Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Hometown Story, a rather cheaply made film, even for a B picture and especially since it comes from MGM, is stalwart Republican Louis B. Mayer's defense of the free enterprise system. Not that he hadn't done it before, one of the most rightwing films ever made came out of his studio a decade earlier with Boom Town. But that film was a big production with some heavy duty name players in it. This one was made with frugality in mind.Jeffrey Lynn is our star who has returned to his hometown in Hometown Story a defeated State Senator, defeated by Hugh Beaumont grandson of Donald Crisp who is the biggest employer in the area. Lynn takes over the newspaper and decides to use it to gain support for a comeback bid. And who to go after but the biggest target around.And if you can't find an issue, create one. Lynn attacks what he labels the obscene profits of Crisp's firm and others like it. That sends Crisp into Lynn's office with a theory of capitalism and a defense of his business practices.At first people might dismiss this film because in this day and age we now see what corporations like Enron and investment banks like Goldman-Sachs have done. But I would quote no less than Martin Sheen from Wall Street who says there is a great deal of difference between speculators like Michael Douglas and businessmen like Crisp who started the business and put their work and sweat into it. Of course it would be interesting 60 years later to see if that Hometown Story now includes said firm moving to a foreign country or to some state with right to work laws and no environmental regulations. It's a complicated business with no easy answers.Hometown Story would be gathering dust in a tin can at MGM's vaults if it weren't for the fact that Marilyn Monroe has a small role as a secretary at Lynn's newspaper. She's not Lynn's love interest, that's reserved for Marjorie Reynolds. But she does send Lynn's best friend and star reporter Alan Hale into a tizzy. The future skipper of the USS Minow has his hormones in overdrive.Economics is not an easy subject for films and Hometown Story will not provide any answers. But it's pleasant enough viewing.

the DVD for hometown story has Marilyn Monroe's picture on it,and it states starring Marilyn Monroe.but Marilyn is a supporting actress. its a well made journalism movie about an ex senator(Jeffrey Lynn) who moves on to the local newspaper,as he blames the father of the senator that defeated him,its sort of a morality tale.Marilyn Monroe stars as iris his sexy secretary,after this she went on to star in; Niagara.look for Alan hale Jr(Gilligan's island)as a reporter.its not a great movie but the storyline is good,and its worth it just to see Marilyn Monroe in an early role.the budget for this must've been very low,Marilyn had to provide her own wardrobe.I'm giving this 7 out of 10.

An ex-politician called Blake Washburn (Jeffrey Lynn) and now an ambitious journalist blames a manager and Senator McFarland (Donald Crisp) for election as a senator but he was defeated . Then he denounces the big business in a newspaper called ¨The Herald¨ . He confronts his enemy by means of news , complaining about the profits melon and excessive richness of stockholders . At the newspaper works a gorgeous secretary called Iris (Marilyn Monroe) . When an unfortunate fact happens , his small sister is trapped into a mine , Washburn ought to examine his point of views and consider the profits to the customer .The film contains social critical , drama and a little bit of comedy . The picture is short time , one hour approximately , for that reason is quickly seen and isn't boring . This is one of a handful of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions of the 1950-1951 period whose original copyrights were never renewed and are now apparently in Public Domain . It appears notorious secondary actors as Donald Crisp (How green was my valley), he makes an intelligent speech about profits . And , of course , Marilyn Monroe , before becoming famous with Niagara (1953) she acted in various roles as a blonde sexpot secretary . Marilyn Monroe was often expected to provide her own wardrobe , in fact , the sweater with the grey body and black sleeves that she wears worn previously in Fireball (1950) and in the final scene in All about Eva (1950). The motion picture was regularly directed by Arthur Pierson . Rating : passable and entertaining.

(spoilers?)All the elements are there. Down home guy who seems to be sweet, goes on a rampage without thought because he felt he was duped. Suddenly changes his heart. Hmmm where've I heard that before. And hey it's only 5 yrs after words.The acting is okay, and the movie is really paced very well. It makes 60 minutes sound just as good as some 120 minute long movies. Simply because there is a lot of story thrown in it's 60 minutes. I liked seeing some of the old printing press stuff. And it's surprisingly watchable. I'll likely watch this one again. But the story is like been there done that all over.6/10Quality: 8/10 Entertainment: 4/10 Replayable: 8/10