The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
Edward G. Robinson is just as cute as it gets in The Whole Town’s Talking. He plays a double role, softening audiences who had lived in fear of him for the past four years. After Little Caesar, fans believed he was an actual gangster! In this adorable comedy, he plays a bespectacled and overlooked accountant in a large company. He has a secret crush on his brash coworker Jean Arthur, but she’s not interested in someone who is so boring and steadfast. When the headlines capture a photo of a famous bank robber, Jean notices the resemblance between him and Eddie G. It’s all good for a laugh, but while on his lunch break, a restaurant patron Donald Meek mistakes him for the criminal and calls the police. Eddie G is arrested, questioned for hours, and thrown in jail.
The Whole Town’s Talking is so adorable, with exception to Jean Arthur. Had it been another woman in the lead, like Myrna Loy, Joan Blondell, or Ginger Rogers, the movie would have been absolutely top-notch. Thankfully, it’s Eddie G who has a double part, not Jean, so we are spared as much of her as possible. The rest of the movie is heartwarming, funny, and sweet. I love seeing Eddie G in the parts of the snarling “Little Caesar” gangster and the innocent victim. As the crook, he gets to make fun of his established screen image, and as the accountant, he gets to show audiences that he’s really nothing to be afraid of.
My favorite part has to be his entrance scene. He wakes up in his studio apartment, feeds his bird and his cat, opens the window curtains and breathes in the fresh air. “Oh, the world owes me a living. . .” he sings as he does his exercises. If I’m ever blue, I’ll just replay that clip in my head and get a big smile on my face. He’s such a doll! In another fabulous comedic scene, Eddie G gets drunk with his boss. He doesn’t usually touch alcohol, so it hits him hard. Staggering out of the office, he gets the courage to approach Jean and plant a big kiss on her lips – who would have thought he had it in him?
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When the reporters corner him, the flashbulbs are overwhelming and he (and the camera) get dizzy for a few seconds. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Edward G. Robinson movies here!
The Whole Town’s Talking is so adorable, with exception to Jean Arthur. Had it been another woman in the lead, like Myrna Loy, Joan Blondell, or Ginger Rogers, the movie would have been absolutely top-notch. Thankfully, it’s Eddie G who has a double part, not Jean, so we are spared as much of her as possible. The rest of the movie is heartwarming, funny, and sweet. I love seeing Eddie G in the parts of the snarling “Little Caesar” gangster and the innocent victim. As the crook, he gets to make fun of his established screen image, and as the accountant, he gets to show audiences that he’s really nothing to be afraid of.
My favorite part has to be his entrance scene. He wakes up in his studio apartment, feeds his bird and his cat, opens the window curtains and breathes in the fresh air. “Oh, the world owes me a living. . .” he sings as he does his exercises. If I’m ever blue, I’ll just replay that clip in my head and get a big smile on my face. He’s such a doll! In another fabulous comedic scene, Eddie G gets drunk with his boss. He doesn’t usually touch alcohol, so it hits him hard. Staggering out of the office, he gets the courage to approach Jean and plant a big kiss on her lips – who would have thought he had it in him?
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When the reporters corner him, the flashbulbs are overwhelming and he (and the camera) get dizzy for a few seconds. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Edward G. Robinson movies here!