User Reviews

Hometown Story, a rather cheaply made film, even for a B picture and especially since it comes from MGM, is stalwart Republican Louis B. Mayer's defense of the free enterprise system. Not that he hadn't done it before, one of the most rightwing films ever made came out of his studio a decade earlier with Boom Town. But that film was a big production with some heavy duty name players in it. This one was made with frugality in mind.

Jeffrey Lynn is our star who has returned to his hometown in Hometown Story a defeated State Senator, defeated by Hugh Beaumont grandson of Donald Crisp who is the biggest employer in the area. Lynn takes over the newspaper and decides to use it to gain support for a comeback bid. And who to go after but the biggest target around.

And if you can't find an issue, create one. Lynn attacks what he labels the obscene profits of Crisp's firm and others like it. That sends Crisp into Lynn's office with a theory of capitalism and a defense of his business practices.

At first people might dismiss this film because in this day and age we now see what corporations like Enron and investment banks like Goldman-Sachs have done. But I would quote no less than Martin Sheen from Wall Street who says there is a great deal of difference between speculators like Michael Douglas and businessmen like Crisp who started the business and put their work and sweat into it.

Of course it would be interesting 60 years later to see if that Hometown Story now includes said firm moving to a foreign country or to some state with right to work laws and no environmental regulations. It's a complicated business with no easy answers.

Hometown Story would be gathering dust in a tin can at MGM's vaults if it weren't for the fact that Marilyn Monroe has a small role as a secretary at Lynn's newspaper. She's not Lynn's love interest, that's reserved for Marjorie Reynolds. But she does send Lynn's best friend and star reporter Alan Hale into a tizzy. The future skipper of the USS Minow has his hormones in overdrive.

Economics is not an easy subject for films and Hometown Story will not provide any answers. But it's pleasant enough viewing.

A bit corny in its attempt to show how capitalism works when it isn't corrupted by heartless unsavory and greedy corporate criminals.

"Hometown Story" has to do with defeated local state senator Blake Washburn, Jeffrey Lynn, who's so embittered over his being turned out of office that after going back to his old job as editor of the Fairfax Herald decides to become a crusader against corporate corruption. Which in reality is attacking his opponents the new state senator McFarland, who defeated him, fathers business.

A angry young man with a chip on his shoulder Blake gets so involved in his anti-capitalistic crusade against old man John McFarland, Donald Crisp, over his sons defeat of him in the state elections that he completely overlooks the fact that the plant that he owns is the cleanest most environment-friendly and best run in the state. This make a now frustrated Blake turns his guns, or editorial, against every big business in the country who makes a profit regardless if it's done honestly or not! Trying on Blake's part to create a peoples revolution against big business/capitalism. This mindless action by Blake in 1951, at the hight of the Cold War, could well have had him both arrested and tried by the FBI and US Justice Department for treason!

Blake even though a likable guy is so obsessed with getting re-elected that he turns everyone who knows him like his fiancée Janice and best fiend reporter Slim Haskins, Marjorie Reynolds & Alan Hale Jr, against him. This leads Slim to almost end up almost punching him out in a confrontation he has with Balke in his office.

It takes a conversation that Blake has with John McFarland to fills the hot-headed editor in with what capitalism did in making America the great country that it is today. Later the near tragic accident that almost killed Blake's sister Kathy, Melinda Portman, and McFarland rescue of her that turned him in his negative ideas of capitalism around. Kathy trapped in a coal mine collapse, together with her new puppy Rags, painfully showed Blake the light as the forces of capitalism and the free market quickly and efficiently swung into action.

Old man, and business tycoon, McFarland using all the earth moving equipment that he had at his disposal ended up saving little Kathy's and her dogs life. In the end Blake now finally saw what capitalism had to offer the common working man and woman, and it was good. This all caused Blake to changed his mind as he became the biggest supporter of the capitalist system in the state. Rewriting and reediting all the bad things and press that ever said or wrote about big business making big bucks Blake now sees how important the benefits of capitalism is for the average working man and woman as well. Now with Blakes support all those big bucks will in the end help those, like his sister Kathy, who at first didn't seem to get, or benefit from, them. A bit condescending for my tastes in how great it is for corporations to make obscene profits which, we could only hope, in return helps all of us.

