Episode 453: Our Town (1940)

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The second film in our pairing of plays young Chad once participated in during high school brings to light life in a small town at the turn of the 20th century. Directed by Sam Wood and based on a Thornton Wilder play, 1940's "Our Town" follows life in a fictional American town called "Grover's Corners" in New Hampshire. The story begins in 1901 and introduces the audience to several residents, including brother and sister George (William Holden) and Rebecca (Ruth Tobey), and next-door neighbor Emily (Martha Scott). We learn fairly quickly of the growing connection between George and Emily as they both grapple with impending adulthood. The story then moves to 1904, when George and Emily are preparing for their wedding. We're treated to a flashback to when both were juniors in high school, and how they actually admitted their feelings to one another... in a roundabout way. The ceremony concludes, although both express some reservations, and we experience a jump in time again. It is now nine years later, and we are informed of many of the people who are buried in the town cemetery, along with some of their histories. The scene then shifts to Emily, who is dying while pregnant with her second child. We experience a vision of Emily's where she is able to talk to those long-dead and re-experience past events in her life as she struggles with whether to let go and give in to death or fight for life a bit longer! Also starring Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Fay Bainter, and Frank Craven! Plus, the gents reveal which two Scottish films, as per a listener suggestion, will make up the next pairing!

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