Search - Home Town Story on DVD

Hometown sore loser

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 06/11/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Before HOME TOWN STORY, Marilyn Monroe had minor parts in a dozen pictures, most notably THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950) and ALL ABOUT EVE (1950). With her Triton Oil TV spot straight-haired coif, Marilyn's role is peripheral here, as well. "Home Town Story" is a ''B" grade MGM programmer.



SYNOPSIS--

Newly out-of-office Blake Washburn (Lynn) believes the son of a wealthy businessman tricked the electorate into voting for him. Blake uses his editor's position on the family newspaper to search for dirt on his victorious opponent. His columns attack the new senator and companies owned by the man's dad.



Blake's hostilities soon extend to local corporations. Star reporter Slim Haskins (Hale) doesn't like it and gets punished for saying so with menial story assignments. When Blake admits to fiancée Janice Hunt (Reynolds) that he's broken a promise to work for the people and is using the paper only to get re-elected, she threatens to leave him. Slim and Blake argue and start throwing punches. Their personal business is interrupted by a visitor, plus news of a school outing tragedy involving Blake's kid sister.





ALPHA VIDEO is a provider of vintage programming that's often unavailable elsewhere. Alpha's prices are fair, but so is transfer quality of some of their offerings. None have undergone restoration, yet this product's rareness and reasonable cost make it a worthwhile purchase.



Also from ALPHA:

DELINQUENT DAUGHTERS (1944) features glamorous Fifi D'Orsay. Known as the French Bombshell, Fifi was actually Canadian.





Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.



(5.3) Home Town Story (1951) - Jeffrey Lynn/Donald Crisp/Marjorie Reynolds/Alan Hale Jr./Marlyn Monroe (uncredited: Hugh Beaumont/John Archer/Hal Taggart/Tom Keene)"