People Will Talk

When you get one of Hollywood's most powerful producers, Darryl F. Zanuck, working with a screenwriter/director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, then you know you're in for a film that's a cut above the average.

In this story, Cary Grant is a hugely successful doctor (as Dr Noah Praetorious) with unusual healing practices; Jeanne Crain (as Deborah Higgins) is an aspiring medical student who falls in love with him; the almost legendary Finlay Currie is a mysterious assistant (as Shunderson) to the doctor; another great character actor, Hume Cronyn, plays the devious and deceitful Prof. Elwell; and there is Walter Slezak as Prof. Barker, who provides (with Grant) much of the comedy and witty lines.

This is an unusual story because it mixes genres: it's a comedy, it's a love story, it's a (double) mystery, and it's a drama. The first genre is provided largely by Cary Grant and Walter Slezak who bounce off each other with some of the best scenes and wittiest lines. The second, of course, is between Cary Grant and Jeanne Crain. The third is provided by Cary Grant and Finlay Currie, Grant being the doctor whose methods are suspect and his past under scrutiny by Prof. Elwell, while Currie is Grant's constant companion – aloof, quiet and almost robotic in his demeanour. But, who really is Shunderson? And the fourth is the drama between Dr Praetorious and Prof. Elwell, as the latter seeks to have the doctor expelled from the clinic and university for malpractice.

Weaving those four elements together into a cohesive plot is no mean feat, but Mankiewicz succeeds brilliantly. The acting is superb, and even Jeanne Crain – not one of my favorites at all – manages to almost overshadow Hume Cronyn in a key scene where there is a battle of wills and words. The real surprise, however, is Finlay Currie who usually appears in biblical and/or historical dramas and who usually is given a lot to say in any of his film appearances. But, not in this one: in fact, he says hardly a word until almost the end, but simply maintains a deceptive and mysterious quietude at the side of Cary Grant. The resolution to that mystery is a tour de force – and with a twist.

Even though I'm not a big comedy fan – it's the most difficult to portray on film – I'm very partial to Mankiewicz and his films. On that basis alone I'd recommend this film for you to see as another in the great tradition of Classic Hollywood Cinema. But, for anybody who likes the debonair Cary Grant, well, what are you waiting for…?

This is indeed a very well hidden film which should be up there with North By Northwest, Citizen Kane, and the like. For its time, People Will Talk took on the most controversial topics of the day (even of TODAY) including: abortion, unintended pregnancy, HUAC and McCarthy-style witch hunting, taxpayer-subsidized farming not to grow food ... and the list goes on. Perhaps most up front is the defending of American individualism that was then (and is perhaps more than ever now) under attack. All of this was presented very cleverly, often with wholesome comedy. A great film with top actors, writing and direction. Only the very ending is a bit soppy ... not the least of which is the dopey expression on Carey Grant's face of imbecilic ecstasy while conducting his university's orchestra. Otherwise, it was a nearly perfect film.

Although made in 1951, this movie is refreshingly modern and mature in its content yet it is a feel-good film in spite of the serious nature of some of the subject matter. Cary Grant plays Dr. Noah Praetorius, a medical doctor and professor at a college who also runs his own low-cost clinic. Hume Cronyn plays a fellow doctor and professor who hates Grant's character. He is one of those fellows who doesn't have to be passed over because of someone else or feel he has been unjustly treated to dislike that person. He just has to look around and see someone who is well-liked and successful where he is not to hold a grudge. The wonderful thing about Praetorius that Cronyn's character cannot grasp is that it is not that Praetorius is exercising tremendous willpower in order to to do good because he feels he must live up to some kind of code of conduct. He is just a man with a generous spirit and a a healing soul. Dr. Praetorius' constant companion is Mr. Shunderson. He isn't in the actual employ of Praetorius, he is just always at his side and has no apparent medical training of any kind. It is the constant presence of this mysterious older man on which Cronyn centers his search for some dirt on Praetorius to hopefully eject him from the university.

Further complications arise when Dr. Pretorius treats a young woman (Jeanne Crain) who turns out to be pregnant by her fiancé who has just died in combat. The young woman attempts suicide upon hearing her condition. After Dr. Praetorius saves her life Mr. Shunderson points out that nothing has changed, the girl is still all alone and in trouble, and will therefore likely try suicide again.

These two subplots set up what could have been a very tragic film but ends up being an uplifting movie about the triumph of the better side of human nature made at the height of McCarthyism. You might even call it a kind of romantic comedy. I hadn't seen this film in years and for some reason wrongly remembered it as having taken place at Christmas. In fact it takes place in the spring. I guess my memory had more to do with the fact that it has a kind of "spirit of Christmas" feeling in it the same way that "Boys' Town" does. Check this one out, it will be sure to cheer you up.

I have watched this film tens of times over the years without ever getting bored and was delighted to recently find it on DVD in the United States. The film contains all the ingredients for the viewer's pleasure ....... romance humour suspense strangeness ......... I was especially taken aback by the Shundersson mystery. I also found that the film although over 50 years old as I write doesn't really seem dated in the attitudes and ideas it expresses. Clothes and cars may hark back to the beginning of the 50's but the dialogues are quite simply timeless. I don't wish to dwell on the story by let's say they are lots of twists and turns and a plentiful supply of humour. Of course I have always loved Cary Grant but I find that in this film he turns in a particularly interesting performance, a little above the usual level of the character he plays. It's also very intersting to watch Grant's reaction in embarassing situations and notably the "interrogation" carried out before the concert at the end. As for Jeanne Crain, his "wife" I find her every time stunningly beautiful. Professor Elwell's character must be one of the most obnoxious in the entire history of cinema ......... !!

The screenplay for "People Will Talk" is by Joseph Mankiewicz, who adapted the film from a play and also directed. It has been suggested that the story is an allusion to the workings of McCarthyism, which was active at the time.

From the beginning of the film, there is a level of suspense as this unusual tale reveals itself slowly. Cary Grant plays Dr. Noah Praetorius, a physician and sometime butcher, with the quirky charm that only he can portray. His character has an ebullience and an unconventional approach to medicine that make him seem unprofessional to others in his profession. He has a mysterious friend called Shunderson (Finlay Currie) who is always by his side.

Praetorius meets a young woman named Deborah Higgins (Jeanne Crain) who becomes his patient. He becomes involved in her problems as the film drifts through drama, comedy and romance.

The supporting cast includes some enjoyable appearances. And the film's unpredictability makes for an interesting journey. The Praetorius character might be considered a precursor to Patch Adams. And in one scene he foretells a future that presciently includes "electronic doctors." This film deserves attention for its statements about individualism and nonconformity and for its unorthodox plot construction, which nevertheless works.