The Talk of the Town (film)
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| The Talk of the Town | |
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 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | George Stevens |
| Produced by | George Stevens Fred Guiol |
| Written by | Irwin Shaw Sidney Buchman |
| Starring | Cary Grant Jean Arthur Ronald Colman Rex Ingram |
| Music by | Friedrich Hollaender |
| Cinematography | Ted Tetzlaff |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 20 August 1942 |
| Running time | 118 min. |
| IMDb profile | |
The Talk of the Town (1942) is a screwball comedy film, with very serious overtones, released by Columbia Pictures, starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Edgar Buchanan, and Glenda Farrell.
The movie was adapted by Dale Van Every, Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman from the story by Sidney Harmon. It was directed by George Stevens. There was also a 1905 musical called The Talk of the Town that played at the Lyric Theatre in London and on Broadway in 1907, with Victor Moore.
It was nominated for a number of Academy Awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Writing, Original Story
- Best Writing, Screenplay
- Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White (Fay Babcock, Lionel Banks, Rudolph Sternad)
- Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
- Best Film Editing
- Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
[edit] Plot
Mill worker and political activist Leopold Dilg (Grant) is accused of burning down a mill and causing the death of a foreman in the fire. In the middle of his trial, Dilg escapes from jail and seeks shelter in a house owned by former schoolmate Nora Shelley (Arthur), now a schoolteacher on whom he has had a crush for years. Shelley has the house rented for the summer to distinguished law Professor Michael Lightcap (Colman), who plans to write a book. Both Lightcap and Dilg arrive within minutes of each other.
When Dilg is spotted by Lightcap, Shelley passes him off as her gardener. Lightcap and Dilg enjoy having spirited discussions about the law, Lightcap arguing from an academic viewpoint, while Dilg subscribes to a more practical approach. They become good friends as a result.
As a result of prodding by Shelley and Dilg's lawyer, Lightcap becomes suspicious and starts, in spite of his initial reluctance, to investigate further. He romances the girlfriend of the supposed murder victim and discovers that the former foreman is still alive and hiding is Boston. He is 'persuaded' to return to town and admit his guilt and that of the mill owner.
Lightcap also comvinces Dilg of the importance of following the law and Dilg gives himself up. In due course, he is set free.
Soon afterward, Lightcap is appointed to the Supreme Court. He asks Shelley to marry him. Dilg tells her that he's a fine man, but she decides in favor of Dilg.
[edit] External links
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