by Kari Bowles
December is the month for movies that foster warm and wholesome feelings—it’s why people who enjoy Christmas movies enjoy them. It’s only natural to seek out entertainment that manages to restore our faith in human nature, especially in a world so intent on crumbling it. Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s People Will Talk (1951) isn’t a Christmas movie in the literal sense of being set during the holiday season, but it still struck me as a perfect film to highlight for this time of year. It is a neglected classic, a story filled with warmth and poignant insight that holds aloft the possibility of human goodness being able to triumph. Virtue can unfortunately seem staid or dull if it isn’t approached with dramatic wit or charm; this is why it helps to have Cary Grant, the most witty and charming of movie stars, as your leading actor.
Grant stars as Dr. Noah Praetorius, a professor and medical doctor at a university in the Midwest. His success through unorthodox techniques (he encourages people to laugh and play musical instruments, among other things) and popularity with students provokes the ire of a jealous colleague, Prof. Elwell (Hume Cronyn). Dr. Praetorius becomes the target of a witch hunt, his friendship with a mysterious and ever-present man named Mr. Shunderson (Finlay Currie, who some viewers may recognize from his supporting role in William Wyler’s Ben-Hur) serving as one of the main points of accusation. In the midst of the smear campaign, Dr. Praetorius befriends a young woman named Deborah Higgins (Jeanne Crain). She is pregnant and suicidal, her ex-boyfriend has been killed in action in Korea, and she cannot bear for her father to find out. Dr. Praetorius dissuades her from suicide, and their relationship slowly blossoms into a romantic one. Will the good doctor be able to salvage his professional reputation and continue to help others lead happy lives?
If this all sounds like serious material for a comedy, it is. People Will Talk has a startling amount of daring in addressing some of the issues at its center, especially considering it was produced when the Production Code was still in effect. Credit is due to Mankiewicz, a hugely talented director and screenwriter with titles like Citizen Kane (1941) and All About Eve (1950) to his credit. He had an ear for funny repartee with a sharp-edged subtext. He is able to tell a story that touches on subject matter like unintended pregnancy, the HUAC investigations, and the pressure to suppress individuality not with portentous preaching, but with humor and goodhearted openness. The laughs don’t originate from broad slapstick, but more from gentle silliness—the scene involving multiple toy train sets is a case in point— and dialogue scenes that build to unexpected and delightful punch lines. People Will Talk is the sort of movie best enjoyed on a freezing winter night, wrapped in a blanket, and with a hot beverage in hand. Treat yourself to it. •
