Our Town (1940)

Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. People grow up, get married, live, and die. Milk and the newspaper get delivered every morning, and nobody locks... See full summary »

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Thornton Wilder (play), Thornton Wilder (screenplay),

Stars:

William Holden, Martha Scott, Fay Bainter

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Holden	...	George Gibbs
Martha Scott	...	Emily Webb
Fay Bainter	...	Mrs. Gibbs
Beulah Bondi	...	Mrs. Webb
Thomas Mitchell	...	Dr. Gibbs
Guy Kibbee	...	Mr. Webb
Stuart Erwin	...	Howie Newsome
Frank Craven	...	Stage Manager / Mr. Morgan
Doro Merande	...	Mrs. Soames
Philip Wood	...	Simon Stimson
Ruth Tobey	...	Rebecca Gibbs (as Ruth Toby)
Douglas Gardner	...	Wally Webb
Arthur B. Allen	...	Professor Willard (as Arthur Allen)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Dr. Ferguson
Spencer Charters	...	Constable Warren

Storyline

Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. People grow up, get married, live, and die. Milk and the newspaper get delivered every morning, and nobody locks their front doors.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | professor | life cycle | student | childbirth | 

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Taglines:

I don't want to get married.....I'M AFRAID!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Unsere kleine Stadt

Filming Locations:

Fort Bragg, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sol Lesser Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 89 min (Hypercube restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 6, 1940 with William Holden and Martha Scott reprising their film roles.

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Goofs

The beginning of the movie takes place on June 7, 1901. That night everyone comments on how beautiful the moon is and we later learn it is 8:30pm. The moon did not rise until midnight on that date. In fact the sun did not set until 8:30pm. Additionally, crickets can be heard loudly chirping throughout these scenes. This would be very unusual for early June, but common in late August.

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Quotes

Mrs. Julia Hersey Gibbs: It seems to me, once in your life, before you die, you ought to see a country where they don't speak any English and they don't even want to.

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Connections

Remade as Our Town (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)"
(1850)
from "Lohengrin"
Written by Richard Wagner
Played on an organ for the wedding

User Reviews

A Thoughtful Look at Everyday Life

The film version of "Our Town" is a thoughtful look at everyday life, often slow-moving, but usually effective. Without any exciting or surprising events, it tells a worthwhile story and leaves an impression on the viewer.

Most of the story follows the Gibbs family and the Webb family, neighbors in a small New Hampshire town. We learn about their lives, loves, and concerns, told in part by a narrator many years after the fact. Most of the time, things move at a very leisurely pace, with details about the town itself often thrown in. It's worth watching because of the memorable and effective closing sequence, in which Emily Webb, who has married George Gibbs, finds her life in danger. The sequence is creatively done, and brings out the importance of the otherwise mundane events we have seen in the rest of the film.

The characters are all nicely defined, with most of the cast doing pretty well, especially the character acting in the background roles. The small-town atmosphere is also convincing. There's certainly nothing spectacular about the film, but if you are interested simple human drama of everyday life, you should enjoy "Our Town".