User Reviews

This is a perfect example of Jimmy Stewart saving yet another movie. Many of his films would have been terrible if someone else were cast in his role, but his presence is enough to make them worth watching. In "Magic Town" pretty much all of the rest of the cast is mediocre, the plot is fragile, and the script is just OK, but Stewart saves the day with his brilliant handling of dialogue and charming display of wit. His performance alone saves the entire film from failing, and makes it all very enjoyable. This movie is classic Jimmy Stewart. He is terrific, showing his ability to seamlessly mix comedy with drama. One brilliant comedic moment occurs when Stewart and Wyman try to out-do each other in quoting poetry, with her rendition of "Hiawatha" being drowned out by his shouting of "The Charge of the Light Brigade." A startled janitor sees them and begins quoting Shakespeare, creating a chaotic moment of hilarity. Unfortunately, the latter half of the film takes the focus off of Stewart and places it on the female lead (Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan's first wife) and her situation. This leads to the film lagging a bit toward the end. If only the director had realized that Jimmy Stewart is to films as a star quarterback is to his football team; the more playing time he receives, the better the outcome. Still an enjoyable, charming way to spend an hour and a half.

Robert Riskin wrote some of Frank Capra's best films (including a Best Screenplay Oscar for It Happened One Night) and famously marched into Capra's office with an unopened ream of typing paper, threw it on the desk and said 'Let's see you put the Capra 'touch' on that' and this post-war Riskin screenplay is nothing if not a Capra thirties comedy set in the forties. Whilst it is always highly watchable it is also forgettable because 1) it's a thirties-type movie set in the forties, 2) although James Stewart was completely at home with Capracorn Jane Wyman wasn't; light years away from the gossamer touch of Jean Arthur she excelled in melodramatic weepies like Johnny Belinda and The Blue Veil and 3) William Wellman is not the best director to replicate a Capra movie. That being said it is, I repeat, highly watchable even if the chemistry between Stewart and Wyman is only marginally warmer than that between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Perhaps the best way to put it is that Grandview more than rates an E for Effort but can't quite equal Bedford Falls.

"Magic Town" is a nice little comedy/drama and the second picture that James Stewart made after World War II, his first picture being the classic "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). In "Magic Town," Stewart portrays Lawrence "Rip" Smith, a slick, big-city opinion pollster in search of a "mathematical miracle": a small town whose opinions (and subsequent numerical figures) reflect those of the country as a whole. When he finds out that Grandview is one such place, he seizes his opportunity to make a fast buck and heads off to this "perfect town," all the while posing as an insurance agent...and coaching the high school basketball team on the side. All goes well until Rip's love interest, newspaper editor Mary Peterman (Jane Wyman), finds out what he's up to.

Here are my favorite moments from "Magic Town." The dance at the town meeting hall is briefly interrupted by a congregational singing of the best high school alma mater I have ever heard, titled "My Book of Memory." Rip butts in on a conference held by the mayor (Harry Holman) and convinces him and his committee not to change the town; if it weren't for the fact that Rip is a smooth-talking con man putting on a facade for the mayor and his committee, he otherwise appears as the quintessential boyish, drawling, folksy, innocent, idealistic, all-American Jimmy Stewart. The kind-faced Lou Dicketts (Wallace Ford) is one of the funnier characters in the picture because practically every sentence he speaks contains the word "whatchacallit." Rip boldly recites "Charge of the Light Brigade" against Mary's more subdued "Hiawatha." And finally, author Gary Fishgall, who wrote the finest biography of James Stewart I have ever read, pointed out that Stewart had decided to pepper up his characterization with exaggerated facial expressions (as when Rip recites his "goblins will get you" poem, or when he looks at Mary after she points out her graduation photo) and pieces of slapstick (as when Rip clumsily helps a kid stand on his shoulders to retrieve a basketball up a tree, or when Rip trips over some stairs when he mentions he can be tough). Stewart, in fact, may have been influenced by the Three Stooges in this film, as Rip utters such catchphrases as "Wise guy, huh?" and "What kind of a lamebrain do you think I am?"

