All Over the Town (1949) User Reviews

First rate social drama

[JohnSeal · 7/10 · 9 February 2007]

First off, I'm compelled to argue that this is NOT a comedy, and certainly does not belong in the same universe as the Ealing films. All Over the Town is a British take on the 'social problem' meme, with a dash of neo-realism thrown in for good measure--check out the first scene, as Bryan Forbes cycles through town. Forbes plays Trumble, a young newspaper employee hurrying to inform the owners of the Tormouth Clarion that their ace reporter, Nat Hearn (the excellent Norman Wooland) is returning from the war. This comes as welcome news to everyone but the paper's owners, Sam and Gerald Vane (Ronald Adam and Cyril Cusack, respectively), who are unhappy at the prospect of having to take back the high priced Hearn--but there's a law about veteran's jobs, and they don't have a choice. When patriarch Sam keels over from a heart attack, leaving no legacy behind him, son Gerald finds he must turn to Nat for a loan in order to keep the paper going, and offers him a share of the business as well as the plum job of editor. Nat takes the job, but soon ruffles feathers with critical editorials and print attacks on sleazy local developer Baines (James Hayter). Though this sounds like a pretty typical 'honest newsman vs. the world' story, there's a lot more going on here. Nat's first inspiration is to address the discrimination faced by returning veterans--there's a moving early scene where a young lady, returned from service, is drowning her sorrows in the bottle--and his second is to confront the stifling conformity of a British seaside town much like the one I grew up in. There's also a strong undercurrent of class struggle here, reflecting the influence of Britain's then incumbent Labour government, and personified by Cusack's wonderful (and, yes, comic) performance as silly ass news magnate Gerald. The local magistrate and various members of the town council are also cut from the same stultifying middle-class cloth, which lends them both a sense of complacency and a belief in their God-given superiority to their working-class constituents--constituents who might begin to question the social order if the Clarion continues to discuss controversial matters. All in all, this is a very good picture that more people should be aware of--heck, as of today, it isn't even listed in the BFI database!

Enjoyable 1948 film about a local newspaper set on the south coast of the UK

[howardmorley · 7/10 · 22 February 2017]

I enjoyed this film for the first time which is a bit surprising since I am something of an aficionado about films of this vintage.What surprised me was its quality and that no UK TV network has transmitted it before to my knowledge.Well about the film.Norman Wooland's character comes back to his old job as an ace reporter on a local UK South Coast newspaper "the Clarion" under the editor played by Ronald Adam.During the war Sarah Churchill's character had taken over the reins while Norman's had served in the RAF as a flying officer.With peacetime Brian Forbes runs around town advising Norman is back on the scene so Sarah has to think about resigning her temporary job thus handing it back.

There are a lot of small time politics acted out especially the building of houses which a previous architect had designed but then had them voted down by the council.Corruption by the local council has been evident especially when a council official offers a member of the paper's staff a high place on the council waiting list in return for their support for their alternative scheme.Inevitably Sarah and Norman join forces especially after the old editor dies and Norman is appointed his replacement.Sarah had wanted to leave the confines of the local town and search elsewhere but changed her mind when Norman asks her to marry him.Thats all I will disclose of the plot.

This film has an all British cast and production team, is well written, acted and structured.I must admit that until I looked up their individual biographies on I.M.D.B I confused the actors Derrick de Marney and Norman Wooland who both have similar faces to me.As a 71 year old I was 2 in 1948 and remember tasting early post war chocolate which was rationed, staying at a bungalow in Greatstone, Kent with my late parents, elder sister and paternal grandmother and overall I rated it 7/10.

Excellent British movie

[lucyrfisher · 8/10 · 15 August 2017]

If you've ever stayed up all night getting a publication to press you'll love this film. And also you'll see its point. I love the way the staff rally round, sleep in deckchairs, send out for sandwiches, drink endless cups of tea, unearth an ancient printing press shrouded in First World War recruiting posters. When that breaks down, they put out enough copies for the council meeting on a 19th century hand-operated press - the "dying duck".

