May 7 - Our Town (1977)

Hello. Today's movie is the 1977 version of Thornton Wilder's classic American drama, Our Town.

OUR TOWN

The Stage Manager introduces the audience to the Town of Grovers Corners, New Hampshire on May 7, 1901. [4:52 to 45:10] It’s an ordinary day and milk is delivered, Dr. Gibbs returns from a birth and children go to school. Mrs. Gibbs can’t decide if he should sell her grandmother’s highboy for $350.00. A professor talks about the geologic and ethnographic history of the town and Mr. Webb , the newspaper editor gives some demographic info and answers audience questions about alcoholism, social justice and culture.  The stage manager notes a time capsule is going in the cornerstone of the new bank and a copy of the play will give info about ordinary people. Emily Webb gives homework hints to her neighbor George Gibbs. The ladies go to choir practice and gossip about the organist, who drinks. Dr. Gibbs has a conversation with George and makes him feel guilty for not doing his chores. Three years pass and Emily and George are getting married. George has an awkward visit with his in-laws. The stage manager takes us back a year and we see the conversation where Emily takes George to task over his pride and they start to fall in love. At the ceremony, both George and Emily think that they are not ready to marry, but the services goes on. We now jump ahead nine years to the day of Emily’s funeral, as she has died giving birth to her second child. Emily talks to some of the other dead in the cemetery, but against their advice takes up the Stage Manager on his offer to let her relive one day. Emily picks her 12^th birthday, but it soon becomes too emotionally painful and she returns to the graveyard. She laments that most people never life live to the full and the story concludes. 

A good if somewhat depressing drama. Forcefully puts forth the idea to life live to the fullest, because you never know how long you’ve got. This version uses minimal props and relies on sound effects to make up this lack. The stage Manager often breaks the “fourth wall”.

Our Town: A Play in Three Acts by Thornton Wilder (Perennial Press, New York, 1998) at page 4 and the film at 3:15 to 3:18 give this date

Director:  George Schaefer

Producer: George Schaeffer

Starring:           

Hal Holbrook as the Stage Manager

Ned Beatty as Dr. Gibbs

Sada Thompson as Mrs. Gibbs

Barbara Bel Geddes as Mrs. Webb

Glynnis O’Connor as Emily Webb

Robby Benson as George Gibbs

Screenplay: Thornton Wilder

Awards:   The film won the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts Emmy. It was also nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Tape Sound Mixing, Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork, Outstanding Art Direction for a Dramatic Special, Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special(Holbrook), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special(Thompson) and Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy Emmys.

Running Time: 2 hours

Released: May 30, 1977