P.S Look for a young and scintillating Marilyn Monroe in the film in a bit part as sexy and unavailable, to at least the overly friendly Slim Haskins, Iris Martin. Iris' tight fitting sweaters are enough to make me want to get a job at the Fairfax Herald regardless of what I'll be paid in wages just so I can even get lucky enough to buy Marilyn a cup of coffee and have a chance to talk to her.

From an artistic perspective, this is an awful film. It did not start as a film originally, it started as a commercial, but was expanded into a movie. The film was commissioned by General Motors, and was never released commercially. The film production was supervised by the head of GM's film division, John K. Ford. The film was meant as corporate propaganda for GM, except the shoddy manner in which it was done makes Soviet propaganda look like a masterpiece. Basically the plot goes like this: a politician says something negative about the town's largest company. The company president then comes in and makes a five minute speech about how much the corporation has done and the glories of capitalism. Then later on a newspaper writer says something negative about the company. The corporate executive comes in again and makes a ten minute speech about how great their corporation, and every American corporation for that matter is. And so on and so forth. One of the characters is Alan Hale, better known as the Skipper on Gilligan's Island. Marilyn Monroe also has a small part, she is onscreen for less than two minutes. In the end of the movie, the politician/journalist's little sister gets buried in a cave-in. The company springs into action, and uses it's latest developed technology to save her. The company president flies the girl to a hospital and saves her life. The politician/journalist sees the light and how wonderful the corporation, and all corporations are. Barf.

This unreleased GM inhouse movie was on TV as a late night movie recently (probably because it had two minutes of yet-to-be-a-star Marilyn Monroe in it), it was so awful I had to find out who wrote, directed and produced it. As I said, it was produced by GM - the writer and director was Arthur Pierson. Four years later Pierson would direct "Born In Freedom: The Story of Colonel Drake", a 30 minute movie about the beginning of the oil industry. I had read how US corporations produced a lot of these propaganda films (as well as books etc.) in the 1950's and tried to get them out there before they came upon more subtle and persuasive techniques and not this hard, bang-you-over-the-head with Soviet-style shoddy propaganda. If anything, this movie is an artifact of that happening, and perhaps interesting in that respect.

"Home Town Story" is a frustrating B-movie from MGM. It has a few excellent story ideas but manages to execute them quite poorly. Despite this, it is watchable.

Jeffrey Lynn plays Blake Washburn--an ex-senator with a serious chip on his shoulder. He's mad he lost the re-election and is bent on punishing the guy responsible. So, as the new editor of a newspaper, he's bent on attacking the MacFarland family business--because the factory owner's son beat Washburn in the election! If Washburn sounds like a petty jerk, then you are correct. In addition to using the paper for his personal vendetta, he seriously ignores his incredibly long-suffering fiancé. Therein lies much of the problem with the film--the main character is unlikable and you really want a piano to fall on his head (or some equally horrid accident). Additionally, the film has a very odd message about economics and capitalism that COULD have been excellent had the message not been hammered home so poorly. Overall, despite the MGM glitz and a few good actors (I like the Washburn kid), it's a film that needed more time to allow the plot to move realistically instead of being so rushed and contrived.

This certainly has to be rated as one of the least interesting movies I've ever seen. I don't think I would go as far as to call it bad - simply dull would be a better word for it. It features passable performances from most of the leads (including a limited role for Marilyn Monroe as a sexy secretary with only a handful of lines) but aside from some suspense about the fate of little Katie in the last 20 minutes or so there really wasn't much here to hold my attention.