It's called the dying duck because it has a cast-iron eagle perched on top (along with a sea serpent and a lot of extraneous decoration). They were made by the Lucy ironworks of Oxford - their symbol was an eagle.

Anyway, back to the plot. It's not just about free speech versus corruption and cronyism, it's about the way the people who think they run the town use language to keep themselves in clover. Destruction of cottages, and their replacement by a funfair, enriching one of the councillors, is sold as "progress" and "being go-ahead". He even says "You can't stand in the way of progress!" - a slogan we became heartily sick of in the postwar years as buildings were razed and communities broken up.

The newspaper is supposed to be relentlessly positive and uncritical. Does all this remind you of anything?

I wonder how long the operatic society survived after Elvis? And whatever happened to baby shows? There's even an all-female string orchestra sawing away flatly on the prom. Fabia Drake is wonderful as the local Florence Foster Jenkins. And an unrecognisable Cyril Cusack minces superbly as the effete newspaper proprietor.

Deeper than it seems

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 7/10 · 15 March 2017]

Based on a novel by R.F. Delderfield this starts out as a portrait of life in an English seaside town (actually filmed in beautiful Lyme Regis) but develops into a movie about free speech and the freedom of the press. Although the canvas it is portrayed on is small (it's only a local weekly newspaper after all) the issue is an important one and still relevant today. Indeed one of the characters says that the World War that had recently been fought was about preserving such freedoms. The shadow of the recent World War still hangs in the air (the returning serviceman, rationing) and the film is asking what kind of society do people want. The main character has the temerity to criticise the annual performance by the amateur opera society, hitherto traditionally praised by the newspaper, for being awful. In effect asking just because something is always done does that mean it should always should be done? There are several themes in the film but they are subtly woven into the story.

This makes it seem like this is a dull but worthy film but there is a good deal of humour. The opera performance itself is indeed hilarious and there are lots of interesting characters played very well by a fine cast of British actors. Perhaps Norman Wooland is not ideal in his role but people like Cyril Cusack, James Hayter, Fabia Drake, Edward Rigby, Patric Doonan and a startlingly youthful Bryan Forbes shine in their roles. Sarah Churchill is charming and intelligent as Sally Thorpe, who precipitates victory in the end.

On the surface it appears to be light entertainment but underneath there is much going on.

Attractive location shooting but falls short

[trimmerb1234 · 6/10 · 2 February 2017]

First the good news: lovely photography of Lime Regis in summer. But the bad news is that a number of things let this film down. Firstly the lead - Norman Moreland, a tall handsome classical actor but without star quality or personality. Secondly a lack of wit and sensitivity in the screenplay. Thirdly a rather unsympathetic plot.

I'm not sure if the resemblance was coincidental but Moreland physically and in the clothing closely resembles actor James Stewart and the film and part resemble - but fall far short of - a number of classic James Stewart comedies. The difference is that Stewart's screen persona was perfectly served by the scripts: the audience's sympathies and emotions perfectly manipulated. Here the screenplay is, like the main characters, rather clumsy and not really sympathetic. The female lead (Sarah Churchill) too was all set to marry Moreland but angrily rejects him when she discovers that marriage will not provide her an escape to London. Ealing comedies would never have been so clumsy with characters. Even the "villains" (Fabia Drake and James Hayter - always exceedingly good) in this film had more personality and in a way more engaging and certainly more entertaining than the two do-gooders who while they blast open the small town cronyism and corruption, are in their way intolerant overbearing know-alls. It perhaps though accurately reflected the times with division between those who spent the war at home unchanging provincial narrowness and those whom the war was transformative - seeing the world, seeing and having responsibility for decisions over life and death. The screenplay needed to have sketched this rather than assume the audience necessarily knew and were sympathetic.

Some reviews of the time were uncommonly uncomplimentary: "The New York Times described it as a "slow, dogmatic little picture" with a "dog-eared" plot. In The Times, the film's plot was seen as unoriginal, executed "without inspiration or any originality of thought" (Wikipedia) The criticism of the plot seems though unduly harsh - a film about the (local) press being in bed with advertisers and business interests the local people overturning it is not a common one.

