The Whole Town's Talking

John Ford seems an unlikely choice to direct a screwball comedy starring EDWARD G. ROBINSON in a good guy/bad guy dual role as a meek accountant who is mistaken by the public (and the police) for hardened criminal Killer Mannion. Robinson is great in both roles, timid and ineffectual as the meek clerk (Edward Jones) and rough and tough as the crime boss. The scenes between the two Robinsons are extremely well handled for such an early flick. DONALD MEEK has an enjoyable supporting role as a restaurant patron who spots innocent Robinson at a nearby table and reports the find to the police, hoping to get the award money for Killer Mannion's capture. JEAN ARTHUR is the bouncy office co-worker who becomes friends with Robinson and has a scary encounter with Killer Mannion, after which she tips off the police as to his whereabouts. There are plot turns involving Killer Mannion switching places with clerk Jonesy in order to manage the prison killing of another thug (EDWARD BROPHY). When Robinson's own criminal gang mistakes him for Jonesy in the final sequence, it makes way for a happy ending. And speaking of happy endings, the last scene has Robinson, Arthur, his pet canary and black cat all steamship bound for Shanghai. Cozy, eh? Nicely paced comedy/drama still works thanks to the expert direction and fun performances from JEAN ARTHUR, EDW. G. ROBINSON and especially DONALD MEEK, who gets his monetary reward too before the final credits. Trivia note: Interesting to note that the story is based on something by W.R. Burnett (he wrote "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"). Doesn't seem like his type of material.

****SPOILERS****** A good movie with a reasonably fun "genius" (writer Burnett's term for gimmicks, of which his films are full) -- Robinson is a clerk in the city who's mistaken for the hoodlum he strongly resembles. The mistake is straightened out and even seems to be working out to his advantage -- he's been given the chance to write a series of articles and he's impressed the girl of his dreams (Arthur, charming as always) -- but then the real hood (Robinson, relishing the opportunities of the dual role) appears to take advantage of the situation. Unconvincing plot barely holds up for the running time, but the stars shine and the pace and photography are good.

source: The Whole Town's Talking

John Ford directed this 1935 comedy. Edward G. Robinson has an absolute field-day in a double role portraying a plain, introverted office worker who is mistaken for a major gangster. The fun begins when the gangster breaks out of jail and the usually hilarious Donald Meek identifies our poor worker. Jean Arthur co-stars as a fellow office worker. The confusion goes on and on with the gangster taking refuge at our worker's apartment. The latter has to get a letter from the police to hold onto so that he is not arrested. Later, he is taken in protective custody only to have the real thief take his place so that the latter can knock off someone in jail who has bad-mouthed him. The ending certainly shows that crime does not pay.

Edward G. Robinson acted two roles in this movie and did a great job with both of them. He played the meek clerk and the tough gangster equally well. This is a comedy, so one expects a happy ending; still, I couldn't tell how the plot was going to turn to make this work out well. Even ten minutes before the end I was still wondering. This comedy is very well worth seeing for the acting by Robinson, the great character actors, and Jean Arthur in the role that Katz' Film Encyclopedia says was the first to show that she had comedic range. The film is directed by John Ford, and is rather uncharacteristic of the type of film he usually did.

One really wants to say that this is a good movie. It has the ingredients of many a classic of that era: fantastic leads, Jean Arthur and Edward G. Robinson; a great director, John Ford; and the studio, Columbia, that produced "It Happened One Night." Arthur is more gorgeous than she's ever been onscreen. The plot: a Walter-Mitty type is mistaken for ruthless Public Enemy Number One, and, in the ensuing melee, finds his own courage and wins the girl of his dreams. Alas, the movie never really comes together. Its scenes of Robinson being mistaken for a criminal are too tense and poignant for comedy. One thinks of Romanian immigrant Robinson's experiences of anti-Semitism and his persecution at the hands of the HUAC. But, the movie doesn't have the chops to fully honor its doppleganger plot. There are some sweet moments when short, dog-faced Robinson presents a worthy partner to the gorgeous young Arthur, but the movie doesn't really run with those moments as it might. And ... its pacing is off and it's just not that funny. Alas.

