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The film adaptation of Our Town was released in 1940, produced by Sol Lesser and directed by Sam Wood. Thornton Wilder received credit for the screenplay, while Frank Craven portrayed the Stage Manager and also contributed to the script. The movie was nominated for Best Picture but lost to Rebecca. It runs for ninety minutes, is in black and white, and is available from Nostalgia Home Video.
In September 1955, NBC-TV's Producers Showcase presented Our Town on television, featuring Frank Sinatra as the Stage Manager, with Eva Marie Saint and Paul Newman playing Emily and George. This version introduced the song "Love and Marriage," famously associated with the phrase "go together like a horse and carriage." Previously, Our Town had appeared on TV as part of anthology series such as Robert Montgomery Presents (NBC, April 1950) with Burgess Meredith as the Stage Manager, and Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (ABC, December 1950) with Edward Arnold in the role. These versions are not available on video.
A second television adaptation aired on NBC in November 1959, featuring Art Carney as the Stage Manager. This version is also not available on video.
A third special adaptation was broadcast by NBC in May 1977, with Hal Holbrook taking on the Stage Manager role, and Glynnis O'Connor and Robby Benson as Emily and George. This version runs for 120 minutes, is in color, and is available from Mastervision.
The most recent adaptation available on video is a 1989 TV version of the Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center production of Our Town. Spaulding Gray stars as the Stage Manager, alongside Penelope Ann Miller and Eric Stoltz as Emily and George. This adaptation is 104 minutes long, in color, and available from Mastervision.
Britannica Films produced two half-hour films titled Our Town and Our Universe, I and Our Town and Ourselves, II. These films explore the unique conventions of the play, including Wilder's use of music, light motifs, and condensed lines or words. Released in 1959, these films are by Britannica Films.
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