Joseph Mankiewicz's People Will Talk
Professor Elwell (Hume Cronyn), a little man in more ways than one, has hired a detective to get dirt on his fellow professor in a medical school. Since these were the years before the internet and social media, envy and vindictiveness had to proceed along slower and more human lines, such as face-to-face conversation. So, even though this most punctual of academics will be late for class, he invites a sudden visitor into his office. She is a beak-nosed lady (Margaret Hamilton, best known as the Wicked Witch of the West) who seems prime for spite and slander. She is also wary of gossip against herself, as slanderers often are.
"If I come in, does the door get closed?" she asks.
"Naturally," says...
PhD, is a Distinguished Professor at Thales College and the author of over thirty books and many articles in both scholarly and general interest journals. A senior editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, Dr. Esolen is known for his elegant essays on the faith and for his clear social commentaries. In addition to Salvo, his articles appear regularly in Touchstone, Crisis, First Things, Inside the Vatican, Public Discourse, Magnificat, Chronicles and in his own online literary magazine, Word & Song.
Get Salvo in your inbox! This article originally appeared in Salvo, Issue #56, Spring 2021 Copyright © 2024 Salvo | www.salvomag.com https://salvomag.com/article/salvo56/bright-human
