The Talk of the Town

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The Talk of the Town

1942

1h 58m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

89%

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18 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant), who was wrongfully convicted of arson, manages to escape from prison. While on the lam, he finds the home of Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), an old friend from school for whom he harbors a secret affection. Nora believes in Dilg's innocence and lets him pose as her landscaper; meanwhile, Professor Lightcap (Ronald Colman), a legal expert, has just begun renting a room in Nora's home. Lightcap, like Dilg, also has eyes for Nora, leading to a series of comic misadventures.

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Tom Milne

Time Out

An attractive serio-comic tale of civic corruption.

Jun 24, 2006

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

It may be off beam in its philosophy, but its quality of humor is not strained.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 25, 2006

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Overblown, too long, and not nearly as much fun as it's cracked up to be.

Jan 1, 2000

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A seriocomedy in which laughs and legalities easily commingle.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 5, 2025

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Three's a crowd in The Talk of the Town and the laughs are a plenty.

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 17, 2024

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

The rhythm is irregular, but the drama and comedy are very well balanced. In the plot there is humor, surprises, very nice characters and a delicate love triangle that works properly. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Jul 15, 2020

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Ed .

If two's company, is three the talk of the town? No, not until you're finally caught. I think Cary Grant demonstrates in this film the least amount of sex appeal and attraction of all the many films he has starred. He's still the Man, it's just lesser in magnitude. Edgar Buchannan shows the most sex appeal in his career outside of Petticoat Junction, but that doesn't say all that much. The plot and scenes involving the real perp are the weakest parts of this movie. These are outweighed by the scenes where all three principals interact. Grant makes quite a forward acting gardener! Jean Arthur would get poor AirBnB reviews but is a supremely likeable actress.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

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Allen T

This movie is an all time classic! I love George Steven films. Jean Arthur, Cary Grant and Ronald Colman deliver.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/04/24

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Audience Member

Very good movie James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas June 27, 2023

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/28/23

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Audience Member

Excellent film with a great cast and direction. Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Coleman. A story about a town coming to the defense of a man who is not guilty of a crime

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/06/22

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Audience Member

The movie is disjointed and very dated.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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william d

Nice comedy-drama, a much better film than the more famous Grant/Arthur collaboration Only Angels Have Wings.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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George Stevens

Director

Cary Grant

Leopold Dilg

Jean Arthur

Miss Nora Shelley

Ronald Colman

Professor Michael Lightcap

Edgar Buchanan

Sam Yates

Glenda Farrell

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Synopsis

Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant), who was wrongfully convicted of arson, manages to escape from prison. While on the lam, he finds the home of Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), an old friend from school for whom he harbors a secret affection. Nora believes in Dilg's innocence and lets him pose as her landscaper; meanwhile, Professor Lightcap (Ronald Colman), a legal expert, has just begun renting a room in Nora's home. Lightcap, like Dilg, also has eyes for Nora, leading to a series of comic misadventures.

Director: George Stevens
Producer: George Stevens
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 27, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 58m

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