weezeralfalfa Directed by William Wyler, this is a light comedy and drama about the quest for taking accurate polls that involves only a small defined population as being an accurate representative of the whole country. The trick is to find that localized population, and hope it stays that way for some years. Thus, it should ideally be conservative in its growth and change in demographics, or so Jimmy Stewart's character thought.It has its comedic moments, such as the chaotic time when it becomes the destination for many outsiders, who want to move there or give their opinions there. The ups and downs in the relationship between Jimmy Stewart, as the chief pollster and Jane Wyman, head of the movement to make Grandview grow, is amusing. But, to me, the funniest bit is the informal competition between Stewart and Jane in reciting "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (Stewart), and "The Song of Hiawatha"(Jane), simultaneously, to each other. That took some talent!The Middletown sociological study which inspired this screenplay was conducted during the 1920s and '30s, by Robert and Helen Lynd. They searched for and found a town with demographics for the Caucasian residents only, similar to the mean for the US as a whole. About 5% of the population was African Americans, who were excluded. It appears that the study in this screenplay also excluded African Americans, Latinos and Asians, as none were seen among the residents or visitors. Thus, neither the original study nor the polls taken in this screenplay necessarily provided an accurate sample of Americans as a whole. This is even more true today, when African Americans, Latinos and Asians make up about 35% of the population. The 2016 presidential election showed that the great divide between small town plus rural areas, on the one hand, and large cities plus their large suburbs, on the other, was the most significant factor in determining whether Republicans or Democrats carried a region or state. Thus, to conduct a reasonably accurate poll on the presidential candidates would require a minimum of inclusion of representatives of these two populations in their proportion in the US as a whole. Also, in the case of presidential elections, one would have to estimate the number of probable voters in each of these categories for each state, because the number of electors/voters is slightly greater for small population states than for large ones. Thus, although Hilary Clinton won the overall popular vote by a very slim margin, Donald Trump won the electoral vote by a substantial margin, partly because the Democrat votes were more concentrated in the big population states, especially California.Interestingly, after the town people realized that their opinions were being tracked as representative of an ideal town for taking polls, they were asked whether they thought a woman could function satisfactorily as president. 79% responded 'yes'. This was considered an outrageous result. As history has shown, in reality, the nation was far from considering the possibility of a woman president.I don't understand why people confused Grandview as a representative town for taking polls with Grandview as an ideal town to live in or near. This confusion of attributes is what precipitated the chaos after a news report labeled Grandview as the ideal(not typical) American town.See this film in B&W at YouTube.

JonathanDQuatro This is a perfect example of Jimmy Stewart saving yet another movie. Many of his films would have been terrible if someone else were cast in his role, but his presence is enough to make them worth watching. In "Magic Town" pretty much all of the rest of the cast is mediocre, the plot is fragile, and the script is just OK, but Stewart saves the day with his brilliant handling of dialogue and charming display of wit. His performance alone saves the entire film from failing, and makes it all very enjoyable. This movie is classic Jimmy Stewart. He is terrific, showing his ability to seamlessly mix comedy with drama. One brilliant comedic moment occurs when Stewart and Wyman try to out-do each other in quoting poetry, with her rendition of "Hiawatha" being drowned out by his shouting of "The Charge of the Light Brigade." A startled janitor sees them and begins quoting Shakespeare, creating a chaotic moment of hilarity. Unfortunately, the latter half of the film takes the focus off of Stewart and places it on the female lead (Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan's first wife) and her situation. This leads to the film lagging a bit toward the end. If only the director had realized that Jimmy Stewart is to films as a star quarterback is to his football team; the more playing time he receives, the better the outcome. Still an enjoyable, charming way to spend an hour and a half.

omalleypa I will comment on this film in general terms and try to avoid spoilers...I have read through a lot of other people's comments and I think many of them missed the point of Magic Town. Yes, it's old-fashioned and a little corny, and yes it's not as good as It's A Wonderful Life, but in my opinion, IAWL is one of the most emotionally-stirring and profound films ever made. I have seen IAWL many times, but have never made it through the final scene without tears!In very simplistic terms IAWL is about the positive effects one person can have on society, without even realizing it, while Magic Town is more about the negative effects one can have on the masses.Someone previously commented "Not a bad person in the whole town".The plot does not focus on purely "bad" people because that would detract from the point of the narrative. In this film, James Stewart is essentially the bad guy! He's selfish, greedy, manipulative and dishonest, and it is his actions, with a little bit of help from Jane Wyman, that cause a chain of events that virtually destroy the fabric of the town. When this happens, these "good" people become pessimistic, lazy and selfish.However, I do agree with some of the other comments, including the one that says "People had to learn the perfect society has to be practiced individually, intentionally and daily for it to become a reality." That is at the core of this film, and it is illustrated beautifully.I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen the film, but I think the way that the main characters turn this situation around is truly brilliant!Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, on its own merits, Magic Town is a truly wonderful film. If you are a fan of IAWL, James Stewart or Jane Wyman - or just a fan of a good stories with depth, darkness, humor, personality and emotion - I recommend it highly.I give it 8/10. (IAWL gets a 9/10.)

slymusic "Magic Town" is a nice little comedy/drama and the second picture that James Stewart made after World War II, his first picture being the classic "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). In "Magic Town," Stewart portrays Lawrence "Rip" Smith, a slick, big-city opinion pollster in search of a "mathematical miracle": a small town whose opinions (and subsequent numerical figures) reflect those of the country as a whole. When he finds out that Grandview is one such place, he seizes his opportunity to make a fast buck and heads off to this "perfect town," all the while posing as an insurance agent...and coaching the high school basketball team on the side. All goes well until Rip's love interest, newspaper editor Mary Peterman (Jane Wyman), finds out what he's up to.Here are my favorite moments from "Magic Town." The dance at the town meeting hall is briefly interrupted by a congregational singing of the best high school alma mater I have ever heard, titled "My Book of Memory." Rip butts in on a conference held by the mayor (Harry Holman) and convinces him and his committee not to change the town; if it weren't for the fact that Rip is a smooth-talking con man putting on a facade for the mayor and his committee, he otherwise appears as the quintessential boyish, drawling, folksy, innocent, idealistic, all-American Jimmy Stewart. The kind-faced Lou Dicketts (Wallace Ford) is one of the funnier characters in the picture because practically every sentence he speaks contains the word "whatchacallit." Rip boldly recites "Charge of the Light Brigade" against Mary's more subdued "Hiawatha." And finally, author Gary Fishgall, who wrote the finest biography of James Stewart I have ever read, pointed out that Stewart had decided to pepper up his characterization with exaggerated facial expressions (as when Rip recites his "goblins will get you" poem, or when he looks at Mary after she points out her graduation photo) and pieces of slapstick (as when Rip clumsily helps a kid stand on his shoulders to retrieve a basketball up a tree, or when Rip trips over some stairs when he mentions he can be tough). Stewart, in fact, may have been influenced by the Three Stooges in this film, as Rip utters such catchphrases as "Wise guy, huh?" and "What kind of a lamebrain do you think I am?"There are probably many who believe that "Magic Town" was not the right vehicle for James Stewart. One critic at the time even asked how much longer he would have to sit and watch this "beanpole" (Stewart) hemming and hawing. True, Stewart's career was in a slump in the late 1940s, but he didn't have to worry for long. He decided to toughen up his screen image, and his status in the motion picture industry soared!