A 6.5 - it could have been an 8. Moreland as an actor performed the script he was given but added nothing. A star such as Kenneth More would most likely have seen a need for changes to it. It's what made "Genevieve" such a classic - More played a loud selfish and insensitive man often maddening his wife - but with periodic self-awareness and redeeming charm - script and actor in perfect harmony.

fun but slight period piece,but not really a comedy.

[ib011f9545i · 6/10 · 14 April 2023]

I have this on dvd and decided to watch it today.

I don't often watch it but it is worth watching.

This is an obscure British film from what I believe was the golden age of British cinema.

The film is about a man returning to the war to his old job at a small seaside town's newspaper.

It annoys me a little that people describe this as a comedy and compare it to an Ealing comedy.

There is humour in this film but it is not really a comedy.

The plot involves the local paper campaigning against local government corruption and the old way of doing things that WW2 had discredited.

Everyone writing about this film says it is well acted but does not have any stars in it.

I agree with both statements.

I recognise some of the actors but I think only Bryan Forbes would be recognised by viewers who are British film nuts like me.

But I like the film for what it is as a whole.

Much of it is shot on location in an attractive seaside town.

The sets are great,it all looks real.

I need to seek out the films made by the director and producer.

News and honesty in journalism! How dare they?

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 2 February 2021]

An obvious conservative sea side English town finds their rather conventional non-controversial newspaper changed for the better (or worse, depending on who you talk to) when a new editor (Norman Wooland) comes along to replace Sarah Churchill who gladly hands over the reins. The initial issue creates quite a stir, creating grins of irony from some (until they see their name listed) and outlandish laughter from others, as well as the predicted outrage. That's the simple plot, but it is an important issue as the world changes, making small towns follow suit most reluctantly.

Terrific location shooting of a real life seaside British town is gorgeous, starting off with an all women's band performing on the waterfront, followed up later on by the most delightful of operetta spoofs, giving greedy songbird Fabia Drake something to really tweet about when the reviews of her performance come out. The veteran actress Drake had a very lengthy career, decades later having important character roles in "A Room With a View" and "Valmont", and delightfully haughty here. This is a great comment on the benefits of progress, a view of how some people can't tolerate change, and features memorable performances from a terrific ensemble.

worthwhile British comedy, a' la the Ealing studio

[rsechny · 9/10 · 17 January 2007]

An RAF pilot returns to his job as a newspaper reporter in a small seaside town. At first he questions the importance of writing about the local goings on, but after unexpectedly becoming the editor, he decides to use the paper for the betterment of the community. In the process, he finds himself romantically involved with the woman who filled his job while he was serving in the war. This is a droll comedy that falls somewhere between Frank Capra and Preston Sturges in it's take on small town British life. All the characters are nicely written and acted, with a vein of dry wit running throughout the film (the local undertaker in particular). Fans of "The Avengers" can spot Patrick MacNee in a small role. If you're a fan of the Ealing comedies, this would be a "must see". It is, in any case, an entertaining and uplifting film.

Hold The Press

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 25 June 2011]

It is rather funny that the three other reviews for this film come from the States.The reviewers have put forward virtues that i only see as vices.The fact is that this film has only had an airing on TV in the states,i cannot recall it ever having been shown on TV in the UK.I think that is is totally forgotten which is a well deserved state of affairs.The clash between the younger generation just back from the war and the older generation sticking with tradition must have been hackneyed even then.The ending with the paper vindicated over corrupt council dealings is clichéd to say the least.Pre war comedies handled this subject much better and with a sense of humour sadly lacking here.Give me "Five Star Final" of "Her Girl Friday" to this film any day.

wonderfully typical English flick of the period

[shadowfakx · 10/10 · 19 January 2007]

Superlative depiction of small town English life, postwar. Not to be taken lightly ...though the conflicts are shrouded in a comedic fashion, the message about integrity and courage in the midst of low down, mean spirited adversity can and, just, maybe should be taken seriously. Curious characters as well as the stereotyped dwell here...yet, even the stereotyped---because of the quaint datedness of the production---just not that way in the 21st century.

