I have read some reviews and feel so many miss the point of this film . The intro gives the gist in a nutshell - ' a busy telephone exchange where everybody knows on Sunday what everybody did on Saturday night -and the rest of the week '.
The film is slow in developing the theme ,but it does a good job of getting all of the characters identified and their traits so the plot is ready to unfold .It unfolds quickly and then the misdeed is set in motion . Conny and Eva are the 2 " hot ones ' on the youth circuit . When they see Ruth coming back in Romer's car , they begin with their havoc . First Connie lies and and then Eva lets the cat out of the bag on the phone in front of her mother .
The film shows how quickly gossip can spread and how the story expands and the changes are received as gospel truth . The cruelty and the harshness continue to grow with the telling and re-telling . No one dare questions the veracity of the charges . Once the gossip gets going , there is no recalling the charges . The tragedy is they will never get their comeuppance because no one will trace the source . That's life in a small town where there is a busy telephone exchange
Then the gossips take over . Ruth's reputation is ruined in one day .An it continues as small towns need to have something to talk about . It grows worse until Ruth is looked upon as the town tramp and fired .
She sees marrying Randolph Scott as a quick way to end the shame , but it wouldn't in reality . She would be years living this scandal down if ever .
This was about as accurate a portrayal of the visciousness of life in a small town as you will find . This truly is a piece of 'Americana 'of life as you will find .
Jane Darwell expressed small town mentality of parents not wanting to be embarrassed by the actions of the children because they have live with the populace . Today , most parents would give it no thought
That is the reason Grant's name was pronounced 'rumor' . The ending was stilted and contrived to tone down the scandal . Ruth was getting away from it all . You see the little hesitation of Ruth as she lifts her head up and then she lays her head on Grant's shoulder . Grant's transformation is stretching one's credulousness . All of the ending was asking too much .
The film is slow in developing the theme ,but it does a good job of getting all of the characters identified and their traits so the plot is ready to unfold .It unfolds quickly and then the misdeed is set in motion . Conny and Eva are the 2 " hot ones ' on the youth circuit . When they see Ruth coming back in Romer's car , they begin with their havoc . First Connie lies and and then Eva lets the cat out of the bag on the phone in front of her mother .
The film shows how quickly gossip can spread and how the story expands and the changes are received as gospel truth . The cruelty and the harshness continue to grow with the telling and re-telling . No one dare questions the veracity of the charges . Once the gossip gets going , there is no recalling the charges . The tragedy is they will never get their comeuppance because no one will trace the source . That's life in a small town where there is a busy telephone exchange
Then the gossips take over . Ruth's reputation is ruined in one day .An it continues as small towns need to have something to talk about . It grows worse until Ruth is looked upon as the town tramp and fired .
She sees marrying Randolph Scott as a quick way to end the shame , but it wouldn't in reality . She would be years living this scandal down if ever .
This was about as accurate a portrayal of the visciousness of life in a small town as you will find . This truly is a piece of 'Americana 'of life as you will find .
Jane Darwell expressed small town mentality of parents not wanting to be embarrassed by the actions of the children because they have live with the populace . Today , most parents would give it no thought
That is the reason Grant's name was pronounced 'rumor' . The ending was stilted and contrived to tone down the scandal . Ruth was getting away from it all . You see the little hesitation of Ruth as she lifts her head up and then she lays her head on Grant's shoulder . Grant's transformation is stretching one's credulousness . All of the ending was asking too much .