The Talk of the Town

1942

1h 58m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

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Comedy

Drama

Romance

Hilarity ensues when a falsely accused fugitive from justice hides at the house of his childhood friend, which she has recently rented to a high-principled law teacher.

Directors

George Stevens

Writers

Sidney Buchman(screenplay by)

Sidney Harmon(story by)

Irwin Shaw(screenplay by)

Stars

Cary Grant

Jean Arthur

Ronald Colman

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Top cast

Leopold Dilg

Nora Shelley

Michael Lightcap

Sam Yates

Regina Bush

Andrew Holmes

Mrs. Shelley

Tilney

Jan Pulaski

Clyde Bracken

Police Chief

Western Union Boy (uncredited)

Ferike Boros

Mrs. Pulaski (uncredited)

Al Bridge

Desk Sergeant (uncredited)

Lloyd Bridges

Donald Forrester (uncredited)

Leslie Brooks

Secretary (uncredited)

Jack Carr

Usher (uncredited)

Gino Corrado

Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)

Directors

George Stevens

Writers

Sidney Buchman(screenplay by)

Sidney Harmon(story by)

Irwin Shaw(screenplay by)

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Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

What is the law? It's a gun pointed at somebody's head. All depends upon which end of the gun you stand, whether the law is just or not. The Talk of the Town is directed by George Stevens and Stevens co-produces with Fred Guiol. It's adapted by Dale Van Every, Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman from a story by Sidney Harmon. It stars Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Rex Ingram and Edgar Buchanan. Leopold Dilg (Grant), a radical and political thinking man, is accused of burning down a mill and causing the death of a foreman in the subsequent fire. On trial for his life, he decides to escape from jail and makes his way to the home of his school day friend Nora Shelley (Arthur). However, his timing couldn't be worse, for Nora has taken in a tenant for the summer, a law professor, Michael Lightcap (Colman). Passing him off as the gardener, Nora has to hope that Lightcap doesn't cop on to Dilg being an escaped prisoner. But with both men feeling each other out, and both having designs on Nora, something is going to have to give. Though nominated in seven Academy Award categories, "The Talk of the Town" won none. Perhaps more surprisingly is that of those seven nominations, none were for acting or direction. Surprising because the film is impeccably acted and smoothly directed. It was, however, rightly nominated for Best Picture (it lost out to William Wyler's "Mrs. Miniver") and was a big smash at the box office. The public quickly warmed to the blend of comedy with intelligent politico musings. The set up is safe, a potential love triangle - with the three leads playing off each other sublimely - is nicely played out whilst the two men partake in discussions about the law, the applications of such and its moral worth. The comedy that comes in fits and starts is not so much of the screwball variety, but more that of ebullience born out of beautifully written sequences. Some argue that the plot is heavily reliant on contrivances (how many 1940s comedies aren't?), but ultimately that is easily forgiven given the quality on show across the board. 8/10

John Chard01 Jul, 2019