Magic Town

1947

Magic Town

Critics Consensus

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50%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 6

32%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 99
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Magic Town Photos

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Movie Info

With Robert Riskin as screenwriter, director William Wellman proved in Magic Town that it was possible to make a Frank Capra-esque picture without Capra himself at the helm. James Stewart plays Rip Smith, a cynical pollster who comes across a small American town named Grandview, which represents a "perfect" balance of ethnic types, professions, political beliefs, and personal opinions (a parody of the then-current "Middletown" study). Smith publicizes this discovery, leading to a barrage of media attention and an onslaught of get-rich-quick entrepreneurs. Not surprisingly, all of this has an adverse effect on the heretofore "average" citizens of Grandview; it also seriously threatens Smith's blossoming romance with local girl Mary Peterman (Jane Wyman), who feels that her friends and neighbors are being used, exploited, and in some cases, corrupted. The satirical thrust of the film bogs down into sentimentality toward the end, but it's fun while it lasts. One of the colorful supporting characters is played by screwball-comedy favorite Donald Meek, who died during production, necessitating a number of hasty and not altogether successful rewrites. Though it pleases audiences today, Magic Town was a financial disappointment in 1947, prompting James Stewart to seek out "tougher" and more challenging roles to restore his box-office appeal.

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Cast

James Stewart
as Rip Smith
Jane Wyman
as Mary Peterman
Kent Smith
as Hoopendecker
Wallace Ford
as Lou Dicketts
Ned Sparks
as Ike Sloan
Regis Toomey
as Ed Weaver
Ann Doran
as Mrs. Weaver
Donald Meek
as Mr. Twiddle
E.J. Ballantine
as Moody
Ann Shoemaker
as Ma Peterman
Mickey Kuhn
as Hank Nickleby
Howard Freeman
as Richard Nickleby
Harry Holman
as Mayor
Mickey Roth
as Bob Peterman
Mary Currier
as Mrs. Frisby
George Irving
as Sen. Wilton
Selmer Jackson
as Charlie Stringer
Robert Dudley
as Dickey
Julia Dean
as Mrs. Wilton
Joel Friedkin
as Dingle
Paul Scardon
as Hodges
George Chandler
as Bus Driver
Frank Darien
as Quincy
Larry Wheat
as Sam Fuller
Jimmy Crane
as Shorty
Richard Belding
as Junior Dicketts
Danny Mummert
as Benny
Griff Barnett
as Henry
Edna Holland
as Secretary
Eddie Parks
as Bookkeeper
Selmar Jackson
as Charlie Stringer
Paul Maxey
as Fat Man in Hallway
Lee "Lasses" White
as Old Timer
'Snub' Pollard
as Townsman
Wheaton Chambers
as Electrician
Edgar Dearing
as Gray-haired Man
Emmett Vogan
as Reverend
Lawrence Wheat
as Sam Fuller
Eddy Waller
as Newcomer
Frank Fenton
as Birch
Garry Owen
as Man Smoking Offensive Cigar
William Haade
as Moving Man
Dick Wessel
as Moving Man
John Ince
as Postman
Dick Elliott
as New Arrival
Lee Phelps
as City Council Member
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Critic Reviews for Magic Town

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Audience Reviews for Magic Town

  • Nov 18, 2010
    Great cast giving excellent performances, fine director. script written by a top flight screenwriter but something is missing and this falls rather flat. Jane Wyman is very good indeed.
    jay n Super Reviewer
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