It's a Small World (1935)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Irving Cummings

Writers:

Sam Hellman (writer)
Gladys Lehman (writer)

Release Date:

12 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Socialite Jane Dale and lawyer Bill Shevlin run into each other in an automobile accident. Clummerhorn is a small town judge...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Bill Shevlin
Wendy Barrie	...	Jane Dale
Raymond Walburn	...	Julius Clummerhorn
Virginia Sale	...	Lizzie
Astrid Allwyn	...	Nancy Naylor
Irving Bacon	...	Cal
Charles Sellon	...	Cyclone
Dick Foran	...	Cop
Belle Daube	...	Mrs. Dale
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	Snake Brown Jr.
Frank McGlynn Jr.	...	Snake Brown, Junior-Junior
William Gillis	...	Snake Brown, Sr.
Ed Brady	...	Buck Bogardus
Harold Minjir	...	Freddie Thompson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles R. Moore	...	Doorman

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

This rare Spencer Tracy title is a poor man's IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT but fans will catch it if they can at CINESATION in Syracuse, NY this March, 2006!

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

It's a Small World is a Fox clone of the previous year's It Happened One Night with the locale in Southern back country. It begins when spoiled socialite Jane Dale (Wendy Barrie) and abrasive lawyer Bill Shelvin (Spencer Tracy) "meet cute" in a small-town auto accident. Naturally, there is the expected flare-up of tempers and accusations of everything from just plain carelessness to murderous intent. The fiery Dale and equally fiery young attorney Shelvin are towed into the one-horse town by Julius B. Clummerhorn (Raymond Walburn). It turns out that Clummerhorn is the whole works: sheriff, judge, taxi driver, barber, game warden, hotel and garage owner and everything else that might be productive of a stray nickel. The judge/sheriff holds a trial to determine who is at fault and a host of town eccentrics including Dick Foran (motorcycle cop), Frank McGlynn Sr. & Jr. (as Snake Brown Junior and Snake Brown Junior-Junior, respectively) and especially Irving Bacon (Cal) all have their inning in contributing to the colorful proceedings. But not for nothing is Shelvin a lawyer bitten by love bug, and the manner in which he hornswoggles Clummerhorn is a gem of amusing trickery and gibberish. How this screwball comedy wraps up is like teaching an old dog a new trick. It's a Small World was Wendy Barrie's first American Film and the last picture that Tracy shot for Fox. Irving Bacon is my favorite character actor and according to the IMDb, he appeared in 444 films! Maybe not as many as Bess Flowers (672) or Tom London (549), but he's in a lot better scenes in more great films than any actor I have found, so enjoy this lean-underbelly-of-a-ham in a choice part!