The movie starred Jeffrey Lynn as Blake Washburn - a one term state senator who's defeated for re-election and can't let it go. In fact he's the poster boy for sore losers, ready to pick fights with anybody who brings his defeat up, and convinced that the people were tricked into voting for his opponent. Frankly, he was a thoroughly unlikable character. Returning to his hometown, he uses his new position as editor of the family-run newspaper to criticize the man who beat him and to take on a variety of crusades, most notably against excess corporate profits. In that sense, the movie perhaps had some potential to provide a degree of social analysis, except that there was always question as to whether Washburn really cared about these issues, or whether he was simply using the paper as a platform to launch another election bid. In the end, the movie actually becomes a celebration of the system, as Washburn learns why profits are necessary, and how a company's profits benefit us all.

I found this most interesting for the very early look at Monroe, as well as for a look at a not bad piece of work from a young Alan Hale, Jr., who I know best as the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island." One thing really made me curious - how could Lynn play the brother of young Katie, played by Melinda Plowman, who got a few years as a bit player out of an acting career? Lynn would have been 42 when this was made, Plowman about 10. The family relationship was not at all believable. 4/10

An ex-politician called Blake Washburn (Jeffrey Lynn) and now an ambitious journalist blames a manager and Senator McFarland (Donald Crisp) for election as a senator but he was defeated . Then he denounces the big business in a newspaper called ¨The Herald¨ . He confronts his enemy by means of news , complaining about the profits melon and excessive richness of stockholders . At the newspaper works a gorgeous secretary called Iris (Marilyn Monroe) . When an unfortunate fact happens , his small sister is trapped into a mine , Washburn ought to examine his point of views and consider the profits to the customer .

The film contains social critical , drama and a little bit of comedy . The picture is short time , one hour approximately , for that reason is quickly seen and isn't boring . This is one of a handful of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions of the 1950-1951 period whose original copyrights were never renewed and are now apparently in Public Domain . It appears notorious secondary actors as Donald Crisp (How green was my valley), he makes an intelligent speech about profits . And , of course , Marilyn Monroe , before becoming famous with Niagara (1953) she acted in various roles as a blonde sexpot secretary . Marilyn Monroe was often expected to provide her own wardrobe , in fact , the sweater with the grey body and black sleeves that she wears worn previously in Fireball (1950) and in the final scene in All about Eva (1950). The motion picture was regularly directed by Arthur Pierson . Rating : passable and entertaining.

Yes I bought the DVD because of the Marilyn Monroe connection, but found a 1951 movie that was quite compelling as typical of the era: Yes, McCarthyism was raging, and the film had an "america is great" message. But that's all right. It was a good "morality story". Well written. Enjoyable (and this from a big liberal).

Allen Hale Jr. is great as the reporter and former WWII Sea-Bee. And I love the character actress who plays the Society Reporter at the newspaper. And, of course, Marjery Reynolds had a great career on early television, shortly after this film.

But the best performance - great despite the fact that it is the vehicle to please the "anti Communist" / Black-list fear of 1951, is that of Donald Crisp: an incredible actor!!

Strange little film, this...

I can almost imagine how they planned it (à la the conference in The Majestic): "For more emotional appeal, we need a kiddie and a doggie"... "Show how the bad guy becomes bad, then repents, in the face of high drama"... "The good guy must be introduced subtly, but then showing that all good comes from him and his company... a corporate doctor, a private plane that he pilots himself... Up to the life-saving motor (?) in the emergency room"... "And state (proof not needed) that his company treats poison waste well, and would never dump it into a river"... "To make the message sink better, let that gorgeous Miss Monroe say she wouldn't date the journalist, but marry the boss of a four-truck company"...

What probably wasn't planned is that when the taxi drives through the vast "MacFarland" plant, the main building is labeled General Motors.

Still, I found this film quite interesting, as a historic exhibit. I really enjoyed the bulldozer scenes.

On another hand, the message that company profits let the customer profit sounds a little faint in these days of Lehman Bros., Madoff, and what else is in the news :^)

Average programmer to fill the bottom of a double bill with Jeffrey Lynn his usual dull blank slate in the lead. He actually gives the film's worst performance not helping the meager story in the least.

Somehow they managed to wrangle Oscar winner Donald Crisp into a brief appearance, his last on screen work for three years-of course if this was the quality of stuff being offered no wonder he took a break, he's far better than this run of the mill junk deserves.

