Our Town (1940)

Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century.

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Thornton Wilder (play), Thornton Wilder (screenplay)

Stars:

William Holden, Martha Scott, Fay Bainter

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

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	...	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:

new hampshire | narration | 1900s | small town | based on play | 

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Taglines:

The screen's most unusual picture.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nuestro pueblo

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch Agoura, 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

Frank Craven who plays the Narrator also helped Thornton Wilder adapt his play for the screen.

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Goofs

Emily keeps mentioning how bright the moon is and it is shown as a full moon. However, the establishing information date is June 7, 1901. On that date, the moon was in its last quarter and wouldn't even have been visible in the early evening.

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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

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Ring of Terror (1990)

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Soundtracks

Art Thou Weary, Art Thou Languid?
(1868)
Music "Stephanos" by Henry W. Baker (1868)
Greek words by Stephen of Mar Saba (Judea) (8th century)
Translated from Greek to English by John M. Neale (1862)
Played on an organ in church by Philip Wood and sung by the choir

User Reviews

Visual, Aural Poetry

"Our Town" was like a dramatized sermon about the fleeting nature of life and the need to appreciate every moment to the fullest. It depicted life in a small town, relying heavily on narration. I was astonished, that such a flimsy (though charming) movie should boast a Thornton Wilder script and an Aaron Copland score. Despite its flimsiness, this movie is infinitely more lovable than similar movies, like "It's a Wonderful Life". It was blissfully devoid of drama, its mood was poetic, pleasing to the eye and ear, the dialogue fairly articulate and intelligent. The most poignant line was a girl saying to her mother: "Mom, am I pretty enough to Interest anyone?"