The Talk Of The Town cover art

The Talk Of The Town Details

1942 Certificate U
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 599 members

George Stevens' last film with Cary Grant represents yet another hit in his string of classic comedies. Grant stars as Leopold Dilg, a political activist who is wrongly indicted for arson and murder when a factory worker dies in a mill fire in the town of Sweetbrook. Believing that he'll be executed if he remains in jail, he .. Read more

Starring Cary Grant, Ronald Coleman, Edgar Buchanan, Jean Arthur
Director George Stevens
Genres Comedy

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The Talk Of The Town

George Stevens' last film with Cary Grant represents yet another hit in his string of classic comedies. Grant stars as Leopold Dilg, a political activist who is wrongly indicted for arson and murder when a factory worker dies in a mill fire in the town of Sweetbrook. Believing that he'll be executed if he remains in jail, he escapes and breaks into a cottage that schoolteacher Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur) is preparing for Professor Michael Lightcap (Ronald Coleman), the dean of a law school. She allows Grant to stay in the attic, without alerting the professor. The next day, a reporter arrives to question Lightcap about Dilg's case, along with Sam Yates (Edgar Buchanan), Dilg's lawyer, who comes at Nora's behest. Since Yates and Lightcap know each other from law school, Yates asks Lightcap's help in defending his client, who he claims to have been framed. The professor refuses, intent on writing a legal treatise. Before Yates leaves, he persuades Nora to house Dilg, who she introduces to Lightcap as a gardener. Before long, the professor begins to realize that the gardener is well versed in the intricacies and inequities of the U.S. legal system. Stevens' entertaining romantic triangle, in which the atmosphere of legal debate is leavened by wit, and low comedy, is brilliantly played by all, especially an atypically dark and impulsive Grant. The director's characteristically deft touch with comic business is evident throughout the film.

Starring Cary Grant, Ronald Coleman, Edgar Buchanan, Jean Arthur, Glenda Farrell, Charles Dingle, Emma Dunn, Rex Ingram, Leonid Kinskey, Tom Tyler, Don Beddoe
Director George Stevens
Studio SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 53 mins
Certificate Certificate U
Genres Comedy
Language DVD: English
Subtitles DVD: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Released DVD: 10 Mar 2003
Production year: 1942
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (3) of The Talk Of The Town

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  • 4 stars out of 5

    The eternal triangle — two men besotted by the same woman who is attracted to both — is the central ingredient of this classy, intelligent and witty romantic comedy. However, skilfully interwoven into the mix is an examination of hypocrisy, the inequities of the law and a measure of suspense. Add Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Ronald Colman and director George Stevens and what you get is an effervescent and satisfying movie. Grant, a politically reformist factory worker, is wrongfully accused of murder and hides out in Arthur's house, where he becomes friends with Colman, a distinguished legal academic and Supreme Court judge lodging there. Ideas are exchanged and both fall for their hostess. Story, script and picture were Oscar-nominated, the stars deserved to be.

    • Radio Times
  • An attractive serio-comic tale of civic corruption, with Grant as a factory worker on the run from a trumped-up charge... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • Most helpful member's review of The Talk Of The Town

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  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Cary on form!

    This is a must for any Cary Grant lover. A good story line and snappy script sees Cary on good form in this film. Playing a wrongly convicted murderer, hiding out as the gardener provides Cary with plenty of comic opportunities along the way. Similar style to the classic 'Philadelphia Story'.

      • A customer from London
  • Most recent members' review of The Talk Of The Town

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  • 0 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    All talk, no action

    A comfortable but unspectacular coming together of some of Hollywood's finer comic talents doesn't necessarily yield too much in the way of all-out comedy, but at least we're in good hands. Grant gets the odd role of a runaway criminal who hides out in the rented home of Supreme Court judge-to-be Colman, with ditzy Arthur bouncing between the two, trying to prove Grant's innocence. Colman is actually rather irritatingly pompous in the typical Colman role, Grant is underdeployed in an atypical Grant role but Arthur is quite fetching doing what she does well.

      • RJNeb2
  • News and features

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    The Accidental Tourist

    Hanks to be big fat talk of the town

    • 08 Feb 2006

    Tom Hanks' next movie project is to be a romantic comedy entitled Talk Of The Town. Currently Nia Vardalos, the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is in talks to pen the script for the new movie. Before work on Talk Of The Town gets off the ground Hanks has a busy year ahead of him. He will be reunited with British director Sam Mendes in Charlie Wilson's War, after the pair worked together on Road To Perdition, and will work with One Hour Photo director Mark Romanek in the mystery... Read more

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Rating breakdown

599 Member ratings
  • 100
67
  • 90
47
  • 80
137
  • 70
114
  • 60
119
  • 50
48
  • 40
27
  • 30
16
  • 20
15
  • 10
9