James Stewart stars as Rip Smith, a leading pioneer in the new sciences of public polling and demography. He discovers a small town that serves as a microcosm of the US, with the same percentages of men to women, farmers to shop-keepers, Democrats to Republicans, etc. Etc. This means that Rip and his two associates Ike (Ned Sparks) and Mr. Twiddle (Donald Meek) can survey this one town and get the same results as if they's polled the whole nation, saving companies vast amounts of time and money. However, to keep the townsfolk's answers honest, the trio of newcomers pose as insurance salesmen. Rip also falls for local gal Mary (Jane Wyman), but how will she and the others react when they learn the truth of why Rip's in town?
This was made during a time when the new advances in sociology, group psychology, and by extension Madison Avenue's advertising firms, were thought be on the pulse of the future of the nation. This kind of thinking could make for a thoughtful movie with the right script, but this isn't it. This is a traditional rom-com mixed with lukewarm social commentary and square citizenship lessons. Stewart and Wyman are both fine, as usual, and I liked seeing Ned Sparks, one of the busier character actors of the 1930's, acting wry and cynical again. This would be Sparks last film, as it would be for Harry Holman and Donald Meek, too. Director William Wellman keeps things moving quickly enough, but no one would consider this one of the better films by anyone involved.
