The Talk of the Town (1942 film)
| The Talk of the Town | |
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theatrical poster
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| Directed by | George Stevens |
| Produced by | George Stevens Fred Guiol |
| Screenplay by |
Dale Van Every Irwin Shaw Sidney Buchman |
| Story by | Sidney Harmon |
| Starring |
Cary Grant Jean Arthur Ronald Colman |
| Music by | Friedrich Hollaender |
| Cinematography | Ted Tetzlaff |
| Edited by | Otto Meyer |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Box office | $1.1 million (US rentals) |
The Talk of the Town is a 1942 American comedy/drama film directed by George Stevens, starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman, with a supporting cast featuring Edgar Buchanan and Glenda Farrell. The screenplay was adapted by Dale Van Every, Irwin Shaw, and Sidney Buchman from a story by Sidney Harmon. The picture was released by Columbia Pictures. This was the second time that Grant and Arthur were paired in a film, after Only Angels Have Wings (1939).
Though often considered a comedy, the film is really a social drama peppered with some humorous and some slapstick scenes. It is certainly one of the earliest examples of this, as most comedies don't have such a strong, serious plot.
Mill worker and political activist Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant) is accused of burning down a mill and causing the death of a foreman in the fire. In the middle of his trial, Dilg escapes from jail and seeks shelter in a house owned by former schoolmate Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), now a schoolteacher on whom he has had a crush for years. Shelley has the house rented for the summer to distinguished law professor Michael Lightcap (Ronald Colman), who plans to write a book. Both Lightcap and Dilg arrive within minutes of each other.
When Dilg is spotted by Lightcap, Shelley passes him off as her gardener. Lightcap and Dilg enjoy having spirited discussions about the law, Lightcap arguing from an academic viewpoint, while Dilg subscribes to a more practical approach. They become good friends as a result, but meanwhile, they become romantic rivals, as Lightcap also falls in love with Nora.
As a result of prodding by Shelley and Dilg's lawyer, Lightcap becomes suspicious and starts, in spite of his initial reluctance, to investigate the case against Dilg further. He romances the girlfriend of the supposed murder victim and discovers that the former foreman is still alive and hiding in Boston. Shelley, Lightcap and Dilg go to Boston and find him, bring him back to Lochester and force him to admit his guilt and that of the mill owner.
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Wikipedia