Magic town - 1947

I like it. Of course I do: James Steward, romantic comedy, happy ending…the only thing I don’t like about it is the girl (the character I mean, of course). I rather dislike her, she’s the bad-journalist-type :-/

It starts with news of Rip Smith - real name Lawrence (James Stewart) going out of business, because “getting opinion from the public” is difficult and expensive. He dreams of finding a new, better way to do it, and finally thinks he’s found it: “one small town that thinks exactly the way the Nation does”: it’s his utopia, his mathematical-miracle! 

The town must never know what he’s doing or they’ll change, so he looks for a cover up, and pretends to sell insurance policies. 

It’s Grandview, and he goes there with his two men. He already knows a man there, the one who took the first poll results. He’s an ex-sergeant now teacher. 

Rip doesn’t want the town to change one bit ( “let’s hope they stay average” ) so he speaks against a new civic center, ruining Mary’s plans (Jane Wyman). 

Being an ex-basket champion, he teaches the local kids team and they win.

Rip falls for Mary, of course. A few weeks and he’s part of the community, and the chief editor gives a nice speech about his ‘integrity’, and apologizes for an earlier piece on him, and welcomes him officially, says she’s glad that he decided to stop there… and he feels awful, you can see it clearly, because in a way he’s using them. After a brief reply he runs away. His friend tells him that he’s got friends now, there.. it seemed to me like he’s telling him to stop, to quit his old job/idea… what is he supposed to do then, next??

Anyway, he does one perfect poll but then Mary comes into his office to cheer him up, takes a look around and finds out everything he’s doing, hears him talking on the phone, no doubt thinking that he only cared about the job and not about her, and also hurt because now she understands why he didn’t want any changes, why he “hold back progress”…

She writes about it; he tries to stop her, promises he’ll go away, tells her it’s for the people too, because it’d change them… “what I was doing couldn’t do them any harm but they read that, they… I don’t know, they’re human, you can’t go around telling people they’re special, not even these people, that’s deadly; you love them Mary, don’t do it”.

She doesn’t listen to him, this is like her revenge I guess. The paper comes out with the big title “Lawrence Smith found to be poll expert - Grandview revealed as Miracle Town”. It soon becomes big, journalists from all over come for the story, things get crazy, people start making and selling their own opinion polls. Rip gets drunk, sees her walking and yells at her “how do you like your town now?” and she walks away. She doesn’t like it, of course.

Rip and his men go away, back to the city. They make big projects, but then their first personal poll comes out: you can read in the newspapers: “79% favor woman for president” - “result ridiculous” says expert, almost the opposite of the Nation’s real feelings (we know, nothing’s changed, anything but a woman president, right???)

A speaker on the radio says they lost their humility and “poor Grandview, they’re becoming the subject of ridicule throughout the Country”

Rip looks so sad and lonely. 

The town is ruined, all the new people go away, firms and stores close. The last journalist in town says “this is my last broadcast from this ghost town, and ghost town it is. The people have even locked themselves in the homes, in shame of their ludicrous behaviour”

Rip goes back to Grandview because he misses Mary: the people don’t even talk to each other anymore. Rip tells her that he loves her, but she says “we murdered a town, Rip, you and I” … well, she did it actually, not him. He may have been using it for his own profit, but the people didn’t know and were quite happy to talk with him about anything (people always like it when you ask their opinion and actually listen). But she did all the harm, not him. She felt hurt and wanted revenge, and it backfired on her, that’s how I see it.

Anyway, he loves her and wants to save the city for her. He wants the paper to print the “build the civic center, build our town with our own hands” weeks-old-story. He has it told everywhere, that “these people won’t give up”, and it gets the people talking to each other again, listen to the radio speaking of courage… Rip brings in the kids, all on his side “we don’t want to live in a town we have to be ashamed of”. The Mayor sold the civic center property without a council vote. The people get together, decide to work together and help rebuild  the town, and Mary and Rip can finally get together now that they saved the town together…

I know, 90% of what I like about this movie is James Stewart… 

ITA la città magica (credo)