There are probably many who believe that "Magic Town" was not the right vehicle for James Stewart. One critic at the time even asked how much longer he would have to sit and watch this "beanpole" (Stewart) hemming and hawing. True, Stewart's career was in a slump in the late 1940s, but he didn't have to worry for long. He decided to toughen up his screen image, and his status in the motion picture industry soared!

Directed by William Wyler, this is a light comedy and drama about the quest for taking accurate polls that involves only a small defined population as being an accurate representative of the whole country. The trick is to find that localized population, and hope it stays that way for some years. Thus, it should ideally be conservative in its growth and change in demographics, or so Jimmy Stewart's character thought.

It has its comedic moments, such as the chaotic time when it becomes the destination for many outsiders, who want to move there or give their opinions there. The ups and downs in the relationship between Jimmy Stewart, as the chief pollster and Jane Wyman, head of the movement to make Grandview grow, is amusing. But, to me, the funniest bit is the informal competition between Stewart and Jane in reciting "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (Stewart), and "The Song of Hiawatha"(Jane), simultaneously, to each other. That took some talent!

The Middletown sociological study which inspired this screenplay was conducted during the 1920s and '30s, by Robert and Helen Lynd. They searched for and found a town with demographics for the Caucasian residents only, similar to the mean for the US as a whole. About 5% of the population was African Americans, who were excluded. It appears that the study in this screenplay also excluded African Americans, Latinos and Asians, as none were seen among the residents or visitors. Thus, neither the original study nor the polls taken in this screenplay necessarily provided an accurate sample of Americans as a whole. This is even more true today, when African Americans, Latinos and Asians make up about 35% of the population.

The 2016 presidential election showed that the great divide between small town plus rural areas, on the one hand, and large cities plus their large suburbs, on the other, was the most significant factor in determining whether Republicans or Democrats carried a region or state. Thus, to conduct a reasonably accurate poll on the presidential candidates would require a minimum of inclusion of representatives of these two populations in their proportion in the US as a whole. Also, in the case of presidential elections, one would have to estimate the number of probable voters in each of these categories for each state, because the number of electors/voters is slightly greater for small population states than for large ones. Thus, although Hilary Clinton won the overall popular vote by a very slim margin, Donald Trump won the electoral vote by a substantial margin, partly because the Democrat votes were more concentrated in the big population states, especially California.

Interestingly, after the town people realized that their opinions were being tracked as representative of an ideal town for taking polls, they were asked whether they thought a woman could function satisfactorily as president. 79% responded 'yes'. This was considered an outrageous result. As history has shown, in reality, the nation was far from considering the possibility of a woman president.

I don't understand why people confused Grandview as a representative town for taking polls with Grandview as an ideal town to live in or near. This confusion of attributes is what precipitated the chaos after a news report labeled Grandview as the ideal(not typical) American town.

See this film in B&W at YouTube.

James Stewart is back as Mr. Smith, but this time he isn't that naive country bumpkin who became a Senator and went to Washington. Here, he's a cynical New York idea man whose recent business (collecting public opinion) has failed. Smith gets the idea of going to Granview, a medium sized town whose statistics perfectly match the national average. Wanting to find out what makes this town tick and stay so quaint, Stewart and his cohorts (Donald Meek and Ned Sparks) go there where they upset the apple cart by convincing the town council that they don't need to go along with newspaper editor Jane Wyman's plans to expand the town and bring in new business. Wyman plants a negative story about Stewart in the paper, and their confrontation turns to attraction and leads to romance. Stewart keeps the truth about his true identity to himself, and when the story breaks, Grandview is all of a sudden a mecca for people looking for Ideal Town U.S.A. But as fast as interest explodes, it declines, making the people of Grandview come off as fools and desperate for a way not to be categorized as a national joke.

