The Talk of the Town (1942)

An escaped prisoner and a stuffy law professor vie for the hand of a spirited schoolteacher.

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Irwin Shaw (screen play), Sidney Buchman (screen play)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman

Nominated for 7 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cary Grant	...	Leopold Dilg
Jean Arthur	...	Nora Shelley
Ronald Colman	...	Professor Michael Lightcap
Edgar Buchanan	...	Sam Yates
Glenda Farrell	...	Regina Bush
Charles Dingle	...	Andrew Holmes
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Shelley
Rex Ingram	...	Tilney
Leonid Kinskey	...	Jan Pulaski
Tom Tyler	...	Clyde Bracken
Don Beddoe	...	Police Chief

Storyline

In suburban Lochester, New England, three people end up living together in high school teacher Nora Shelley's rental house. The first is her new tenant, renowned Harvard law professor Michael Lightcap, who has rented the house for the summer while he writes his new book. The second is Nora herself. Despite having an auspicious first meeting, Lightcap hires Nora to be his live-in cook and secretary for a week until his manservant Tilney arrives. The third is Joseph, the property's gardener, who is currently laid up with a sprained ankle. In reality, Joseph is Nora's childhood friend Leopold Dilg, who has just escaped from prison. Leopold was being tried for the arson of the factory where he worked, and for murder for the death of the factory foreman Clyde Bracken, whose body was never recovered but who is assumed to have died in the fire. Despite the danger to herself, Nora hides Leopold since she believes his story that although he, as an activist, did speak out about the dangerous ...

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Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | gardener | lawyer | arson | schoolteacher | 

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Taglines:

Screen comedy so gay... drama so thrilling... love so exciting, it will be the talk of YOUR town!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Three's a Crowd

Filming Locations:

Supreme Court Building - First & Capitol Streets NE, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The telegram delivery boy is riding an extremely rare 1941 Crocker Scootabout, made by the Crocker Motorcycle Company of Los Angeles. Less than 100 were made before the company converted to wartime production of aircraft parts. MSRP for the Scootabout was $139 in 1941 ($2,410 in 2017).

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Goofs

After escaping from jail one evening and spending the entire night hidden away in an attic with no access to plumbing, Dilg awakes cleanly shaved the next morning.

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Quotes

Leopold Dilg: I don't approve of, but I like people who think in terms of ideal conditions. They're the dreamers, poets, tragic figures in this world, but interesting.

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Alternate Versions

The AMC television showing of this film omits the actual moment, shown in the complete version, in which 'Ronald Colman' is actually informed of his Supreme Court appointment.

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Connections

Referenced in Tis tyhis ta grammena (1957)

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Soundtracks

High Pressure And Love
(uncredited)
Music by Werner R. Heymann

User Reviews

A perfect mix of comedy and drama

Talk of the Town is an excellent combination of a screwball comedy and legal drama. Grant plays well in both genres and is aided here with very capable co-stars, Arthur and Coleman. The discussions between Dilg and the professor concerning the practical and theoretical aspects of the law are both entertaining in their tit-for-tat presentation and thought provoking in their philosophical content. Jean Arthur is also very charming as the love interest who helps move them to compromise. I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent, witty, funny, and well-acted film and strongly recommend it, 8/10.