In Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, the time is 1901 and the place is America's collective memory. But Thornton Wilder's Our Town is not the sentimental nostalgia piece most people perceive. This program hosted by Eli Wallach offers wide-ranging and extraordinarily deep insights into the play from those who arguably know it best: Our Town alumni who over the years have brought the play to life on stage and screen. Interviews with Paul Newman (Stage Manager); Cynthia Nixon and Maggie Lacey (Emily Webb); Paul Newman, Ben Fox, Harvey Evans, and Eric Stoltz (George Gibbs); James Rebhorn (Doc Gibbs); Frances Conroy (Mrs. Gibbs); Jeff DeMunn (Editor Webb); and Stephen Spinella (Simon Stimson) are featured. Our Town director James Naughton and Tom Jones, writer of the musical adaptation Grover's Corners, also contribute.
In Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, the time is 1901 and the place is America's collective memory. But Thornton Wilder's Our Town is not the sentimental nostalgia piece most people perceive. This program hosted by Eli Wallach offers wide-ranging and extraordinarily deep insights into the play from those who arguably know it best: Our Town alumni who over the years have brought the play to life on stage and screen. Interviews with Paul Newman (Stage Manager); Cynthia Nixon and Maggie Lacey (Emily Webb); Paul Newman, Ben Fox, Harvey Evans, and Eric Stoltz (George Gibbs); James Rebhorn (Doc Gibbs); Frances Conroy (Mrs. Gibbs); Jeff DeMunn (Editor Webb); and Stephen Spinella (Simon Stimson) are featured. Our Town director James Naughton and Tom Jones, writer of the musical adaptation Grover's Corners, also contribute.
General Note
Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on June 06, 2007.
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Content Note
Our Town Alumni (2:50) -- Setting: Grover's Corners (2:52) -- Main Characters: George Gibbs and Emily Webb (7:34) -- Thornton Wilder (0:43) -- "Our Town" Relationships (7:07) -- Social Conformity in Grover's Corners (4:33) -- Life in Grover's Corners (6:17) -- Expectations of Men and Women in Grover's Corners (3:16) -- Creation of "Our Town" (6:24) -- Significant Scenes in "Our Town" (2:46) -- Wilder Reflects the Difficulties of Life and Inevitability of Change (7:01) -- Universal Message of "Our Town" (5:36) -- Impact and Reaction to "Our Town" (8:02).