What prompted me to even register, here, and vote and, then comment on this movie, was the incredible performance and beauty of Sarah Churchill. Simply a modern day competitor to Blanchette, Streep, et.al

From A Time When The Film Factories Were Tops!

[georgewilliamnoble · 8/10 · 15 November 2018]

Filmed mostly outdoors in and around Lyme Regis In Dorset way back in 1949. The year British Cinema's saw there all time record for admissions, from 1949 though later than in the USA that new must have consumer product called the television set would slowly slice and dice the Cinema exhibition industry to pieces. Yet back in 1949 Britain genuinely had a homegrown film industry that produced quality films for domestic consumption, we all know the best of them, but i doubt if many connoisseurs of historic British films, let alone students of the post war era would list this title among the greats. Yet all who know this minor gem will surely agree, this movie is a triumph, the plot about the saving of a small town rag and a token romance to egg out the running time, is your lot for plot. Not that plot matters as this is a movie primarily about Englishness and how the English saw themselves way back then. History and time have been very generous to this film, the location Lyme Regis has changed surprisingly little and that most lovely of South West towns really is the star of the film, as it was in 1949 and it still will be in 2019 which will be very very soon. 70 years may of passed but the skill of the film makers who made this little wonder shines down through the decades. So do try to hunt down this wonderfully English/English of films and enjoy. This is little England now long long gone, yet still alive to all of us, if only on celluloid.

Definitely not a comedy, despite the poster.

[xotdslr · 8/10 · 23 November 2020]

I caught this movie on UK's Talking Pictures channel. In no way can it be described as a comedy, certainly not an Ealing Comedy. If anything it is a British attempt at lightish touch social realism in the changed Post WW2 era.

A light comedy drama about the local weekly press in post-war England

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 18 November 2020]

Made at Pinewood Studios, this British film was produced by a small film company that made just a dozen or so movies from 1949 to 1962. As with most such films and endeavors, the cast of "All Over the Town" doesn't have big name stars or even well-known supporting actors of the time. Most of the cast will hardly be recognized in the 21st century outside of the UK. The female lead, Sally Thorpe, is played by Sarah Churchill, the actress daughter of Winston Churchill. She had a respectable career as an actress, and had a good supporting role with Fred Astaire, Jane Powell and Peter Lawford in "Royal Wedding" of 1951. Overall, the ensemble of characters in this film does a fine job.

The story is set in a fictitious town on the English coast. The promo for the film plays up exposure of some corruption in the small town of Tormouth, but that is just a small part that serves as the climax to the story. The film is about a town native returning home after the war and getting his job back as the "star" reporter on the weekly Clarion newspaper. Such weekly papers were printed in small towns all across Canada, the U. S. A., England and many other European countries through the 20th century. With the coming of the Internet and rapid growth of electronic technology, many small papers went out of business by the early 21st century. Even large daily papers have declined as print news readership overall continues to decline.

Norman Wooland plays the returning veteran, Nat Hearn. Sarah Churchill's Sally Thorpe is the local reporter who had taken over for Nat when he went off to military service during the war. The plot is a good mix of light comedy, drama and a slowly developing love story. It portrays the type of reporting, news, and printing of the local nature that the big city newspapers don't provide - or even consider news. By the same token, the small towns and weekly papers are challenged to have much of real news to report. Changes occur after Nat's return and the death of the publisher of the town paper.

Very few films have been made with weekly newspaper production a core part of the story. So, this film has some added value for history and education. The small papers as well as the dailies in county seats for ages have been the official public records of local government actions and required pubic notices. As a former newspaperman, having worked on two daily newspapers, I particularly enjoyed the scenes showing some of the antiquated printing presses used in the past - including an old flatbed press and an ancient hand press.

