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 | law | factory | gardener | trial | 

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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:

George Stevens' The Talk of the Town

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 Corporation

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

Lloyd Bridges' tiny role was one of 20 film appearances he made in 1942 alone.

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Goofs

About 16 or 17 minutes into the movie, when Nora goes back to the attic to try and get Leopold out, he is first seen lying on his back for a couple of shots, back and forth between him and Nora. Then at one point when he compliments her beauty, he is sitting up. When the camera shoots them in a wide shot with Leopold's back to the camera, he is laying on his back again.

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Quotes

Leopold Dilg: Oh, Tilney, I'm very hungry. Do you think you could find a chicken leg or something I can nibble on as I ride?
Michael Lightcap: That's alright Tilney. A whole chicken. He has an enormous appetite.

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Alternate Versions

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

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Connections

Featured in Sex and the City 2 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Jive Bomber
(uncredited)
Music by Lyle 'Spud' Murphy

User Reviews

This is a good movie

Talk of the Town is a good movie! It is well written with witty and interesting, sometimes even surprising dialogue. It is well directed and well played. Even the score is really good (I am not sure if both John Williams and Frederick Hollander borrowed or it was just Williams who borrowed form Hollander for Star Wars). I grew fond of Roland Coleman through this movie, he is simply debonair. Sure, the preaching toward the end of the movie is a bit thick, but it is in character… and should you listen closely you would find that the message is as relevant today as then. And about the love triangle plot… It keeps you guessing till the last moment (only one other movie successfully does the same: Casablanca). Talk of the Town is an intelligent and endearing mix of comedy and drama, it does not use comedy only for the introduction but keeps it up, in parallel to the drama, well through the movie; in that it is remarkable. To say the least it did not deserve to be forgotten, for it does what movies do best: give you a good time.