Robert Riskin, who spent years as Frank Capra's writer for such classics as "Mr. Deeds" and "Mr. Smith", is away from Capracorn here, and instead has William Wellman (director of 1937's "A Star is Born") in charge. Producing as well as writing, Riskin utilizes all of the tricks that made Capra's corny tales so popular, but comes up with a concept so convoluted and irritating that it ends up being an overly chatty mess. Still, he has a great cast of Hollywood's best character actors to work with, and two extremely popular stars in Stewart and Wyman, fresh from Oscar Nominated work in "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Yearling", respectively. Crusty Ned Sparks, who must have been the offspring of a dill pickle and an overripe lemon, is the Walter Matthau of his era, and always funny. The appropriately named Donald Meek is a Wallace Shawn ("The Princess Bride", "My Dinner With Andre") look-alike. These were possibly the last appearances of both, and even with the film's mediocrity, a great swan song for them.

The problem with the film is that it doesn't seem to know when to quit, which towards the end makes the film come off as pretentious and quite obnoxious. Stewart, the epitome of the "every man", got a disappointing follow-up to "Wonderful Life", while Wyman is never totally likable as the driven editor. There are some amusing moments, and it is touching to see Stewart reaching out to the teenagers of the town, but when all is said and done, "Magic Town" ends up as one of the biggest duds of the 40's.

Produced by Robert Riskin. Copyright 26 September 1947 by Robert Riskin Productions, Inc. A William A. Wellman Production, presented by Robert Riskin. Released through RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Palace: 7 October 1947. U.S. release: 12 October 1947. U.K. release: 19 September 1949 (sic). Australian release: 29 April 1948. 9,454 feet. 105 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Polling! Having once worked (briefly) as an interviewer for the Gallup Poll, I must admit that polling and pollsters have a certain interest for me. But this attraction, I'm told, is not shared by the public at large. Which explains why Magic Town - a fantasy about a small American town whose citizenry accurately reflect the feelings and opinions of the whole nation - was not a success.

NOTES: Last film for Donald Meek.

COMMENT: Robert Riskin wrote some famous comedies for director Frank Capra, including Mr Deeds Goes to Town. What we have here is a Mr Deeds in reverse. Instead of a hayseed moralising in the big city, we have a smart, cynical urbanite inveigling himself into a small town and upsetting its values.

Riskin set up his own company to make this film and offered the direction to Capra, who declined. He then decided to direct it himself. He'd previously directed When You're in Love (1937), a moderate success with Grace Moore and Cary Grant. Halfway through shooting, he realised the picture was not panning out, so he approached Capra for help. Capra again refused to become directly involved, but recommended William A. Wellman.

Wellman gives a different version of events, stating that he was actively involved from the start. That the movie turned out so badly, he said, was entirely his fault. But I believe that either Wellman's memory is hazy or that he is deliberately offering himself as a scapegoat.

In any event, the movie (in my opinion) isn't a tenth as bad as its detractors make out. True this "Capra comedy without Capra" may not seem to be Wild Bill Wellman's cup of tea, but he handles it well. The trouble is that the screenplay fails to develop its good central idea fully and gets itself side-tracked into providing a stellar part for Miss Wyman. Although she gives an ingratiating performance and her scenes with Stewart come across charmingly, she holds up the unfolding of the plot. Padding her role has also obviously been responsible for some considerable cutting of scenes played by other members of the cast - particularly Regis Toomey and Ann Doran, who are introduced without any explanation whatever slap in the middle of the climax!

On the other hand, Kent Smith is given an elaborate introduction, but then unaccountably disappears. And it is obvious that the parts of Wallace Ford and E. J. Ballantine were longer when Wellman had finished shooting.

Film editors Todd and Wray have succeeded in patching the film smoothly together, despite all the cuts. Attractive photography and appealing art direction are also major assets. In fact production values are triple "A" plus. Producer Riskin delved deep into his own pockets to put all this quality on to the screen. From all reports, he lost a packet. A pity!

