...generally an amiable little comedy that benefits greatly from the charisma of its two leads.
The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted: 8
Fresh: 8
Rotten:0
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Synopsis: Although John Ford's films often included comic elements, he made few that were pure comedies--THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING, starring Edward G. Robinson as obsequious hardware-store clerk Arthur Jones, is one of them. A man of almost... Although John Ford's films often included comic elements, he made few that were pure comedies--THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING, starring Edward G. Robinson as obsequious hardware-store clerk Arthur Jones, is one of them. A man of almost appallingly regular habits, Arthur hasn't been late for work in years. Although he has a long-standing crush on his lively coworker Wilhelmina "Bill" Clark (Jean Arthur), he's unable to tell her how he feels. While he's having lunch one day, he's arrested by police who mistake him for mob boss Killer Manion. After his employer clears him, the police give Arthur a pass identifying him as the non-Killer. As a gimmick, a newspaper hires the clerk to write a series of articles speculating about his unruly doppelgänger. The gangster reads the piece, learns about the pass, and realizes how convenient such a document could be. He pays the terrified Arthur a visit, extracting the pass and insisting the newspaper series be devoted to his past exploits before departing for a night of the usual mayhem. Robinson's career received a huge boost from this deliciously humorous film, which toys amusingly with his gangster iconography. Not all is comic, however, as Ford filters the Victorian Jekyll-and-Hyde notion of a split self into his narrative to suggest Jones's evil twin corresponds to the darker corridors of the meek clerk's unconscious mind. [More]
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Jean Arthur, James Donlan, Arthur Hohl
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Jean Arthur, James Donlan, Arthur Hohl, Arthur Byron, Wallace Ford, Donald Meek, Etienne Girardot, Edward Brophy, Paul Harvey, Lucille Ball
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
Screenwriter: Jo Swerling, Robert Riskin
Story: W. R. Burnett
Producer: Lester Cowan
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Whole Town's Talking
Related Forums for The Whole Town's Talking
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| Tropic Thunder | |
| WALL-E | |
| Kung Fu Panda | |
| Hellboy II: The Golden… | |
| Get Smart |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| Wanted | |
| Chronicles of Narnia: … | |
| Step Brothers | |
| The X-Files: I Want to Believe | |
| The Longshots |
What’s Hot On RT
Around The Network
- The Whole Town's Talking at Rotten Tomatoes


Top Critic


