I enjoyed the first of my two days off earlier this morning with a look at Talk of the Town (1942), the classic George Stevens (no, not the Kingfish) comedy starring Ronald Colman, Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. I must confess at this particular point in time that I have quite a thing for the lovely and luminous Jean; she’s one of my very favorite classic movie actresses—and I think she might have been one of Stevens’ faves, too, having starred in his The More the Merrier (1943) and Shane (1953—her last feature film).

In Talk of the Town, Cary plays Leopold Dilg, a nonconformist malcontent who’s accused of burning down a local factory owned by political boss Andrew Holmes (Charles Dingle)—which also results in the death of the factory's foreman. The judge (George Watts) hearing Dilg’s case is Holmes’ puppet, and since Leopold hasn’t a Chinaman’s chance of getting a fair trial he crashes out of jail and winds up seeking refuge at the home of friend Nora Shelley (Arthur). Nora is preparing the house for visiting Professor Michael Lightcap (Colman), a renowned law professor, who’s on a working vacation—but he’s also been tapped as the next Supreme Court nominee. Nora has her hands full trying to keep fugitive Dilg out of sight and trying to “thaw” the stuffy prig Lightcap, making him more of a human being.

My fellow film buffs and I have often gone back-and-forth as to which is the superior Stevens comedy: The More the Merrier or Talk of the Town. I lean toward Town, myself; I think the screenplay (by Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman) is first-rate and Stevens’ direction is swift and self-assured. I’m also a fan of politically-themed movies, so that gives Town an additional edge; the best moments in the film are Colman and Grant’s verbal sparring over the fine points and nuances of the law. But ultimately, it’s Arthur who wins me over (love that chirpy voice!); particularly the scene in which she admires herself in front of a mirror (and does a funny Kate Hepburn impression) or frantically tries to keep Colman from seeing Grant’s mug on the front page of the paper. Town also has one of my all-time favorite quotable movie lines, spoken by lawyer Edgar Buchanan about Leopold: “He’s the only honest man I’ve come across in this town in twenty years…naturally, they want to hang him.” A strong supporting cast of accomplished acting pros is on hand as well, including Glenda Farrell, Emma Dunn and Rex Ingram—and you can also spot Lloyd Bridges, Robert Walker and Billy “Whitey” Benedict of the Bowery Boys in small parts, too.

The DVD—rented from the fine folks at Netflix—is pretty bare bones stuff; the only extras are a handful of trailers, and those are, oddly enough, for other Columbia/Sony releases. I can understand why His Girl Friday (1940) is included (another Grant film, natch) and Seems Like Old Times (1980; a “remake,” of sorts, starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase)—but as to the third, I Dreamed of Africa (2000)…well, your guess is as good as mine.
9:16:16 PM    comment []  trackback []  

We lose another one…

One of filmdom’s greatest composer, Elmer Bernstein, has passed away at 82. His list of accomplishments is extraordinary, but for me he will always be remembered for his unforgettable jazz score for The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) and of course, The Magnificent Seven (1960).

R.I.P., Mr. B. You will be missed.
11:13:40 AM    comment []  trackback []