Our Town (1940 film)

Our Town is a 1940 film adaptation of a play of the same name by Thornton Wilder starring Martha Scott as Emily Webb, and William Holden as George Gibbs. The cast also included Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchell, Guy Kibbee and Frank Craven. It was adapted by Harry Chandlee, Craven and Wilder, and directed by Sam Wood.

The film was a faithful reproduction of the play except for two significant changes: the film used scenery, whereas the play had not; the events of the third act, which in the play revolve around the death of one of the main characters, were turned into a dream from which Emily awakens — she is then able to resume a normal life. Producer Sol Lesser worked with Wilder in creating these changes.

A radio adaptation of the film on Lux Radio Theater on May 6, 1940, used the altered film ending.

The U.S. copyright of the film was not renewed after its first term expired in 1968. However, because it is a derivative work from a play that is still under U.S. copyright, it is not deemed to be in the public domain.

Our Town

Our Town is a 1938 three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens.

Throughout Wilder uses metatheatrical devices setting the play in the actual theatre where it is being performed. The main character is the stage manager of the theatre who directly addresses the audience, brings in guests lecturers, fields questions from the audience, and fills in playing some of the roles. The play is performed without a set and the actors mime their actions without the use of props.

Our Town was first performed at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey in 1938. It later went on to success on Broadway and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It remains popular today and revivals are frequent.

Synopsis

Act I: Daily Life

The Stage Manager introduces the audience to the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, and the people living there as a morning begins in the year 1901. Professor Willard speaks to the audience about the history of the town. Joe Crowell delivers the paper to Doc Gibbs, Howie Newsome delivers the milk, and the Webb and Gibbs households send their children (Emily and George, respectively) off to school on this beautifully simple morning.

Our Town (disambiguation)

Our Town may refer to:

Theatre, film, and television

Music

Our Town (The Vampire Diaries)

"Our Town" is the eleventh episode of the third season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 55th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on January 12, 2012. The episode was written by Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Wendey Stanzler.

Plot

Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Bonnie (Kat Graham) are preparing a party for Caroline’s (Candice Accola) birthday while Elena tells Bonnie that she asked Damon (Ian Somerhalder) to compel Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) to leave town. Bonnie is surprised and does not agree with that but she eventually says goodbye to Jeremy without telling him that Damon compelled him.

Caroline does not want to have a birthday party since now she is a vampire and dead and stuck being seventeen. They all go to the old tomb to have a "funeral" instead so they will give Caroline the opportunity to say goodbye to her old life and be able to accept the new one to start over.

Stefan (Paul Wesley) asks Klaus (Joseph Morgan) to remove his hybrids from the town otherwise he will start killing them one by one. When Klaus threatens him that if he does that he will kill everyone starting from Damon, Stefan answers back that if he does that, he will never see his family again. To prove Klaus that he is not bluffing, Stefan kills one of the hybrids in front of him. When Stefan leaves, Klaus calls Tyler (Michael Trevino) asking him to bite Caroline but Tyler refuses to do it.