This is a nice picture of the small-town press and its role and service in the community. Its regular fodder includes the vital statistics (birth, deaths), accidents and illnesses, local visits, social events, family items, legal notices, sports and club activities and reviewing the local theater production and covering the town council meetings.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Mr. Baines, "Glad to see you got back. But you've been long enough about it." Nat Hearn, "Yes, just tidying up the Orient, you know." Baines, "Uh, huh, this town needs a bit of tidying up too, come to that. But, uh, things are moving."

Mr. Baines, "Progress with taste - that's my motto. Progress with taste."

Mr. Vince, "You make him, miss. He'll listen to a skirt."

Sally Thorpe, "Why don't you chuck it and get out?" Nat Hearn, "Because it's not the answer. There's nothing wrong with the people. They're the same town that fought the war. All they want is someone to take an interest in their own affairs. Anything wrong with that?" Sally, "Nothing. Only I'm afraid you're in for a big disappointment." Nat, "Perhaps I am."

Sally Thorpe, "You're a bit of a mystery to me. You oughtn't be a nice person at all, but you are. Rather." Nat Hearn, "I just believe in people, that's all. Seems a pity you don't."

Nat Hearn, "Detail, Trumble, detail. Never despise detail. It's our meat, drink, bread, butter, salt, pepper and mustard."

Delightfully crazy!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 2 March 2018]

A few critics have complained that some of the gags misfire in this glorious hodge-podge of crazy vaudeville routines. Well, maybe they do, but frankly I was laughing so much, I didn't notice any dull patches at all. In fact, I spent so much time rolling out of my chair, I still didn't pick out Alan Ladd even though I was determined to catch him this time around. True, unlike Hellzapoppin, this early try-out does have a well-defined plot-but even that proceeds in a wriggling line that allows our comedians to share the laughs amongst the cast. It's a fact that one or two players do make rather heavy weather of their gags, but it really doesn't matter when you have wonderful clowns like Stanley Fields and Lew Kelly on hand. In fact, it's Kelly who literally runs away with the movie's acting honors, though admittedly he's given some utterly fantastic business and knockout lines ("Well, I put up a good fight...")! I will agree that the heroine has very little to do, so if you're a Mary Howard fan, better give the film a miss. Come to think of it, Harry Stockwell is given an even more detailed introduction, and he virtually disappears with every greater rapidity. Well, at least he seems to. Maybe he's there all the time, but you just don't notice him in the midst of all the James Finlayson-Franklin Pangborn-Fred Kelsey-Eddie Kane mayhem. A pity! Harry made only five or six movies and he's just great as the Prince in Snow White ("One song! I have but one song...") To sum up: An absolute must for Olsen and Johnson (and Lew Kelly) addicts!

Seaside & Politics

[peterwburrows-70774 · 8/10 · 17 November 2020]

What more could you want. Lovely views of Lyme Regis, still looks much the same, and small town politics. As a former Mayor at a neighbouring town I can tell you that little has changed in respect of infighting on grandiose schemes to improve local amenities. They still have Operatic groups and fuctions raising money for good causes, British Legion, RNLI etc. The stars are numerous, 10 seconds of Stanley Baker, Patrick McNee and Bryan Forbes in early roles. Worth watching!

Small Town Story

[richardchatten · 8/10 · 26 September 2019]

An enjoyable little frolic set against the backdrop of a local newspaper reminiscent of the Ealing comedies (and anticipating 'Chance of a Lifetime' and the offbeat sixties Norman Wisdom comedy 'Press for Time') enhanced by attractive location photography of Lyme Regis standing in for the the fictional seaside town of 'Tormouth' where the underdogs take on the fusty and venal establishment.

Broad-faced Norman Wolland and sloe-eyed Sarah Churchill are attractively unconventional young leads, while Cyril Cusack is cast spectacularly against time as a fussy little capitalist lacky. (As usual there are also interesting faces among those unbilled, including future TV stars Patrick ('The Avengers') Macnee and Eric ('Please Sir') Chitty.)