The Whole Town's Talking
Seen it?1935 | 93 min | Comedy, Crime
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had soft box office and little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime fans and anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Pulp Fiction, start here.
- The mood
- Light and funny.
- The pace
- Breezy, at 1 hr 33 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1935: an older pace and style.
Ordinary man-in-the-street Arthur Ferguson Jones leads a very straightforward life. He's never late for work and nothing interesting ever happens to him. One day everything changes: he oversleeps and is fired as an example, he's then mistaken for evil criminal killer Mannion and is arrested. The resemblance is so striking that the police give him a special pass to avoid a similar mistake. The real Mannion sees the opportunity to steal the pass and move around freely and chaos results.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 18K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by John Ford
- Edward G. RobinsonArthur Ferguson 'Jonesy' Jones / 'Killer' Mannion
- Jean ArthurWilhelmina 'Bill' Clark
- Arthur HohlDet. Sgt. Michael F. Boyle
- James DonlanDetective Sergeant Patrick J. Howe
- Arthur ByronSpencer
- Wallace FordHealy
- Donald MeekHoyt
- Etienne GirardotSeaver
- Edward Brophy'Slugs' Martin
- Paul Harvey'J.G.' Carpenter