The real interest and the only reason the film is sought out today is for the presence in the cast of Marilyn Monroe and to a much lesser extent Gilligan's Island's Skipper, Alan Hale Jr.

Marilyn very much on the way up, her billing is far more prominent than the small part she plays would rate for anyone else, would play a few more minor roles like this throughout 1951. Within the year though she would be a minor star and within two a superstar permanently moving beyond this kind of routine assignment. She looks beautiful and handles the minimal demands of her secretary role well enough but she has a total of no more than five minutes screen time.

Strictly for those who are interested in seeing all of Marilyn's work, no matter how minor.

Arthur Pierson, I forgive you. Now that I've finished watching Home Town Story, and figured out the back story, I'm having such a good laugh, tears are coming down my eyes. Actually, it's the viewer commentaries that deserve the credit for the latter.

However, midway through, I would have strangled you, if you were still alive. It was starting to look like a real insult to journalism, a hatchet job on the so called liberal establishment press. There is nothing realistic about what this Blake Washburn character does, namely putting personal opinion pieces on the front page, along with opinionated headlines. No publisher would put a failed politician as the executive editor of a paper where he would be covering the guy who defeated him. The John Hale, Jr. character makes amends for this travesty, submitting his resignation, like a true journalist.

I had to turn this off and pick it up the next day, I was so ticked off. I spent the day mystified about how such a simplistically propagandist film could come out of Hollywood. It was 1951, the height of the Communist witch hunt in Washington, started by a Congressman from California named Richard Nixon. So perhaps this film was made to appease the right wing gods who were throwing Hollywood writers and actors in jail.

I was having trouble imagining someone actually paying money to watch this in a movie theater, even as a B movie second show. I just didn't make sense. One viewer may have hit the nail on the head when he likened it to the movies he had to watch in 7th grade social studies class. For this movie was actually produced by, believe it or not, General Motors, along with something called Wolverine Productions. I found this on the TCM site, but "The Deputy"'s 2004 review on IMDb has this detail: "The film production was supervised by the head of GM's film division, John K. Ford. The film was meant as corporate propaganda for GM ...."

OK, now things are starting to make sense. Sure, as propaganda (or as Americans put it, PR) the movie is a bit obvious and clunky. But, hey, capitalism is entitled to pat itself on the back, as long as it's paying the tab -- about $200,000.

It's not clear where this was actually shown back in the Fifties. Social studies classes? Hey, with Marilyn Monroe in a tight sweater, the guys are going to stay awake! Could that be the clever reason she's in there? The script is pretty bad, but acting by Hale, Donald Crisp and Monroe saves the film.

Of course, the great irony is that Monroe's brief appearance has given this stinker -- which, for all we know, may never have been seen in the Fifties outside of GM's boardroom -- immortality. None of us would be watching this today if it weren't for her, except perhaps on a Christian propaganda station. I wonder if they are, indeed, running it? After all, it's not every day you get to see Marilyn Monroe playing a vestal virgin.

Overall, this feature is really only fair at best, but it does have some points of interest. The most common reason why it is still watched today is the appearance of Marilyn Monroe in one of her earlier movie roles, and in fact the cast as a whole features an unusual mix of performers. The story is also mildly interesting as a window into its era.

The supporting cast almost makes it worth seeing by itself. How often do you see the combination of Marilyn Monroe, Donald Crisp, and Alan Hale, Jr. in the same movie? Monroe appears in several scenes, and although only one gives her any significant screen time, she does get the chance to command some attention. Hale is well-cast as the good-natured sidekick. Crisp's talent and experience keeps the last portion of the movie from coming apart. The lively Marjorie Reynolds is also in the cast, but her character doesn't give her many opportunities to show what she can do.

The story line was overtly designed to accommodate the corporate backers of the movie, and now it is really only of interest as a look at some common perceptions of its day. The last part of the movie did have the potential for some fairly effective melodrama, but parts of it become rather labored, and it is mainly thanks to Crisp's restrained performance that it remains watchable.

