Magic Town (1947)

Magic Town (1947)Just after his legendary (or now legendary) performance in "It's a Wonderful Life," James Stewart plays another regular guy who wants to cut his way through life differently. The director here is William Wellman, a seasoned everyday director, lacking maybe the initiative and originality of the great directors, but working with good materials.There are a couple things at work here beyond the plot of a pollster looking for a shortcut to success. The first is how a small American town is used to talk about America itself, an idealized (and homogenous) cross section of what is best about the country. In a way, Grandview is a bit like Bedford Falls of "It's a Wonderful Life." It's an ideal people wanted to re-establish after the war, the sunny counterpart to the film noir side of Hollywood. Another thing is Stewart himself, who has so much personality and regular guy magic, he makes the movie, regardless of the rest of it.The rest of it is wonderful enough--Jane Wyman (Ronald Reagan's first wife--they were still married for this film) as the leading lady and inevitable love interest, and realistic counterpart to Stewart's dreamer. And there is a whole slew of established contract players who are character actors and journeymen of the type that populated Hollywood still back then.This is no searing classic, for sure, but it's endlessly funny, warm, and cheerful. By the end you'll be cheering for the good guys but you'll also (I assume) be moaning at the ridiculous optimism of it all. It's a feel-good story that feels a little too good. All the same, it feels good. Fun.

I will comment on this film in general terms and try to avoid spoilers...I have read through a lot of other people's comments and I think many of them missed the point of Magic Town. Yes, it's old-fashioned and a little corny, and yes it's not as good as It's A Wonderful Life, but in my opinion, IAWL is one of the most emotionally-stirring and profound films ever made. I have seen IAWL many times, but have never made it through the final scene without tears!In very simplistic terms IAWL is about the positive effects one person can have on society, without even realizing it, while Magic Town is more about the negative effects one can have on the masses.Someone previously commented "Not a bad person in the whole town".The plot does not focus on purely "bad" people because that would detract from the point of the narrative. In this film, James Stewart is essentially the bad guy! He's selfish, greedy, manipulative and dishonest, and it is his actions, with a little bit of help from Jane Wyman, that cause a chain of events that virtually destroy the fabric of the town. When this happens, these "good" people become pessimistic, lazy and selfish.However, I do agree with some of the other comments, including the one that says "People had to learn the perfect society has to be practiced individually, intentionally and daily for it to become a reality." That is at the core of this film, and it is illustrated beautifully.I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen the film, but I think the way that the main characters turn this situation around is truly brilliant!Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, on its own merits, Magic Town is a truly wonderful film. If you are a fan of IAWL, James Stewart or Jane Wyman - or just a fan of a good stories with depth, darkness, humor, personality and emotion - I recommend it highly.I give it 8/10. (IAWL gets a 9/10.)

Maybe the silliest story ever to make it onto the silver screen. James Stewart plays a pollster looking for a town of such mathematical perfection that, whatever you polled its people, it would reflect exactly what the entire nation would feel about a give subject. He finds this place in Grandview, and there he takes his team. When Stewart finds local newspaper editor Jane Wyman trying to convince the town council to build a new civic center, he butts in. If the town were to change at all, its magical polling phenomenon could fade. Similar to The Music Man, Stewart develops a relationship with Wyman to keep the town as it is. Fortunately, it's less cynical and fake than the relationship between the two main characters of The Music Man, and, where Robert Preston's love still seems suspicious by the end of that film, Stewart's feels genuine quickly. He doesn't want the miracle to end, but he is utterly seduced not only by Wyman, but also by the small town. When the town discovers their perfect polling ability, they screw it up pretty much instantly (79% of the population say they would vote for a woman president!). The town goes down the toilet, and it's up to some faithful citizens, joined by the reformed Stewart, to save it. As ridiculous as the initial concept for Magic Town is, it gets even worse near the end. Stewart did this film directly after It's a Wonderful Life, and the small town sentiment is nearly identical in both films. While the first touches me, it's simply schmaltzy in Magic Town. The performances by Stewart and Wyman, as well as many decent supporting performances from many ever-reliable character actors, are better than the movie deserves. Stewart, in particular, is great. I've never seen this guy give a bad performance, and he throws himself behind this awful script with his full soul. He almost got me to buy it. Wyman's beautiful eyes enchanted me. But in the end, the story was just too ludicrous. 6/10.

Certainly not one of the great comedies, but charming and rather whimsical in its own way. In this day and age of raucous and crude humour (if you can call it that), a movie like "Magic Town" will probably seem hopelessly old-fashioned and dated, but for those who prefer a quieter and more gentle humour, "Magic Town" will fill the bill very nicely. Very Frank Capra-like (not surprisingly since screenwriter Robert Riskin collaborated with Capra numerous times), "Magic Town" reminds us of a by-gone era, a time when living in a small town meant knowing your neighbours, pride in your community, and the moral values of common decency and humility were still part of everyday life. James Stewart as the pollster who discovers a town full of people whose opinions exactly mirror the national thinking gives his customary good performance, as does Jane Wyman as the newspaper publisher who wants to see change in the town. Many well-known character actors (Kent Smith, Wallace Ford, Ann Shoemaker and particularly Ned Sparks) provide capable support. A slight offering, perhaps, but quite worthwhile.