Soooo disappointing.I expected The Whole Town's Talking to be way better than what it was.It seemed like when something finally happens, the movie's almost over.I really had my hopes set high for this 1.When it was over, it was over.I didn't feel a thing.It wasn't Yay that was a great movie or even I'm so glad that's over, I just felt numb.When I 1st heard about The Whole Town's Talking which was a long time ago, I knew I just had to see it.After all this time I finally had a chance to watch it.I knew what time it was coming on & did everything I could to make sure I didn't miss it, only to be disappointed.I nodded off 3-4 times but kept myself awake.After watching this movie I should've just let myself fall asleep.Skip The Whole Town's talking & go see Larceny, Inc. It's WAY better & I promise, you won't be disappointed (Man, writing this review has been a struggle)

Highly enjoyable comedy about meek clerk Arthur Jones (Edward G. Robinson) who is a dead ringer for the most wanted criminal in the country, "Killer" Mannion. Robinson is wonderful in both roles. No matter how many gangster roles he played, he always managed to add something unique to each one. It may just be a mannerism or personality trait, but I feel he managed to distinguish his characters in so many similar movies more than Bogart or Cagney did. Jean Arthur is hilarious and likable as the street smart girl Jones is in love with. Donald Meek is great fun as a busybody who refuses to believe Jones isn't Mannion. It's a rare comedy from director John Ford but a good one.

That is, two Edward G's for the price of one. Mr. Robinson is a milquetoast clerk who discovers quite by accident that he looks exactly like Public Enemy #1. Not wanting to keep arresting the wrong man for crimes he didn't commit, the police give him a pass to prove who he is, but when the real gangster finds out, this becomes his own pass to committing all sorts of crimes and getting away with it. The innocent Eddie's wise-cracking co-worker (Jean Arthur), already fond of him, begins to see a different side to him as they become a bit more than pals (see?), but when gangster Eddie gets a crack at Arthur, out comes the Octopous, something Ms. Arthur wasn't quite ready for...This brilliantly written screwball comedy has Frank Capra written all over it, but Mr. Capra was not involved. However, his screenwriter, Robert Riskin, was, and here the director is John Ford. Edward G. proves that he is not only an expert gangster but an able comic as well. In fact, it is the milquetoast character that remains even more memorable as the gangster. Thirty some years ago, I discovered this classic during my early days as an old movie fan, and it remains as delightfully fresh as when I first saw it. My local TV channel back then gave me a double dose, not only of Robinson in this movie, but Jean Arthur as well, having played this back to back with "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town". Two very diminutive character actors, Donald Meek and Ferdinand Gottschalk are very funny; Meek is the squeaky voiced man who keeps trying to claim a reward for turning the innocent Robinson in, while Gottschalk is very funny as Robinson and Arthur's boss. "I can't give you a raise, then fire you. That wouldn't make sense", he tells Robinson after finding out from his boss that EG is the only one on time, but to fire the next person who is late. Guess who that happens to be! This film is filled with magical comic moments like that.

Whole Town's Talking, The (1935) *** (out of 4)A timid, shy and all around weak store clerk (Edward G. Robinson) gets mistaken for a harden gangster (Robinson) but his new fame allows him to store writing a column in a newspaper about how gangster are weak without their guns. Soon the gangster shows up wanting more than just a little help. As a comedy this movie is a real masterpiece but as a drama, the final thirty-minutes or so really bring down a lot of the great moments. While watching this Columbia movie you can't help but wonder if this was originally meant to be directed by Frank Capra as it has his screenwriters and the small town story certainly seems like something you'd get from a Capra and not someone like Ford. To his credit, Ford does a great job with the comedy and really delivers one of the funniest movies of the 1930's. The problem happens in the third act when it really turns to too much of a gangster film and the laughs are pretty much forgotten. What holds both sides together is the terrific performance by Robinson. The way he plays the timid clerk is just downright hilarious and this includes a masterfully acted interrogation sequence where Robinson is nearly brought to tears because he's so scared. Seeing a tough guy like Robinson acting scared was just hilarious and one actually starts to feel sorry for the guy because it appears he's about to die. Robinson is also great in his second role as the gangster as he's as tough as ever and does manage to come off quite demanding and threatening. Jean Arthur is wonderful as well and adds many great comic scenes including her own interrogation where she keeps admitting to crimes that she has nothing to do with or even knows about. Arthur Hohl, Arthur Byron, Wallace Ford and Donald Meek round out the supporting cast. You can even see Joe Sawyer playing one of Robinson's goons. Again, I didn't care for the final act of the film as the comedy starts to not happen but that doesn't take away from everything at the start of the movie. Robinson has never gotten the credit he deserves as an actual actor, which is a real shame but this film allows for both sides of him to be highlighted and to great effect.