Jeffery Lynn is cast as the leading character, and while he has his moments, he does not really have the range to make a routine story like this work effectively. He does not make his character very likable or interesting, and as a result his character's perspective is largely trivialized. That plus the rather routine script make it a largely unmemorable movie, aside from the curiosity factor that it offers.

It was fun watching Alan Hale Jr. try to make time with no nonsense secretary Marilyn Monroe. But I couldn't get past the ridiculous casting of a man in his mid to late 30 with a 10 year old sister. He looked closer to his mom's age!

Home Town Story is a fine little film that gets noticed due to a supporting role played by Marilyn Monroe. It's not Gone With The Wind or The Wizard of Oz, but it definitely has a niche in film history all its own.

I own it on DVD and have seen it 8 times! Needless to say, I enjoy watching Home Town Story.

It's a movie with a message and it contains an appreciation for aspects of America which are often denigrated in modern movies: integrity, hard work and profits. Yes, I said profits!

This movie shows a man with a biased point of view who comes to realize that his political views have indeed compromised his his judgement, his sense of fair mindedness and even his integrity. This 1951 movie is just as relevant today as it was then. The folks who are the loudest critics of Home Town story are like the main character, Blake MacFarland, at the beginning of the movie: overly harsh and critical and even closed minded to any ideology other than their own.

The truth that is relevant and brilliant about Home Story is what it exposes about its critics: an unwillingness to consider that any opinion other than their own could have merit until they can no longer refute the truth nor live with their denial of it.

Jeffrey Lynn, an actor previously unknown to me, gave a serious portrayal of his character, Blake MacFarland. Marjorie Reynolds was good as his patient fiancee. Alan Hale, Jr. was funny and touching in his role as coworker and true friend of Blake MacFarland. Donald Crisp is right on target in his portrayal of a wise and successful as well as talented business man who was compassionate and humble. Barbara Brown, Melinda Plowman and yes, Marilyn Monroe, are all fine in supporting roles. The director kept the film moving at a brisk pace and the editing is good. The story does not seem dated.

Kudos to the director for giving Marilyn Monroe a chance to shine for a few minutes in this film. It's a treat to see the work she did and see her in something different. There is an integrity to her performance, even in the long shots of her working at her desk, that is fascinating to me.

There's a reason Home Town Story, a film never released in theaters, is showing up on DVD and on TV. It's the message and the integrity of the film. Marilyn Monroe played minor roles in several movies in the very early 1950's, but none with a solid message like this one, not even All About Eve or The Asphalt Jungle which are indeed superior movies. Home Town Story has a niche all its own in film history. It's a good movie, fun to watch and worth adding to your DVD Collection.

"Jeffrey Lynn plays an ex-politician who blames big business for his failure to get re-elected. To expose big business as an evil monster he joins his uncle's newspaper. When his little sister is caught in a cave-in, the town's largest company comes to her aid and he must now reconsider" his opposition to corporate America. Mr. Lynn (as Blake Washburn) and Marjorie Reynolds (as Janice Hunt) would have been better off playing the parents of the girl - what the heck were they doing before his five years in the Army and two in the State Capitol?

Best friendly Alan Hale Jr. (as Slim Haskins) and sagely Donald Crisp (as John MacFarland) serve very workmanlike supporting parts. Mr. Crisp gets to end a speech with director/writer Arthur Pierson's obtuse observation, "When this country was first discovered, there was nothing here." Marilyn Monroe (as Iris Martin) has a relatively small, but pointed, secretarial role. It probably goes without saying that Ms. Monroe's occasional appearances, in close-fitting attire, are the film's highlights.

** Home Town Story (5/18/51) Arthur Pierson ~ Jeffrey Lynn, Alan Hale Jr., Marilyn Monroe, Marjorie Reynolds

This movie definitely has the feel of a B picture, or poverty row production. Although it is an MGM production at a time when it was "the" premiere Hollywood studio, "Home Town Story" seems such a weak production. If not for the child getting trapped in an abandoned mine when a school bus takes kids on an outing, there would be little here to arouse an audience from the doldrums. Indeed, the doldrums begin to set in fast before that incident that wakes one up. Otherwise, the plot is quite lifeless. When Sam Washburn loses his reelection bid for a senate seat, he returns as a reporter for his uncle's paper and takes on big business, which he blames for his loss.

