[6]

Cary Grant stars as Dr. Noah Praetorius, a well-meaning doctor and professor who falls for a troubled young woman (Jeanne Crain) while simultaneously dodging a jealous colleague’s (Hume Cronyn) perpetual witch hunt. People Will Talk is sweet if you stay on the surface of the story. I like the witch hunt storyline which ends with a darkly comic revelation. But the relationship between Grant and Crain’s characters kinda bugs me. Student/teacher relationship aside, Crain’s character is a pretty emotionally disturbed individual — I mean, she attempts suicide in their first scene together. Grant then lies to her to keep her from knowing she’s pregnant… then marries her? The movie tries its best to keep things glib and bubbly, but it’s hard to forget her poorly-conceived character or his dubious motivations toward her. Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve). Look for a cameo by Margaret Hamilton (Oz‘s wicked witch).