Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Whole Town's Talking (1935)
Director: John Ford
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A brisk, snappy comedy with Robinson in a double role: as the timid, dependable clerk Jones, and the notorious gangster, Killer Mannion. An accountant with a cat he calls Abelard and a canary named Heloise, Jones dreams of exotic places and his spunky colleague Miss Clark (Arthur). It is only after he has been mistaken for his doppelgänger (who then 'borrows' the special ID card issued to the clerk by the police to avoid similar errors in the future) that Jones finds the courage of his convictions. Adapted from a WR Burnett story by Frank Capra's regular collaborators Robert Riskin and Jo Swerling, this low budget comedy sneaked past the Hays Office ban on gangster movies, but proved so popular that the genre was immediately revived. Ford may parody the conventions of the crime film, but his picture is as subversive as any Little Caesar: when the worm turns, it might as well be on his boss or on the police as on the hoods who have kidnapped his precious Miss Clark.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: John Ford
Producer: Lester Cowan
Cast: Edward G Robinson, Jean Arthur, Wallace Ford, Arthur Hohl, Edward Brophy, Arthur Byron, Donald Meek full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 95 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Jackson's This Is It: review
Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'
Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her
How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life
Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now