People Will Talk (1951)

Dr. Noah Praetorius falls in love with Debra, a student who finds out that she is pregnant by her old boyfriend.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (written for the screen by), Curt Goetz (play)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Finlay Currie

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cary Grant	...	Dr. Noah Praetorius
Jeanne Crain	...	Deborah Higgins
Finlay Currie	...	Shunderson
Hume Cronyn	...	Prof. Rodney Elwell
Walter Slezak	...	Prof. Barker
Sidney Blackmer	...	Arthur Higgins
Basil Ruysdael	...	Dean Lyman Brockwell
Katherine Locke	...	Miss James

Storyline

Successful and well-liked, Dr. Noah Praetorius becomes the victim of a witch hunt at the hands of Professor Elwell, who disdains Praetorius's unorthodox medical views and also questions his relationship with the mysterious, ever-present Mr. Shunderson. Fuel is added to the fire when Praetorius befriends young Deborah Higgins, who has become suicidal at the prospect of having a baby by her ex boyfriend, a military reservist who was called up for service in the Korean War and killed in action.

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Plot Keywords:

witch hunt | orchestra | double bass | hospital | secret | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dr. Praetorious Story

Filming Locations:

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric 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 January 25, 1954 with Jeanne Crain and Cary Grant reprising their film roles.

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Goofs

At one point while Dr. Praetorius is waiting in Professor Elwell's classroom, a close-up insert shot of Shunderson is clearly printed backwards.

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Quotes

Doctor Noah Praetorius: And whose fault is it my fine atomic friend. You can't go around smashing everything you see, you know. Everything isn't atoms!
Professor Barker: Yes it is!

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Connections

Remake of Frauenarzt Dr. Prätorius (1950)

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Soundtracks

"A Hot Time in the Old Town"
(uncredited)
Music by Theo. A. Metz
Whistled by Deborah while placing candles on the cake

User Reviews

A witty, compassionate and literate treasure

This is very unique film. Superlatively written, it offers amusing dialog, social insight and enlightened views of science, women's issues, social mores, the nature of success, materialism and the urge to destroy what we cannot understand.

It is not boring, yet its main characters are doctors/composers, and professors. Though its setting is an elite clinic and a university, it is concerned with real people and their needs.

Cary Grant is at his warm, compassionate and wryly witty best.

His sidekick, so to speak, is the rumpled and likeable Walter Slezak. Hume Cronyn is superb as the little weasel who sets out to "investigate" i.e. slander and destroy the Cary Grant character. Sound familiar?

"People Will Talk" may be considered a comedy of manners of the 1950's and a companion piece to another, similarly-titled Cary Grant film, the lesser-known Frank Capra masterpiece "Talk of the Town." Both are intelligent, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining Hollywood gems.

Don't forgot to check out the "typical farm family..." You'll recognize the narrow-minded, cliche-ridden, hypocritical patriarch of the clan...