The Talk of the Town (1942)

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Sidney Harmon (story)
Dale Van Every (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

20 August 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Screen comedy so gay... drama so thrilling... love so exciting, it will be the talk of YOUR town!

Plot:

An escaped political prisoner and a stuffy law professor vie for the hand of a spirited schoolteacher.

Plot Keywords:

Law | Gardener | Hide Out | Farmhouse | Political Activist

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars.

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Leopold Dilg - Joseph
Jean Arthur	...	Miss Nora Shelley
Ronald Colman	...	Professor Michael Lightcap
Edgar Buchanan	...	Sam Yates
Glenda Farrell	...	Regina Bush
Charles Dingle	...	Andrew Holmes
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Shelley
Rex Ingram	...	Tilney
Leonid Kinskey	...	Jan Pulaski
Tom Tyler	...	Clyde Bracken
Don Beddoe	...	Police Chief
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sam Ash	...	Extra in Supreme Court Audience (uncredited)
Dorothy Babb	...	Schoolgirl Noticing Beard (uncredited)
Georgia Backus	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Holger Bendixen	...	Townsman (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Ferike Boros	...	Mrs. Pulaski (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Donald Forrester (uncredited)
Leslie Brooks	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Eddie Bruce	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jack Carr	...	Usher (uncredited)
Eddie Coke	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
Joe Cunningham	...	McGuire (uncredited)
Lew Davis	...	Waiter at Regina's Shop (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Cop on Stairs (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Detective (uncredited)
Clyde Fillmore	...	Senator James Boyd (uncredited)
Joe Garcia	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Cameraman with Forrester (uncredited)
Bud Geary	...	Townsman (uncredited)
William Gould	...	Sheriff with Hounds (uncredited)
Jay Guedillio	...	Man (uncredited)
Dave Harper	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian	...	Mob Member Carrying Rope (uncredited)
George Hickman	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Maynard Holmes	...	Vendor (uncredited)
Dick Jensen	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Robert Keats	...	Man (uncredited)
Stubby Kruger	...	Baseball Player (uncredited)
William Lally	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Eddie Laughton	...	Henry, Photographer (uncredited)
Jack Low	...	Workman (uncredited)
Herman Marks	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	Jailer Overpowered by Dilg (uncredited)
Patrick McVey	...	First Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Clarence Muse	...	Supreme Court Doorkeeper (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Blanche Payson	...	Woman (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Ralph Peters	...	Eddie, Moving Man (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Detective (uncredited)
Lee Prather	...	Sergeant At Arms (uncredited)
Al Rhein	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Dewey Robinson	...	Jake (uncredited)
Cy Schindell	...	Townsman at Ballgame (uncredited)
Dan Seymour	...	Headwaiter at Nightclub (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Roberta Smith	...	Schoolgirl Noticing Beard (uncredited)
Charles St. George	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Frank Sully	...	Policeman in Station Wagon (uncredited)
Frank M. Thomas	...	Dist. Atty. Scott (uncredited)
Mabel Todd	...	Operator (uncredited)
Victor Travers	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Lelah Tyler	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Townsman at Ballgame (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Moving Man (uncredited)
Robert Walker	...	Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
George Watts	...	Judge Grunstadt (uncredited)
Lee 'Lasses' White	...	Hound Keeper (uncredited)

Directed by
George Stevens

Writing credits
Sidney Harmon		(story)
Dale Van Every		(adaptation)
Irwin Shaw		(writer) &
Sidney Buchman		(writer)

Produced by
Fred Guiol	....	associate producer
George Stevens	....	producer

Original Music by
Friedrich Hollaender		(as Frederick Hollander)

Cinematography by
Ted Tetzlaff		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Otto Meyer

Art Direction by
Lionel Banks

Makeup Department
Rhoda Donaldson	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Fred B. Phillips	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Norman Deming	....	assistant director
Earl Bellamy	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Bud Brill	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Rudolph Sternad	....	associate art director
Fay Babcock	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Bill Black	....	props (uncredited)
H. Hopkins	....	props (uncredited)
Reggie Smith	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Eldon Coults	....	sound (uncredited)
Lodge Cunningham	....	sound (uncredited)

Stunts
Paul Stader	....	stunt double: Cary Grant (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Fayte M. Browne	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
M.S. Burns	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Joe Citron	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Walter Meins	....	grip (uncredited)
John Miehle	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Sam Rosen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	gowns: Miss Arthur
Thomas S. Dawson	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Gail Ducharme	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Paul Borofsky	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)
Daniele Amfitheatrof	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Donald W. Starling	....	montage effects (as Donald Starling)
Steve Benton	....	stand-in: Edgar Buchanan (uncredited)
Dorothy Dunn	....	stand-in: Emma Dunn (uncredited)
Mrs. Roy Feldman	....	stand-in: Ferike Boros (uncredited)
Jack Mannick	....	stand-in: Leonid Kinskey (uncredited)
Mal Merrihugh	....	stand-in: Cary Grant (uncredited)
Buddy Roosevelt	....	stand-in: Ronald Colman (uncredited)
Floyd Shackelford	....	stand-in: Rex Ingram (uncredited)
Kay Smith	....	stand-in: Jean Arthur (uncredited)
Ralph Stein	....	stand-in: George Watts (uncredited)
Frances Waverly	....	stand-in: Glenda Farrell (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1942) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)

Also Known As:

George Stevens' The Talk of the Town (USA) (complete title)
Mister Twilight (USA) (working title)
The Gentleman Misbehaves (USA) (working title)
Three's a Crowd (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Lloyd Bridges' tiny uncredited role was one of 20 film appearances he made in 1942 alone.

Quotes:

Michael Lightcap: This is your law and your finest possession - it makes you free men in a free country. Why have you come here to destroy it? If you know what's good for you, take those weapons home and burn them! And then think... think of this country and of the law that makes it what it is...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.68)" (2005)

An uneven story salvaged by three resourceful actors

Social commentary either elevates the value of a film or bogs it down, and with comedies it is generally the latter. "The Talk of the Town" is no exception; while it is a fun film that has much to admire, the pretensions of the film-makers often get in the way of what could have been a masterpiece of comic suspense. The tone becomes almost unbearably preachy at times, and some of the monologues on `justice' and the `pursuit of truth' are excruciating on the ears. Thankfully, the good people at Columbia hired just the right people to star.

The specific political stances of Leopold Dilg are never made clear; we're just supposed to accept the idea that he's a good guy who is put down by a corrupt system. Fortunately, Cary Grant uses his remarkable charm and talent to turn in a performance that allows us to sympathize with a character whose background is far too vague. Likewise, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman are able to invest interest in characters that might otherwise have come off two-dimensionally. The charisma of the three leads fuels a love triangle that does a far better job of moving the story forward than any "serious message" that the film-makers were trying to impart to the audience. Grant, Arthur, and Colman are rightfully remembered as three of cinema's finest actors, but they deserve special credit for adding some much-needed pizzazz to this movie.

All in all, "The Talk of the Town" is a rambling, misguided movie saved by smart casting and disciplined acting, not to mention more than a few laughs. It is a classic example of skilled performers triumphing over flawed material.