Our Town (2003) (TV)

Director:

James Naughton

Writer:

Thornton Wilder

Release Date:

24 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Narration | Choir Practice | New Hampshire | Death In Childbirth | Funeral

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Jayne Atkinson	...	Mrs. Gibbs
Wendy Barrie-Wilson	...	Woman in Balcony
Reathel Bean	...	Man in Auditorium
John Braden	...	Professor Willard
Tom Brennan	...	Joe Stoddard
Kieran Campion	...	Baseball Player
Patch Darragh	...	Baseball Player
Frank Converse	...	Dr. Gibbs
Jane Curtin	...	Mrs. Webb
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Mr. Webb
Mia Dillon	...	Mrs. Soames
Conor Donovan	...	Wally Webb
Ben Fox	...	George Gibbs
Kristen Hahn	...	Rebecca Gibbs
Carter Jackson	...	Sam Craig
Maggie Lacey	...	Emily Webb
Stephen Mendillo	...	Constable Warren
Paul Newman	...	Stage Manager
Stephen Spinella	...	Simon Stimson
T.J. Sullivan	...	Joe Crowell
Jake Robards	...	Howie Newsome
Cynthia Wallace	...	Woman in Auditorium
Travis Walters	...	Si Crowell

Directed by
James Naughton

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Thornton Wilder

Produced by
Marc Bauman	....	producer
Rebecca Eaton	....	producer
Frank Garritano	....	supervising producer
Joanne Woodward	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Phil Abraham

Film Editing by
Camilla Toniolo

Production Design by
Tony Walton

Costume Design by
Tony Walton

Makeup Department
Michelle Bruno	....	makeup artist
Paul Gebbia	....	makeup artist
Kay Gelbord	....	makeup artist
Anthony Gueli	....	assistant hair stylist
Dallas Hartnett	....	makeup supervisor
Wendy Parson	....	wig maker
John Quaglia	....	assistant hair stylist
Robert-Charles Vallance	....	hair designer
Toy Van Lierop	....	makeup artist: Paul Newman

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ken Diego	....	assistant director

Art Department
Thomas J. Lenz Jr.	....	scenic design assistant
Patrick Sullivan	....	staging supervisor

Sound Department
John Cooper	....	audio assist
Ken Hahn	....	sound re-recording mixer
Skip Kent	....	sound assistant
Bill Marino	....	supervising sound editor
Kevin Meehan	....	sound assistant
Gretchen Metzloff	....	sound assistant
Tony Pipitone	....	sound editor
Chris Prinzivalli	....	sound recordist
James David Redding III	....	sound editor (as James Redding)
Raymond D. Schilke	....	sound designer
Tony Slocum	....	dialogue editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Anthony Gamiello	....	grip
Dennis Gamiello	....	key grip
Michael Gottlieb	....	assistant lighting designer
Gábor Kövér	....	camera operator (as Gabor Kover)
Abby Levine	....	video engineer
Barry Minnerly	....	24p digital imaging technician
Peter Nolan	....	camera operator
Tim Norman	....	assistant camera
John L. Oates	....	gaffer (as John Oates)
Douglas Pellegrino	....	camera operator (as Doug Pellegrino)
Louis Petraglia	....	grip (as Lou Petraglia)
Richard Pilbrow	....	lighting designer
David H. Rosenburg	....	assistant lighting designer
Gerard Sava	....	Steadicam operator
Gerard Sava	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rachel Gruer	....	associate costume designer

Editorial Department
Matthew Linnell	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John Oddo	....	composer: theme "Grover's Corners"
John Oddo	....	musician: piano, "Grover's Corners"

Other crew
Katherine Lee Boyer	....	production stage manager
Jesse Craine	....	production coordinator
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Pat Sullivan	....	associate production supervisor
Devon Weber	....	production assistant
Ralph Zito	....	dialect coach

Production Companies

• Line by Line Productions
• Westport Country Playhouse

Distributors

• PBS Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• PBS Pictures (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
• Showtime Networks

Runtime:

USA:120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Booth Theatre - 222 West 45th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Line by Line Productions

Trivia:

In this production Paul Newman played the stage manager. In the 1955 production which aired on Producers' Showcase (1954), Paul Newman played George Gibbs and Frank Sinatra played the stage manager.

Quotes:

Stage Manager:Everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004) (TV)

Paul Newman in a role written for him!

I've seen 'Our Town' on stage several times, dating back 50-some years to my small high school. I've seen it once on the small screen with Hal Holbrook, and including (I believe) John Houseman. But this is the best I have seen, and Paul Newman deserves a majority of the credit for this. He's about my age and I have watched him turn from the handsome, virile, often rebellious leading man to an old character actor. But this time he owns the stage. In live stage, I have never seen facial expression used really effectively: I've always been too far away from the actors. I don't recall Holbrook doing much in this area: I recall a rather straight narrative style that time. Newman is extraordinary. The expressions and the timing added a quality I don't ever recall seeing. The camera closed in appropriately and effectively. And for the first time I saw the Stage Manager turn from the simple travelogue narrator he appears at the opening to an identity at the closing moments I had never recognized before.

(I'm trying to be cautious and not spoil the end. Is it possible to spoil it? Hasn't everyone who enjoys American stage already seen 'Our Town', like me, enough times they can almost speak the dialogue of that final scene along with the characters?)

The play is so familiar that the sparse set comes naturally. This production actually used an item or two that I don't recall from earlier ones, but it still seems right. I was much impressed by the lighting, pulling the action up out of the overall darkness. Some things worked less well, I thought. George and Emily aged, and this was harder to do when the camera could zoom in and show their faces. With no makeup changes, they were left with dialogue and voice to convince the viewer, as I didn't feel movements showed the aging effectively. The same applied to the two sets of parents. Nonetheless, when Emily held the stage in the last scene, she still made it one of the most moving moments in theater.

I am intrigued by the critical response to 'Our Town'. Early reviews seem to be enthusiastic, but some critics since seem to consider it too light, too trivial, to be listed among the great ones like Williams's and Miller's works. But aren't we talking here about the universal themes of life? Isn't that serious enough?

Find a copy of it if you can. It's one of Paul Newman's great moments.