d never done anything like that before ,” Gavin, now seventy-two, recalled of his early acting career. “We did some of that later. Before that, because our dad was an art director for children’s television for twenty-seven years, whenever they needed kids for a Christmas special or something, we’d always be thrown in at the last minute. That’s the kind of thing we did back then. But there wasn’t much acting involved .”
Despite the decades that have passed since the premiere of Presley’s ninth film, both brothers still fondly recall the day they walked onto the set. “The way we were chosen for the film was equally interesting ,” Robin Koon told the Always Elvis fan club. ”
Many of our parents’ friends were working behind the scenes at the time—directing, operating cameras, and lighting. One day, someone called them and said, ‘Hey, they’re holding an audition for twins.’ So what? Auditions! Our mom said, ‘Okay,’ and took us to the audition. Which was quite an experience because when we arrived, we were ushered into a room full of guys our age. They were all twins .
It’s hard to say, fifty or sixty twins still running around and bouncing off the walls. It was crazy.
“They auditioned every single one of us. On every set. Then, at the end of the day, they told us we were good enough. And that’s how we ended up in the film .”
After appearing in the United Artists comedy, the Koon brothers, along with the aforementioned Pam Oglas, never appeared in another major Hollywood production. Unlike other actors cast in the film…
The name whose presence in the assembled crew, almost from the outset, stirred as much excitement as Presley himself, was undoubtedly Arthur O’Connell (the film’s Pop Kwimper). The American actor, nominated for two Oscars for supporting roles in “Picnic” (1955) and “Anatomy of a Murder” (1961), was a two-time Oscar nominee for his roles in “Picnic” (1955) and “Anatomy of a Murder” (1961). “During breaks, we’d throw fish at each other ,” Elvis recalled in an interview a few months later on the set of his next film. “Arthur O’Connell was the father of my film family… I learned a great deal from him .”
After filming “Follow That Dream,” O’Connell continued his career for nearly a decade, guest-starring in such productions as “Kissin’ Cousins” (another Elvis comedy), “The Great Race,” starring Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood, “Fantastic Voyage,” starring Stephen Boyd and Raquel Welch, and finally the award-winning drama “The Poseidon Adventure.”
Simon Oakland boasted an equally impressive artistic achievement. He played Nick, the head of the local mafia who decides to open an illegal casino on land occupied by the Kwimpers.
By the time of his death on August 29, 1983, it is estimated that the actor had appeared in over 130 different film and television roles. However, he was most famous for his role in the drama “I Want To Life,” directed by Robert Wise.
The role of journalist Edward Montgomery defined his future career for years to come, leading producers to favor him as villains and tough guys. Over the course of nearly three decades, Oakland appeared in films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” “West Side Story,” and “The Brothers Karamazov.” He also appeared on television as frequently as in films. Many viewers still remember his appearances in series such as “The Twilight Zone,” “The Rockford Files,” and “Hawaii Five-O.” His last on-camera appearance came in 1983, in the CBS comedy series “Tucker’s Witch.”
Nick was aided in his illegal business by his partner, Carmine, played by Jack Kruschen (or rather, Jacob ‘Jack’ Kruschen, which was his full name), a Canadian character actor who had just a few months earlier been nominated for an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his role as Dr. Dreyfus in the 1960 comedy-drama “The Apartment.”
The casino owners were guarded by two rather dim-witted gangsters – Blackie and Al. The former was played by Robert Carricart
** , who gained his greatest recognition and popularity thanks to his role as Pepe Cordoza, owner of the Casa del Gato nightclub, in the NBC series “THE CAT” (aired from 1966 to 1967).
The second bandit was played by Barry Russo, an American actor previously known to audiences only for cameo roles in films such as “20 Million Miles to Earth,” “Al Capone,” and “The Crimebusters.”
Following the fate of the Kwimper family on screen , it’s impossible not to be tempted to reflect briefly… Namely, who made the main characters’ new, idyllic lives more miserable? The aforementioned group of local mafiosi – gambling enthusiasts – or perhaps the overzealous official, Arthur King, brilliantly portrayed by Alan Hewitt (known for his roles in films such as “A Private’s Affair,” “Career” starring Dean Martin and Shirley McClean, “The Absent-Minded Professor,” and “Bachelor In Paradise” starring Bob Hop and Lana Turner).
Among the other actors cast in the upcoming adaptation of Richard Powell’s book are names already familiar from Presley’s earlier production. Both Roland Winters, who plays the judge, and Howard McNear, who plays George, the bank employee where Toby Kwimper wants to take out a loan, had worked with him just a few weeks earlier on the set of the comedy “Blue Hawaii. “
In addition to all the people mentioned above, the film also featured Frank de Kova, Herbert Rudley, Harry Holcombe, Mitchell Rhein and Mitch Ryan.
As a curiosity, especially for Polish readers, it’s worth adding that Waclaw Rekwart once again played a small, episodic role in the new United Artist production (he previously starred opposite Elvis in the 1960 comedy “GIBlues”). He was an actor of Polish descent whose most active career spanned the years 1940–1973.
According to various sources, Rekwart, born on September 8, 1893, in Warsaw, appeared in nearly twenty Hollywood films (including “The Grapes of Wrath,” “National Velvet,” “A Night in Casablanca,” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Topaz”). However, most of them featured only brief, often uncredited cameos. Such as the one in “Follow That Dream,” described above, where he played a bartender.
Rekwart’s last film appearance with Presley was in the 1965 comedy “Tickle Me.” The actor died on May 8, 1973, in California. He was seventy-nine years old.
- The film “The Poseidon Adventure” won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song for “The Morning After.” Additionally, Shelly Winters won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and Gene Hackman won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor.
- Robert Carricart also starred in the film “Fun in Acapulco,” starring Elvis. He played Jose Garcia, a friend of Dolores Gomez (the matador’s wife and one of the main character’s two romantic interests).
- Roland Winters played Fred Gates, the father of the main character, in “Blue Hawaii.” Howard McNear, in turn, played the owner of the travel agency where Chad and Maile (the main characters of the comedy) work.
Article written and provided by Mariusz Ogieglo, EP Promised Land (Poland)
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