"Magic Town" is an interesting movie, and much more than the comedy and romance it is billed as. Clearly, it's as much drama as it is comedy. Some reviewers to date discuss William Wellman's direction versus what Frank Capra might have done. Clearly, this film isn't on the level of "Meet John Doe" or "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town." But, I think it is very good in portraying something that most people may not think about - or, be so readily aware of. That is an aspect of human nature - some might call it a flaw - in which people can easily get puffed up over some positive attention, with negative effects. The term "false pride" describes this condition, and it almost always results in a change in one's behavior.

Rip Smith is highly regarded in the big city as a genius for finding out the public pulse of America. His New York company advises American businesses and other interests. The businesses develop and market products that fit with the whims, wants and wishes of the public. In the film, this has not developed into political polling, but the ramifications of such enter the picture before the end. Rip is not only a mathematical whiz, but he must be very good at talking with people. In other words, he has good people skills. And, part of his character is a drive to find a better way, a faster way, the "perfect" way to be able to find or determine what the public pulse is at any given time on any one or number of things.

When, Rip hears from a former Army buddy with whom he served during World War II, Fred tells him that the town where he teaches school had the exact same results of a national survey that Rip's company had recently done. Voila! Rip thinks he has found the perfect town for gaging public opinions that will be right on the mark of how most Americans think. If he and his team can work the town for a year they will be able to do public surveys and projections in much less time, and do more of them. Industry, education, research groups, government and any number of interests can use and are willing to pay for such information.

There's nothing illegal or unethical about Rip's business, or how he conducts it. But, Mary Peterman is suspicious of Rip when he moves to Grandview under the guise of setting up an insurance business. As the local newspaper managing editor, she notes that others in that field aren't doing well. She and the town warm up to Rip as he volunteers to coach the high school basketball team. Rip and his two associates mix and visit with the local populace very discreetly drawing out their personal opinions on numerous things. Mary and Rip go out on dates. But when she finds Rip's real business out by snooping in his office and listening in on a phone call, she thinks what he is doing is underhanded. She sees it as a greedy and selfish enterprise to "use" the people of Grandview to make money. And, because she thinks the people have a right to know, she writes about it in her newspaper.

Rip knew how it would affect the people and the town. But Mary couldn't see that. Rip told her he would leave town and close up shop if she just wouldn't write about it. He knew something that Mary and so many others didn't think about or stop to consider. He knew that when people become aware that their opinions are being sought, the false pride that follows would change them and alter their ability to continue to give their heartfelt, honest, and unaffected views on matters

Well, Mary and the town found out all too soon what Rip knew, and the effect on them nearly ruined their town. And, even with the adverse turn of events, Mary still didn't understand fully. She says later that she and Rip had caused the problem. But Rip didn't do anything to the town. It was only Mary's self-righteous expose that affected the change in the people.

As it turns out, this story has a happy ending. And, Rip has the idea for getting the community back in line. I agree with some others who said there wasn't any chemistry between Wyman and Stewart. She was a very good actress, but I think in this part she overly played the suspicious, cautions small town newspaper woman. And even when Rip and Mary went out, there wasn't much spark evident, especially on her part. Rip's part was explained nicely by his friend, Professor Fred Hoopendecker. Rip had come from a poor city background with no family, so he didn't have that experience in his background. But, when he heard his buddies talk about home when they were in the war - all of them from small towns, he said he envied them.

This movie was inspired by the Middletown Studies of the mid-1920s and 1937, but there's no similarity with that sociological research project. Its purpose was to study "the interwoven trends that are the life of a small American city." The studies were done in Muncie, Indiana, and were never divulged to the public. The town was over 35,000 in 1920 and over 45,000 in 1930. The town in this movie was more on the level of a real small town - about 5,000 or less. Most of the town could meet in the hall with the pot-bellied heater. After the books were published on the studies, some Muncie folks suspected it was their town. In time, it came out and Muncie remains a frequent study city for polling. But since it didn't have the sudden exposé and flood of immigrants that occurs in this movie, the populace wasn't negatively affected.