The cast doesn't have prominent leads, with Jeffrey Lynn playing Washburn and Marjorie Reynolds as Janice Hunt. Only Alan Hale Jr., Donald Crisp, and Marilyn Monroe in supporting roles will be recognized by movie buffs in the 21st century. One other reviewer comments about the small part Marilyn Monroe has here, as an attraction for interest. But I suspect that's more of an older generation's interest. While I'm among the old-timers, I have many grandchildren and see and talk with lots of young folks today. There just isn't the interest or awareness of past history so much among the young people of today. Each succeeding generation seems to have less knowledge of early 20th century and of the early decades of filmdom.

But, then, those of us who grew up in the mid-20th century were much closer in time to the earliest years of Hollywood, and often read or heard more stories of the hard times and earlier history. Except for old-time movie fans, and those who know and enjoy history, very few young people today even know or recognize the names of prominent actors and movie stars of the past. And that goes for sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe as well.

Here are the best couple of lines from this film.

Taxi Driver (Lev), "Blake, I wouldn't be worried about not being reelected if I weir you." Blake Washburn, "I wasn't." Taxi Driver, "Politics is a funny thing. Sometime the voters like you, and sometimes they don't."

Slim Haskins, "How long do you have to work around here before you stop calling me Mr. Haskins?" Iris Martin, "I always treat men with respect, then they treat me with respect, Mr. Haskins."

HOME TOWN STORY is clearly designed as a propaganda film extolling American values of free enterprise and capitalism, that not only make money but work for everyone's benefit. In a long speech the British-born Donald Crisp, a veteran MGM contract artist, has the chance to tell bullying newspaper editor Blake Washburn (Jeffrey Lynn) about the folly of attacking big business people, especially when it is the same business people that ultimately save Blake's little sister Katie (Melinda Plowman) from death. In light of recent scandals about capitalists making astronomical profits at their workers' expense, such sentiments seem a bit rich now; but at the time the film was released (1951), it was most likely perceived as a vindication of American values at the height of the so-called "Red Scare." Of perhaps more lasting value is the film's depiction of the kind of small town values that seldom exist today. Suburbanization had yet to begin; and most residents of Washburn's town live close to the center. The main street is thronged with people; and the newspaper (which Washburn edits) not only sells well but includes stories of mostly local interest. Everyone knows everyone else, and try their best to look out for one another. When Washburn embarks on his campaign to discredit big business, he offends many of his fellow-workers, who believe that he is somehow undermining small town values. Slim Haskins (Alan Hale Jr.), his faithful sidekick, goes so far as to threaten resignation.

In this safe environment gender roles are clearly delineated; the men go out to work while the women look after the home. Blake's mother (Barbara Brown) spends her time cooking meals and keeping the home clean; while the men bravely rescue her daughter from a collapsed gold-mine, she stands on the periphery looking worried. Direct action is not really her sphere of interest.

Writer/ director Arthur Pierson's script is largely predictable, but does have the virtue of pace: a lot happens during the film's sixty-five minute running-time. Marilyn Monroe has a cameo role as a buttoned-up secretary politely resisting Slim's advances, but she makes little impression on the viewer's consciousness.

HOME TOWN STORY is the kind of mild entertainment that was expected of a second feature at the time - not particularly good, but not particularly bad either, especially for anyone interested in Fifties domestic sociology.

Home Town Story starts off with a solid enough idea but one that unfortunately is not that well executed. For starters the lead character having such a young sister is not really credible, in particular without the benefit if any real back story to this family. Then the fact that the lead character isn't really likeable makes things challenging. Yes, it a safe, pleasant enough film with a 'good' story but it has absolutely no teeth whatsoever. It moves along but lacks anything unique or of note that the viewer can really engage with or lean into to. I guess Home Town Story is watchable in its inoffensiveness but at the same time provides no real reason to watch, unless your a major Marilyn Monroe fan, or maybe even an interest in Alan Hale Jr./Skipper.