The Town Went Wild

Before taking an assignment in Alaska, aspiring engineer Freddie Bartholomew (as David "Davy" Conway) decides to marry beautiful blonde sweetheart Jill Browning (as Carol Harrison). Her brother Jimmy Lydon (as Robert "Bob" Harrison) is also Mr. Bartholomew's best friend and neighbor. Since fathers Edward Everett Horton (as Everett Conway) and Tom Tully (as Henry Harrison) are always bickering, the youngsters leave town to elope. Meanwhile, their parents learn Bartholomew and Mr. Lydon, born on the same day, were switched at birth - meaning Bartholomew is about to marry his sister!

"The Town Went Wild" is notable as the last starring feature for Bartholomew. A wildly popular "child" star and moderately popular "teen" star, Bartholomew is appealing, but obviously not destined to be a leading man. Here, he appears capable of a Roddy McDowall-type career, but it was not in the cards. Bartholomew made a few more appearances, mostly on television. This is not a big budget film, but neither is it poor. Bartholomew is joined by a gorgeous girlfriend, his friend Lydon, and a capable cast of co-stars. Alas, the story failed them; nobody was laughing at incest comedy.

***** The Town Went Wild (12/15/44) Ralph Murphy ~ Freddie Bartholomew, Jimmy Lydon, Edward Everett Horton, Tom Tully

Low-Grade attempt to make a movie in the Preston Sturges vein. It has some Sturges elements: risque subject matter (incestuous engagement), over-the-top angry fathers, small-town politicians, and a fair amount of shouting, -- it even has Sturges regular Jimmy Conlin, but it has none of the Sturges dialogue, speed, or timing.

"The Town Went Wild" is a low-budget B-movie that tries way too hard. Its plot has MANY holes and the film too many cheap laughs to take very seriously or to recommend. And, perhaps this is why the film is in the public domain.

Edward Everett Horton and Tom Tully play obnoxious neighbors who have been feuding in suburbia for ages. Little do they know that their kids are planning on eloping. However, everything gets really complicated when the man in charge of the records office makes a discovery--the men's two sons were apparently switched at the hospital. So, the young couple turn out to be brother and sister! Fortunately, the marriage hadn't yet taken place, but the marriage license IS on record and both angry fathers agree, for the first time, to work together.

The film abounds with kooky plot twists and much of the humor hinges on Tully and Horton screaming--and this gets old after a while. There are some good actors in this film but the writing is inconsistent and full of dumb coincidences to take very seriously. If you don't mind a bad film, give it a try....just don't say I didn't warn you.

Nutty madcap that wartime (1944) audiences could escape with. Feuding fathers (Horton & Tully) are next door neighbors. Trouble is Tully's daughter and Horton's son take out a marriage license, then find out they're really brother and sister. Seems the two families' boys (Lydon & Bartholomew) were both born on the same day and the hospital mistakenly switched them. Now the families want to get back the license before it's publicized in the town newspaper. However, things soon spiral out of control, and the town goes wild.

Good look at 40's mores, though no mention is made of the big war abroad. But then this is escape for those bleak times. The movie's pretty funny, moving along at a snappy tempo. Horton and Tully's mock face-offs are featured and generally amusing. Then too, many of Hollywood's familiar middle-age actors put in comedic type appearances from Horton to Conlin. And shouldn't overlook the very non-comedic Charles Middleton (Flash Gordon's Ming, The Merciless). So, old movie fans should be pleased. Also, Lydon, who excels here and as a teen of the time, went on to a successful career both before and behind the camera. On the other hand, child star Bartholomew soon went behind the camera as his rather bland presence here foreshadows. But catch blonde cutie Jill Browning who also left the business early, but is a dead-ringer for a young Marilyn Monroe.

Anyway, the 60-minutes amounts to an entertaining slice of 40's madcap, courtesy the economical PRC who got a good chuckle for their buck, even with the tricky material.

The plot.

Feuding fathers deal with the shocking news that their sons were switched at birth, meaning that one of their daughters is about to marry her own brother.

It's not a very good movie. The comedy is poor and the exposition is boring. Plus the musical soundtrack is really a distraction. It's the most annoying and inappropriate score I have ever heard.

On the downswing Freddie Bartholomew stars in this and he's already lost his boyish cuteness.

Too bad.