In 1933 Edward G. Robinson had finally essayed a comedy, THE LITTLE GIANT, with passable results. There he tackled the plot of a former racketeer discovering how unworthy the leaders of "good" society could actually be. The same type of a plot would be used again in Robinson's A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER. But in 1935 Robinson was able to tackle a variant on gangster comedy. It was closer to Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, as he played good guy wimp Arthur "Jonesy" Jones and public enemy # 1 Killer Mannion. Identical twins, they find they are drawn together by a physical chance. Mannion discovers that Jones looks so like him that he might be able to avoid police surveillance by switching places with Jones (who, for safety sake, won't try to stop him). Jones finds his job at jeopardy, his safety at jeopardy, and his girl friend "Bill" (Jean Arthur) possibly at jeopardy. There are some choice moments in the film - Ed Brophy, as the chief witness against Mannion, wandering away to his doom accompanied by "Jonesy" (or was it "Jonesy"), and the antics of two particularly dull comic cops (James Donlon and - surprisingly bright in the role - Arthur Hohl). Robinson as patsy and fiend is equally effective, particularly as Mannion decides the time has come to get rid of his harmless doppelganger and take over his place in the world. But will he succeed...or will "Jonesy's" ineptitude and timidity upset his plans. The director of the film was John Ford - it was his first film with either Robinson (who only showed up again in a supporting part in CHEYENNE AUTUMN)and his only one with Arthur. As such it reminds us of his film ARROWSMITH, which was his only film with Ronald Colman and Helen Hayes. In both cases he did well with his stars, and one wishes he had tried a second major film with Robinson, Arthur, Colman, and Hayes later on. But at least he did make these two films.

This movie is (correctly enough) billed as a "crime comedy" but that tone is not entirely maintained throughout the film, and to good effect. For one thing, Robinson (as "Jonesy") emanates a very palpable feeling of repression and yearning for a more romantic existence throughout the film, and this is underscored by his poetic ambitions, and the fact he named his cat "Abelard" for just two examples. But the most powerfully emotional scene in the film - and the one which most breaks the comedy constriction - is when Mannion is finally gunned down by his own men, entirely at "Jonesy's" direction. It is not a moment which is let off with comedic ease, and this is marvelously portrayed in a fleeting closeup of Robinson (as "Jonesy") as the gangs carts Mannion off to another room - the camera cuts away to a shot of "Jonesy's" face, and what one sees there (underscored by an anguished bark) is a true second of real anguish and guilt over what he has just be responsible for. Although Mannion was a murderer (and this "crime" of "Jonesy's" is partly in response to his discovering Mannion was trying to gt him killed), the murder is not tossed off without emotional undertones of true anxiety. It is a great sequence, possibly entirely a matter of Robinson's skill and feel for the character. The comedic moments go down easy, Jean Arthur is at her tough girl best, and the film abounds with the "usual suspects" of Hollywood character actors. It is well worth viewing as a light farce. But - for this viewer - that one quick brush with actual internal pain somehow puts the rest of the film in a briefly glimpsed and different universe of real human morality. If for no other reason, (and there are many) that one tiny moment makes this film highly recommendable.

Whole Town's Talking, The (1935) *** (out of 4) A timid, shy and all around weak store clerk (Edward G. Robinson) gets mistaken for a harden gangster (Robinson) but his new fame allows him to store writing a column in a newspaper about how gangster are weak without their guns. Soon the gangster shows up wanting more than just a little help. As a comedy this movie is a real masterpiece but as a drama, the final thirty-minutes or so really bring down a lot of the great moments. While watching this Columbia movie you can't help but wonder if this was originally meant to be directed by Frank Capra as it has his screenwriters and the small town story certainly seems like something you'd get from a Capra and not someone like Ford. To his credit, Ford does a great job with the comedy and really delivers one of the funniest movies of the 1930's. The problem happens in the third act when it really turns to too much of a gangster film and the laughs are pretty much forgotten. What holds both sides together is the terrific performance by Robinson. The way he plays the timid clerk is just downright hilarious and this includes a masterfully acted interrogation sequence where Robinson is nearly brought to tears because he's so scared. Seeing a tough guy like Robinson acting scared was just hilarious and one actually starts to feel sorry for the guy because it appears he's about to die. Robinson is also great in his second role as the gangster as he's as tough as ever and does manage to come off quite demanding and threatening. Jean Arthur is wonderful as well and adds many great comic scenes including her own interrogation where she keeps admitting to crimes that she has nothing to do with or even knows about. Arthur Hohl, Arthur Byron, Wallace Ford and Donald Meek round out the supporting cast. You can even see Joe Sawyer playing one of Robinson's goons. Again, I didn't care for the final act of the film as the comedy starts to not happen but that doesn't take away from everything at the start of the movie. Robinson has never gotten the credit he deserves as an actual actor, which is a real shame but this film allows for both sides of him to be highlighted and to great effect.

Soooo disappointing.I expected The Whole Town's Talking to be way better than what it was.It seemed like when something finally happens, the movie's almost over.I really had my hopes set high for this 1.When it was over, it was over.I didn't feel a thing.It wasn't Yay that was a great movie or even I'm so glad that's over, I just felt numb.When I 1st heard about The Whole Town's Talking which was a long time ago, I knew I just had to see it.After all this time I finally had a chance to watch it.I knew what time it was coming on & did everything I could to make sure I didn't miss it, only to be disappointed.I nodded off 3-4 times but kept myself awake.After watching this movie I should've just let myself fall asleep.Skip The Whole Town's talking & go see Larceny, Inc. It's WAY better & I promise, you won't be disappointed (Man, writing this review has been a struggle)