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Our Town (film)
 
 
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Our Town is a 1940
1940 in film

The year 1940 in film involved some significant events....
 film adaptation of a play of the same name
Our Town

Our Town is a Three act structure play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled upon several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others....
 by Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder

Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. His best known work is his play Our Town....
 starring William Holden
William Holden

William Holden was an Academy Award-winning United States film actor. One of the top stars of the 1950s, he was named one of the "Top 10 stars of the year" six times and appeared on the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years......
, Martha Scott
Martha Scott

Martha Scott was an United States actress....
, Fay Bainter
Fay Bainter

Fay Okell Bainter was an Academy Award-winning United States actor. She is the aunt of actress Dorothy Burgess and sister-in-law to actress Grace Burgess....
, Beulah Bondi
Beulah Bondi

Beulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theatre, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version....
, Thomas Mitchell
Thomas Mitchell (actor)

Thomas Mitchell was an United States actor, playwright and screenwriter. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of the father of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life....
, Guy Kibbee
Guy Kibbee

Guy Kibbee was an United States stage and film actor....
 and Frank Craven
Frank Craven

Frank Craven was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town....
. It was adapted by Harry Chandlee, Craven and Wilder. It was directed by Sam Wood
Sam Wood

Samuel Grosvenor Wood was a prolific Hollywood director, he also did some production, writing, and to a lesser extent, acting work.Born in Philadelphia, Wood worked for Cecil B....
. The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture

The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the film industry....
. Scott, who repeated her stage role as Emily Webb, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry....
, and Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland was an American classical music composer of concert and film music, as well as an accomplished pianist. Instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, he was widely known as "the dean of American composers." Copland's music achieved a balance between modernism music and American folk styles....
 was nominated for Best Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score

The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of Film score written specifically for the film by the submitting composer....
. The film was a faithful reproduction of the play except for two significant changes - the film used scenery, where the play had not, and the events of the third act, which in the play revolve around the death of one of the main characters, were turned into a dream that she awakens from, able to resume a normal life.

A radio adaptation of the film on Lux Radio Theater
Lux Radio Theater

Lux Radio Theater, one of the genuine old-time radio anthology series adapted first Broadway theatre stage works, and then films to hour-long live radio presentations....
 used the altered film ending.

This film is in the public domain and can be downloaded at the Internet Archive
Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free and openly accessible online digital library, including an archive site of the World Wide Web....
.








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Encyclopedia


Our Town is a 1940
1940 in film

The year 1940 in film involved some significant events....
 film adaptation of a play of the same name
Our Town

Our Town is a Three act structure play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled upon several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others....
 by Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder

Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. His best known work is his play Our Town....
 starring William Holden
William Holden

William Holden was an Academy Award-winning United States film actor. One of the top stars of the 1950s, he was named one of the "Top 10 stars of the year" six times and appeared on the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years......
, Martha Scott
Martha Scott

Martha Scott was an United States actress....
, Fay Bainter
Fay Bainter

Fay Okell Bainter was an Academy Award-winning United States actor. She is the aunt of actress Dorothy Burgess and sister-in-law to actress Grace Burgess....
, Beulah Bondi
Beulah Bondi

Beulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theatre, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version....
, Thomas Mitchell
Thomas Mitchell (actor)

Thomas Mitchell was an United States actor, playwright and screenwriter. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of the father of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life....
, Guy Kibbee
Guy Kibbee

Guy Kibbee was an United States stage and film actor....
 and Frank Craven
Frank Craven

Frank Craven was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town....
. It was adapted by Harry Chandlee, Craven and Wilder. It was directed by Sam Wood
Sam Wood

Samuel Grosvenor Wood was a prolific Hollywood director, he also did some production, writing, and to a lesser extent, acting work.Born in Philadelphia, Wood worked for Cecil B....
. The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture

The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the film industry....
. Scott, who repeated her stage role as Emily Webb, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry....
, and Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland was an American classical music composer of concert and film music, as well as an accomplished pianist. Instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, he was widely known as "the dean of American composers." Copland's music achieved a balance between modernism music and American folk styles....
 was nominated for Best Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score

The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of Film score written specifically for the film by the submitting composer....
. The film was a faithful reproduction of the play except for two significant changes - the film used scenery, where the play had not, and the events of the third act, which in the play revolve around the death of one of the main characters, were turned into a dream that she awakens from, able to resume a normal life.

A radio adaptation of the film on Lux Radio Theater
Lux Radio Theater

Lux Radio Theater, one of the genuine old-time radio anthology series adapted first Broadway theatre stage works, and then films to hour-long live radio presentations....
 used the altered film ending.

This film is in the public domain and can be downloaded at the Internet Archive
Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free and openly accessible online digital library, including an archive site of the World Wide Web....
.

Cast

  • William Holden
    William Holden

    William Holden was an Academy Award-winning United States film actor. One of the top stars of the 1950s, he was named one of the "Top 10 stars of the year" six times and appeared on the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years......
     - George Gibbs
  • Martha Scott
    Martha Scott

    Martha Scott was an United States actress....
     - Emily Webb
  • Fay Bainter
    Fay Bainter

    Fay Okell Bainter was an Academy Award-winning United States actor. She is the aunt of actress Dorothy Burgess and sister-in-law to actress Grace Burgess....
     - Mrs. Gibbs
  • Beulah Bondi
    Beulah Bondi

    Beulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theatre, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version....
     - Mrs. Webb
  • Thomas Mitchell
    Thomas Mitchell (actor)

    Thomas Mitchell was an United States actor, playwright and screenwriter. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of the father of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life....
     - Doc Gibbs
  • Guy Kibbee
    Guy Kibbee

    Guy Kibbee was an United States stage and film actor....
     - Mr. Webb
  • Stuart Erwin
    Stuart Erwin

    Stuart Erwin was an United States actor. Erwin began acting in college in the 1920s, first appearing on the stage, then breaking into films in 1928 in Mother Knows Best....
     - Howie Newsome
  • Frank Craven
    Frank Craven

    Frank Craven was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town....
     - Stage Manager
  • Doro Merande
    Doro Merande

    Doro Merande was an actress who appeared in Hollywood films, on the Broadway theatre stage, and on television. She frequently portrayed "sour, witchy old women" with her abundant talent as a character actress....
     - Mrs. Louella Soames
  • Philip Wood - Simon Stimson
  • Ruth Tobey - Rebecca Gibbs (as Ruth Toby)
  • Douglas Gardner - Wally Webb
  • Arthur B. Allen - Prof. Willard (as Arthur Allen)
  • Charles Trowbridge
    Charles Trowbridge

    Charles Trowbridge was an American film actor. He appeared in 233 films between 1915 in film and 1958 in film.He was born in Veracruz, Mexico and died in Los Angeles, California....
     - Rev. Dr. Ferguson
  • Spencer Charters
    Spencer Charters

    Spencer Charters was an American film actor. He appeared in over 220 films between 1920 in film and 1943 in film.He was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, and died in Hollywood, California by suicide, from a mix of sleeping pills and carbon monoxide poisoning....
     - Const. Bill Warren


External links

  • , available at Internet Archive
    Internet Archive

    The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free and openly accessible online digital library, including an archive site of the World Wide Web....