The Talk of the Town (1942)

Directed by George Stevens. Starring Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Cary Grant, Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell, Rex Ingram, Emma Dunn, Charles Dingle.

Grant plays a political activist accused of arson and anarchy who escapes from custody and hides in the attic of old friend Arthur, but she’s rented out the house for the season to a law professor (Colman) whose ethics would insist that the fugitive turn himself in if discovered. Legal debates and a chaste love triangle stir the pot of this social justice seriocomedy; screwball elements are muted by sobriety and condescension. None of the three stars are at the top of their respective games, but they’re also the sort who rarely disappoint, so the agreeable dedication to their roles and destinations maintains a polished if unenthusiastic vibe (Grant’s early scenes find him testing out a grimy, almost churlish demeanor, but that evaporates to make way for his stock-trade debonair charm before long). Fluff tends to coagulate under director Stevens’ touch, and this one’s no exception. Original script by Sidney Buchman, Irwin Shaw, and Dale Van Every, from a screen story by Sidney Harmon. Look for Lloyd Bridges in a brief, uncredited appearance.

67/100