Don't expect a frivolous musical comedy in this period drama with a few songs and some lighthearted moments set over a period of 50 years as we see the growth of a medium sized city through its longtime barber, David Wayne. It's a drama about how times change in the mind of a simple decent man who faces life with some bitterness, a lot of tragedy and some triumph as he witnesses changes in the world in addition to his community. Newly wed to the pretty Jean Peters, Wayne is aboard a train to Chicago when they arrive in a small muddy whistle stop where Wayne has a surprise for his bride. She isn't too thrilled to learn that they will be staying there, and for a good half of the film, she tries to make due with her lot, but we can tell that she's extremely bored and out of place there. A tragic twist of events changes the course of Wayne's life when she runs away with handsome convenience store owner Hugh Marlowe, leaving Wayne to raise his two children and attempt to get past his wife's betrayal. His children grow up, as all children do, with minds of their own, with his son falling for Marlowe's daughter and going into careers in both show business and organized crime, and his daughter finds happiness with a local man who keeps her local.
This is a nice dramatic period piece with an Oscar worthy performance by veteran character actor David Wayne who loads his character with plenty of meaty changes, from ambitious and hopeful newlywed to embittered and prideful, and finally to the patriarch of the town who is the toast of the mid centennial parade. Peters, as the hopeful bride, is obviously the 9:00 girl stuck in a 5:00 town, ready to burst like a volcano, even as the small whistle stop around her grows. It's obvious from the moment she meets Marlowe she begins to doubt her less than 12 hours married to Wayne, and it's only a matter of time before she makes the decision to get out before she truly loses her mind. Peters adds many aspects to her character so she isn't unlikable as she fights to maintain her desires, and it is a shocking twist to her character, as certain developments occur with other characters as well. The film documents the happenings surrounding their son's entrance into World War I, his return to his hometown and involvement with a mob boss (Albert Dekker) that brings violence into the seemingly peaceful community. The famous song of the title is heard throughout the film, even as a vaudeville number between Wayne's son (Tommy Morton) and Marlowe's daughter (Helene Stanton) and as a part of the barbershop quartet, led by Alan Hale Sr. As a period piece, I felt this nicely reflected the different times it was set in, and it's nice to not see it all peaches and cream with some reality of the hardships people in that era had to go through to make ends meet.
This is a nice dramatic period piece with an Oscar worthy performance by veteran character actor David Wayne who loads his character with plenty of meaty changes, from ambitious and hopeful newlywed to embittered and prideful, and finally to the patriarch of the town who is the toast of the mid centennial parade. Peters, as the hopeful bride, is obviously the 9:00 girl stuck in a 5:00 town, ready to burst like a volcano, even as the small whistle stop around her grows. It's obvious from the moment she meets Marlowe she begins to doubt her less than 12 hours married to Wayne, and it's only a matter of time before she makes the decision to get out before she truly loses her mind. Peters adds many aspects to her character so she isn't unlikable as she fights to maintain her desires, and it is a shocking twist to her character, as certain developments occur with other characters as well. The film documents the happenings surrounding their son's entrance into World War I, his return to his hometown and involvement with a mob boss (Albert Dekker) that brings violence into the seemingly peaceful community. The famous song of the title is heard throughout the film, even as a vaudeville number between Wayne's son (Tommy Morton) and Marlowe's daughter (Helene Stanton) and as a part of the barbershop quartet, led by Alan Hale Sr. As a period piece, I felt this nicely reflected the different times it was set in, and it's nice to not see it all peaches and cream with some reality of the hardships people in that era had to go through to make ends meet.