Magic Town (1947)

An opinion pollster finds a town which is a perfect mirror of U.S. opinions.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Robert Riskin (story), Joseph Krumgold (story),

Stars:

James Stewart, Jane Wyman, Kent Smith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Stewart	...	Rip Smith
Jane Wyman	...	Mary Peterman
Kent Smith	...	Hoopendecker
Ned Sparks	...	Ike
Wallace Ford	...	Lou Dicketts
Regis Toomey	...	Ed Weaver
Ann Doran	...	Mrs. Weaver
Donald Meek	...	Mr. Twiddle
E.J. Ballantine	...	Moody
Ann Shoemaker	...	Ma Peterman
Mickey Kuhn	...	Hank Nickleby
Howard Freeman	...	Nickleby
Harry Holman	...	Mayor
Mary Currier	...	Mrs. Frisby
Mickey Roth	...	Bob Peterman

Storyline

Rip Smith's opinion-poll business is a failure...until he discovers that the small town of Grandview is statistically identical to the entire country. He and his assistants go there to run polls cheaply and easily, in total secrecy (it would be fatal to let the townsfolk get self-conscious). And of course, civic crusader Mary Peterman must be kept from changing things too much. But romantic involvement with Mary complicates life for Rip; then suddenly everything changes...

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Plot Keywords:

opinion | poll | small town | collateral effect | exploitation | 

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Taglines:

The guy with the dynamite heart meets the girl with the firecracker eyes!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

't stond in de krant

Filming Locations:

Chico, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Riskin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

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 December 15, 1947 with James Stewart and Jane Wyman reprising their film roles

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Quotes

Mary Peterman: The air becomes charged with electricity around desperate men.

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Soundtracks

"MY BOOK OF MEMORY"
(originally "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen")
Music by Thomas Payne Westendorf (uncredited)
Lyric: Edward Heyman
Sung by chorus with brief solos by Jane Wyman (uncredited)

User Reviews

This needed a lighter touch.

I have to admit the premise behind Magic Town was a really good and original one. The fact that small time pollster James Stewart discovers a town that is a microcosm of American thinking. What a shortcut, just move in there and poll the citizens on any question. But you have to do it with subterfuge and the town can never have any marked growth of any kind or the goose that's laying Stewart's golden egg is cooked.

Enter Jane Wyman, acting editor of the small town paper who has some ideas about getting the town to grow. That sets up the conflict with Stewart and then the romantic complications set in. Their romance and their differing agendas set the tone for the rest of the film.

I think with a lighter touch this could have been a classic film. It's not a bad film, it's moving in spots, but the subject matter doesn't lend itself to Frank Capra type populism. I'm sure this is a property that Capra himself must have rejected.

Stewart and Wyman are ably supported by the usual group of great character performers that usually populate a Capra film. William Wellman directed this and I think he was out of his element. He's so much better in action films.

It's also so old fashioned in its view of small town America. I can't believe that such a place like Grandview could possibly exist. Think about it, a cross section of America would have its bad people too among the population. Not a bad person in the whole town.

And they even list a U.S. Senator in their population. That would in and of itself make it atypical by his mere presence. In fact when this film was made Harry Truman was president and certainly Independence, Missouri has never been "typical" since he came to political prominence.

My favorite scene is the dance where the whole crowd except the outsider Stewart sing the high school song. It's sung to the tune of I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen. It's a nice moment and it demonstrates just how alien big city slicker Jimmy Stewart is in this environment. It's good, but it does tip over into the saccharine.

Both Stewart and Wyman have certainly done better, but fans of both these performers will like it. But can you imagine what someone like Preston Sturges would have done with this material?