So You Won't Talk?

A mild-mannered book reviewer who prefers quiet evenings and good sentences suddenly finds his life turned upside down when people start confusing him with a recently released gangster. What begins as a simple case of mistaken identity spirals into a mix of comic mishaps and criminal entanglements, as friends, police and underworld figures all treat him as if he were the feared Brute Hanson. He fumbles through interrogations, dodges dangerous curiosity and tries to explain who he really is while absurd situations keep piling up. The tone balances light comedy with a crime plot that keeps misunderstandings coming, and the lead’s awkward charm fuels most of the laughs.

Released in 1940, the film was directed by Edward Sedgwick from a story by Richard Flournoy, and it stars Joe E. Brown alongside Frances Robinson, Vivienne Osborne, Bernard Nedell and Tom Dugan.

The picture did not register as a major box office hit, and precise grosses are not widely reported. It played the usual circuit for studio comedies of the era without leaving a clear commercial legacy.

Although not widely remembered today, the movie highlights Joe E. Brown’s energetic comic persona and knack for physical humor. Collectors of classic Hollywood comedies sometimes point to it as an example of 1940s crime-comedy blending, and occasional revival screenings or retrospectives on Brown’s work bring it to new viewers.

Critical reactions have been mixed, reflecting a film that aims for broad laughs more than serious crime drama. Modern user ratings are middling, and reviewers tend to note the script’s reliance on misunderstandings and slapstick situations. The central themes orbit around identity and reputation, showing how easily appearances can shape how a person is treated, while using farce and fast pacing to keep the tone light rather than tense.