"The Wizard of Oz" fans will get a kick out of seeing Charley Grapewin (Uncle Henry) and Clara Blandick (Auntie Em) as antagonists here. She is the society leader of a group of gossipy women, always listening in on the party line and spreading vicious rumors based upon missing facts which threaten to destroy the life of the heroine (Jean Arthur) whom Blandick and her society cronies are very jealous of. When well to do Victor Jory returns to the small town after years away and begins to spend quality time with Arthur, Blandick and the other biddies vindictively make Arthur an outcast, simply because Jory chose to spend time with her over their available daughters. This vendetta leads to Arthur being disqualified during a town flower show and a confrontation between Grapewin (as Arthur's dipsomaniac father) and Blandick which makes the kindly Auntie Em seem more like one of Oz's wicked witches.
Like another 1935 classic ("Way Down East", which featured "Oz's" witchy Margaret Hamilton as the local gossip), this is a lesson on "The Tongue", my favorite chapter of the book of James in the New Testament which preaches on the evils of gossip and malicious behavior involving the flapping of the lips. It's not only the women who are gossips here; The men who hang out in a local barroom are just as guilty of it, which leads to Grapewin making a desperate decision. What begins as a slow tale of the lack of morality amongst the high and mighty who think they are true God fearing Christians becomes engrossing drama as the rumor mill gets more and more dirty and Jory (cast against type here as a romantic hero as opposed to his usual villains) sets the stage for revenge. The best performance comes from Helen Lowell as Jory's bed-ridden Aunt who makes a surprise appearance in the finale to reveal the secrets of the town which she knows but has kept secret.
Reminding me of that wonderful Jane Wyman/Rock Hudson romantic soaper "All That Heaven Allows" when it comes to revealing the hypocrisies of society, "Party Wire" isn't a star vehicle for Jean Arthur by any means, but a combination of delicious character performances and moral observations on society that probably had a few matrons squirming in their seats as they recognized themselves up there on the big screen. You can't help but feel as you watch this that there is a way to get around the temptation to gossip or keep truths which are nobody's business out of the wrong ears. "Get your ears out of my mouth", an old friend of mine at work used to tell nearby busybodies. That sound echoes in my own ears after seeing this movie which also adds on an ending that shows forgiveness and retribution rather than revenge.
Like another 1935 classic ("Way Down East", which featured "Oz's" witchy Margaret Hamilton as the local gossip), this is a lesson on "The Tongue", my favorite chapter of the book of James in the New Testament which preaches on the evils of gossip and malicious behavior involving the flapping of the lips. It's not only the women who are gossips here; The men who hang out in a local barroom are just as guilty of it, which leads to Grapewin making a desperate decision. What begins as a slow tale of the lack of morality amongst the high and mighty who think they are true God fearing Christians becomes engrossing drama as the rumor mill gets more and more dirty and Jory (cast against type here as a romantic hero as opposed to his usual villains) sets the stage for revenge. The best performance comes from Helen Lowell as Jory's bed-ridden Aunt who makes a surprise appearance in the finale to reveal the secrets of the town which she knows but has kept secret.
Reminding me of that wonderful Jane Wyman/Rock Hudson romantic soaper "All That Heaven Allows" when it comes to revealing the hypocrisies of society, "Party Wire" isn't a star vehicle for Jean Arthur by any means, but a combination of delicious character performances and moral observations on society that probably had a few matrons squirming in their seats as they recognized themselves up there on the big screen. You can't help but feel as you watch this that there is a way to get around the temptation to gossip or keep truths which are nobody's business out of the wrong ears. "Get your ears out of my mouth", an old friend of mine at work used to tell nearby busybodies. That sound echoes in my own ears after seeing this movie which also adds on an ending that shows forgiveness and retribution rather than revenge.