All Over the Town

Not to be confused with the 1937 American film All Over Town.

All Over the Town
Original film poster
Directed by	Derek N. Twist
Screenplay by	Michael Gordon Derek N. Twist
Based on	All Over the Town by R. F. Delderfield
Produced by	Ian Dalrymple Michael Gordon
Starring	Norman Wooland Sarah Churchill Cyril Cusack Ronald Adam
Cinematography	C. M. Pennington-Richards
Edited by	Sidney Stone
Music by	Temple Abady
Production companies	Wessex Film Productions Pinewood Films
Release date	2 March 1949 (1949-03-02)
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

All Over the Town is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Derek N. Twist and starring Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill and Cyril Cusack. It was written by Michael Gordon and Twist based on the 1947 novel by R. F. Delderfield.

Plot

After serving in the RAF during the Second World War, Nat Hearn returns to his prewar job as a reporter on the Tormouth Clarion. He meets and is attracted to Sally Thorpe, who had replaced him when he enlisted and has been given notice now he has returned. He arranges for her to be kept on and they spend time together and become engaged to marry. Later, Nat becomes a co-owner and editor of the paper, but the other co-owner disagrees with Nat's new editorial policy which often involves upsetting people who provide the paper with much of its advertising revenue. So he arranges for most of the staff to take holiday time-off simultaneously to prevent Nat's opposition to Tormouth council's proposed redevelopment scheme from which some councillors plan to profit personally. Despite this, at a public meeting called by the council, Nat and his small band of supporters manage to convince the locals to support Nat in the dispute.

Cast

• Norman Wooland as Nat Hearn
• Sarah Churchill as Sally Thorpe
• Cyril Cusack as Gerald Vane
• Ronald Adam as Sam Vane
• Bryan Forbes as Trumble
• James Hayter as Baines
• Fabia Drake as Miss Gelding
• John Salew as Sleek
• Stanley Baker as Barnes
• Edward Rigby as Grimmett
• Patrick Doonan as Burton
• Eleanor Summerfield as Beryl Hopper
• Trefor Jones as Tenor
• Sandra Dorne as Marlene
• Hubert Leslie as Skinner
• Henry Edwards as Major Martindale
• Frederick Leister as Wainer
• Patrick Macnee as Mr. Vince
• Anthony Oliver as PC Butt
• Erik Chitty as Frobisher
• Walter Horsbrugh as Mr. Thornton
• Lydia Bilbrook as Mrs Vane (uncredited)

Production

All Over the Town was the fourth of five films produced by Wessex Film Productions, a production company founded in 1947 by Ian Dalrymple and Jack Lee, both formerly of the Crown Film Unit. The film was shot in Lyme Regis.

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The acting for the most part is good, but not outstanding. The satirical comedy and humour are good. Direction and production are adequate and the film has an exciting climax and satisfying ending."

The New York Times described it as a "slow, dogmatic little picture" with a "dog-eared" plot. In The Times, the film's plot was seen as unoriginal, executed "without inspiration or any originality of thought".

Later history

By the beginning of the 21st century, the only known surviving copy of the film was the negative at the BFI National Film and Television Archive. In 2005, the Lyme Regis Film Society commissioned the production of a new print from the negative. This copy of the film is housed in Lyme Regis Museum and was shown at the local Regent Cinema on a few occasions before it burnt down in 2016. Since 2018, the film has been shown on the UK television channel Talking Pictures TV.

External links

• All Over the Town at IMDb
• All Over the Town at the BFI Film & TV Database
• Review of film at Variety