Themes: Twins and Lookalikes, Miscarriage of Justice, Mistaken Identities
Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Edward G. Robinson, Jean Arthur, Wallace Ford, Arthur Hohl, Arthur Byron, Donald Meek
Release Year: 1935
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
The film that revived Edward G. Robinson's career after a string of flops, along with A Slight Case of Murder (1938), it was one of the few comedies on his lengthy list of credits. The gangster-comedy was unusual in the composition of its writing staff, which included frequent Frank Capra collaborators Robert Riskin and Jo Swerling, as well as tough-guy scribe W.R. Burnett, who wrote Little Caesar (1931) and High Sierra (1941). The plot centers on the confusion surrounding the uncanny resemblance of a mild-mannered advertising clerk, Arthur Jones (Robinson), to escaped convict "Killer" Mannion. After the police mistakenly arrest the clerk, they give him a passport to avoid repeating the error. As a novelty, newspaper man Healy (Wallace Ford) hires the clerk, an aspiring writer, to do a series on his impressions of Mannion. But later, the convict appears at Jones' apartment and demands the passport for his own protection, threatening the fearful clerk if he reveals anything about his visit. The criminal also orders Jones to write the series of articles based on his reminiscences, which alerts the police that something strange is going on. Although the district attorney finally places Jones in jail under protective custody, for his safety, Mannion switches places with him in order to kill another inmate. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Review
Considering the heavy-handed horseplay that Ford often included in his films as comic relief, the deftness of his touch in this masterful farce comes as something of a surprise. The old story of the worm turning is framed in the familiar form of the repressed character and his doppelganger, the evil twin. Ford directs and cuts the scenes with uncharacteristic rapidity, seeming to enjoy playing off the meek clerk against the anarchic gangster. One of the director's very few films set in a city, while not quite reaching for the expressionism of Vidor's The Crowd (1928), Ford nevertheless conveys a palpable sense of the oppressiveness of the workplace. Clearly, the villain here is not the gangster but a system which treats those trapped in its workings with contempt. He even goes so far as to visually rhyme the uniformity of the workers at their desks with the grim lines of hundreds of prisoners in uniform. Duty and conscience, often the director's themes, become slavery under these conditions. Mannion becomes a metaphor for Jones' need to escape. Robinson gives one of the best performances of his career in this little-known film, playing both parts with a subtlety that implied he understood Ford's intention perfectly. The inimitable Jean Arthur is wonderful, as always, as the co-worker the clerk is too shy to approach. Film historian and critic Jean Mitry described the film as "...wonderfully cut and mounted, supercharged, taut like a spring, it is a work of total perfection in its genre." ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
The Whole Town's Talking (released in the UK as Passport to Fame) is a 1935comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson as a law-abiding man who bears a striking resemblance to a killer, with Jean Arthur as his love interest. It was directed by John Ford from a screenplay by Jo Swerling and Robert Riskin based on a story by W.R. Burnett originally published in Collier's in August 1932.[1] Burnett was also the author of the source material for Robinson's screen break-through, Little Caesar.[2]
Arthur Ferguson Jones (Edward G. Robinson) and Wilhelmina Clark (Jean Arthur) work at the same accounting firm. Jones turns out to look exactly like the notorious bank robber "Killer" Mannion (also Robinson) and is apprehended by the police.
After his true identity is confirmed, the district attorney gives Jones a letter identifying him, so that he can avoid the same trouble in future. Jones becomes a local celebrity and, at the behest of his boss (Wallace Ford), begins ghost-writing Mannion's "autobiography", with good-natured but street-wise Wilhelmina voluntarily acting as his "talent agent" to see that he gets paid.
Mannion decides to take advantage of his mild-mannered doppelgänger and, ultimately, leaving Jones "holding the bag" for Mannion's crimes. He kidnaps Wilhelmina, Jones' visiting aunt, and a few others, and takes them back to his hideout. He instructs Jones to make a large deposit for Mannion's mother's benefit at the First National Bank, where police detectives are expecting Mannion to make another robbery attempt. Fortunately for Jones, he forgets to bring the check and unwittingly leads the police back to Mannion's hideout.
Upon his arrival, Jones is mistaken for Mannion by the waiting henchmen and quickly realizes that he is meant to be the fall guy. When Mannion returns unexpectedly, Jones orders the men to shoot Mannion. The police arrive in time to capture the rest of the gang. With Mannion dead, Jones collects a reward and takes a long-desired cruise to Shanghai with Wilhelmina.
James Donlan as Detective Sergeant Patrick J. Howe
Cast notes
In his autobiography, All My Yesterdays, Edward G. Robinson wrote about Jean Arthur: "She was whimsical without being silly, unique without being nutty, a theatrical personality who was an untheatrical person. She was a delight to work with and to know."[2]
Lucille Ball has a small uncredited part as a bank employee, and Francis Ford, director John Ford's older brother, appears as a newspaper reporter at the dock.
Production
The Whole Town's Talking – which had the working titles of "Jail Breaker" and "Passport to Fame".[3] – was in production from October 24 to December 11 1934.[4] The film incorporated some footage originally shot for Columbia's 1931 film The Criminal Code.[5]
Columbia Pictures borrowed Edward G. Robinson for this film from Warner Bros. – Robinson heard about the transactions through gossip columnist Louella Parsons.[2] At the time Robinson's career was somewhat moribund and the star was tired of playing only gangsters. He was initially opposed to the project, but become convinced after reading the script.[2] In retrospect The Whole Town's Talking has been seen as a turning point for Robinson, reviving his cinematic fortunes.[5][2] Along with 1938's A Slight Case of Murder, it was one of the few comedies Robinson made.[6]
W.R. Burnett, who wrote the story that The Whole Town's Talking was based on, also wrote Little Caesar, which was the film that catapulted Robinson to stardom, and High Sierra, the film of which was a significant step for Humphrey Bogart in moving from playing gangsters to romantic lead.[6]
Response
Film critic and historian Jean Mitry said of the film that it is "...wonderfully cut and mounted, supercharged, taut like a spring, it is a work of total perfection in its genre" and Michael Costello of All Movie Guide wrote that "Ford directs and cuts the scenes with uncharacteristic rapidity, seeming to enjoy playing off the meek clerk against the anarchic gangster."[7]
