All Over the Town

What more could you want. Lovely views of Lyme Regis, still looks much the same, and small town politics. As a former Mayor at a neighbouring town I can tell you that little has changed in respect of infighting on grandiose schemes to improve local amenities. They still have Operatic groups and fuctions raising money for good causes, British Legion, RNLI etc. The stars are numerous, 10 seconds of Stanley Baker, Patrick McNee and Bryan Forbes in early roles. Worth watching!

An RAF pilot returns to his job as a newspaper reporter in a small seaside town. At first he questions the importance of writing about the local goings on, but after unexpectedly becoming the editor, he decides to use the paper for the betterment of the community. In the process, he finds himself romantically involved with the woman who filled his job while he was serving in the war. This is a droll comedy that falls somewhere between Frank Capra and Preston Sturges in it's take on small town British life. All the characters are nicely written and acted, with a vein of dry wit running throughout the film (the local undertaker in particular). Fans of "The Avengers" can spot Patrick MacNee in a small role. If you're a fan of the Ealing comedies, this would be a "must see". It is, in any case, an entertaining and uplifting film.

I enjoyed this film for the first time which is a bit surprising since I am something of an aficionado about films of this vintage.What surprised me was its quality and that no UK TV network has transmitted it before to my knowledge.Well about the film.Norman Wooland's character comes back to his old job as an ace reporter on a local UK South Coast newspaper "the Clarion" under the editor played by Ronald Adam.During the war Sarah Churchill's character had taken over the reins while Norman's had served in the RAF as a flying officer.With peacetime Brian Forbes runs around town advising Norman is back on the scene so Sarah has to think about resigning her temporary job thus handing it back.

There are a lot of small time politics acted out especially the building of houses which a previous architect had designed but then had them voted down by the council.Corruption by the local council has been evident especially when a council official offers a member of the paper's staff a high place on the council waiting list in return for their support for their alternative scheme.Inevitably Sarah and Norman join forces especially after the old editor dies and Norman is appointed his replacement.Sarah had wanted to leave the confines of the local town and search elsewhere but changed her mind when Norman asks her to marry him.Thats all I will disclose of the plot.

This film has an all British cast and production team, is well written, acted and structured.I must admit that until I looked up their individual biographies on I.M.D.B I confused the actors Derrick de Marney and Norman Wooland who both have similar faces to me.As a 71 year old I was 2 in 1948 and remember tasting early post war chocolate which was rationed, staying at a bungalow in Greatstone, Kent with my late parents, elder sister and paternal grandmother and overall I rated it 7/10.

Made at Pinewood Studios, this British film was produced by a small film company that made just a dozen or so movies from 1949 to 1962. As with most such films and endeavors, the cast of "All Over the Town" doesn't have big name stars or even well-known supporting actors of the time. Most of the cast will hardly be recognized in the 21st century outside of the UK. The female lead, Sally Thorpe, is played by Sarah Churchill, the actress daughter of Winston Churchill. She had a respectable career as an actress, and had a good supporting role with Fred Astaire, Jane Powell and Peter Lawford in "Royal Wedding" of 1951. Overall, the ensemble of characters in this film does a fine job.

The story is set in a fictitious town on the English coast. The promo for the film plays up exposure of some corruption in the small town of Tormouth, but that is just a small part that serves as the climax to the story. The film is about a town native returning home after the war and getting his job back as the "star" reporter on the weekly Clarion newspaper. Such weekly papers were printed in small towns all across Canada, the U. S. A., England and many other European countries through the 20th century. With the coming of the Internet and rapid growth of electronic technology, many small papers went out of business by the early 21st century. Even large daily papers have declined as print news readership overall continues to decline.

Norman Wooland plays the returning veteran, Nat Hearn. Sarah Churchill's Sally Thorpe is the local reporter who had taken over for Nat when he went off to military service during the war. The plot is a good mix of light comedy, drama and a slowly developing love story. It portrays the type of reporting, news, and printing of the local nature that the big city newspapers don't provide - or even consider news. By the same token, the small towns and weekly papers are challenged to have much of real news to report. Changes occur after Nat's return and the death of the publisher of the town paper.

Very few films have been made with weekly newspaper production a core part of the story. So, this film has some added value for history and education. The small papers as well as the dailies in county seats for ages have been the official public records of local government actions and required pubic notices. As a former newspaperman, having worked on two daily newspapers, I particularly enjoyed the scenes showing some of the antiquated printing presses used in the past - including an old flatbed press and an ancient hand press.

This is a nice picture of the small-town press and its role and service in the community. Its regular fodder includes the vital statistics (birth, deaths), accidents and illnesses, local visits, social events, family items, legal notices, sports and club activities and reviewing the local theater production and covering the town council meetings.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Mr. Baines, "Glad to see you got back. But you've been long enough about it." Nat Hearn, "Yes, just tidying up the Orient, you know." Baines, "Uh, huh, this town needs a bit of tidying up too, come to that. But, uh, things are moving."

Mr. Baines, "Progress with taste - that's my motto. Progress with taste."

Mr. Vince, "You make him, miss. He'll listen to a skirt."

Sally Thorpe, "Why don't you chuck it and get out?" Nat Hearn, "Because it's not the answer. There's nothing wrong with the people. They're the same town that fought the war. All they want is someone to take an interest in their own affairs. Anything wrong with that?" Sally, "Nothing. Only I'm afraid you're in for a big disappointment." Nat, "Perhaps I am."

Sally Thorpe, "You're a bit of a mystery to me. You oughtn't be a nice person at all, but you are. Rather." Nat Hearn, "I just believe in people, that's all. Seems a pity you don't."

Nat Hearn, "Detail, Trumble, detail. Never despise detail. It's our meat, drink, bread, butter, salt, pepper and mustard."

Filmed mostly outdoors in and around Lyme Regis In Dorset way back in 1949. The year British Cinema's saw there all time record for admissions, from 1949 though later than in the USA that new must have consumer product called the television set would slowly slice and dice the Cinema exhibition industry to pieces. Yet back in 1949 Britain genuinely had a homegrown film industry that produced quality films for domestic consumption, we all know the best of them, but i doubt if many connoisseurs of historic British films, let alone students of the post war era would list this title among the greats. Yet all who know this minor gem will surely agree, this movie is a triumph, the plot about the saving of a small town rag and a token romance to egg out the running time, is your lot for plot. Not that plot matters as this is a movie primarily about Englishness and how the English saw themselves way back then. History and time have been very generous to this film, the location Lyme Regis has changed surprisingly little and that most lovely of South West towns really is the star of the film, as it was in 1949 and it still will be in 2019 which will be very very soon. 70 years may of passed but the skill of the film makers who made this little wonder shines down through the decades. So do try to hunt down this wonderfully English/English of films and enjoy. This is little England now long long gone, yet still alive to all of us, if only on celluloid.