| 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 | |
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 ... Written by Huggo
George Stevens had the ability to make truly memorable films out of lightweight material. "The Talk of the Town" and "The More the Merrier (1943)" were two early-40s projects that teamed Stevens up with the adorable Jean Arthur. Both would probably have been forgettable pseudo-comedies had Stevens not directed them with such a sure hand.
"Town" is a sort of strange hybrid--part screwball comedy, part political activist film. Its screenplay could probably be a little tidier, but I'm not going to complain, because I loved this movie. Cary Grant and Arthur were a terrific match for one another, and Ronald Colman makes a perfect straight man for the both of them. He plays a stuffy professor staying in Arthur's country home while he devotes himself to work. Grant shows up on the lamb for some political activism that got him in trouble, and the movie is devoted to Arthur's and Grant's antics as they first try to hide Grant's identity from Colman and then try to enlist Colman in their populist cause.
This is a great and not especially well known film from the war years. Set aside some time to enjoy it and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Grade: A