Search - The Town Went Wild on DVD

"It is a wise child who knows his own father" - Tyremus

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 07/29/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Pennsylvania-based ALPHA VIDEO is owned by Jerry Greene, founder of Collectable Records. Quality of their unrestored movie transfers varies from fair to good, based on condition of source material stock (often old 16mm broadcast prints). The only extras provided are a catalog insert and DVD-accessible title list.


Irish-born Freddie Bartholomew was abandoned by his parents as a baby and raised by relatives in London, England. Working steadily in British films from the age of 6, Freddie found instant fame in America with George Cukor's DAVID COPPERFIELD (1935). Next came ANNA KARENINA (1935) with Greta Garbo and Fredric March. In his first year in the U.S., young Bartholomew established himself as the most popular child actor after Shirley Temple.

Further success followed: LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1936), CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937), KIDNAPPED (1938) and SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1940). By age 16, Fred's acting career was in serious decline. He made three mediocre military-themed programmers for COLUMBIA, got 4th billing behind Mickey Rooney in MGM's A YANK AT ETON (1942), then entered the Air Force. After the war, 20-year-old Fred starred in this very minor comedy, appeared in a few live TV dramas, got 5th billing in a Dick Haymes picture called ST. BENNY THE DIP (1951), then retired from movies to work on Madison Ave.


SYNOPSIS for THE TOWN WENT WILD (1944)--
A Hall of Records clerk discovers that two feuding next door neighbors, both fathers of newly born sons, accidentally signed the birth certificate for the other man's boy, thus they have each raised the wrong child. Young David (Bartholomew) and Bob (Jimmy Lydon) are best friends. David attempts to elope with Carol (Jill Browning), Bob's sister before the mix-up was discovered, so if not for a 3-day waiting period he would've married his own sister!

In this fast-paced minor comedy of errors, Edward Everett Horton, as one of the two dads, delivers a typically fine performance. His counterpart, Tom Tully is equally good. Bartholomew, who has nearly lost his British accent, looks frail. Lydon, best known for a series of Henry Aldrich programmers, is spirited but not amusing. In fairness though, the humor is slight here despite a meaty premise."