He Snoops to Conquer (1944): Cast & Plot

Two ambitious newspapermen are tasked with writing a piece on town planning in the small, industrial town of Tangleton. At the town hall, the only staff member available is the odd job man, George Gribble, who gives them a guided tour that reveals more than a simple briefing could.

Their initial article takes a critical angle, highlighting the wealth and isolation of the council’s leader, Councillor Oxbold, who lives in a giant house by himself, while Gribble is one of fourteen crowded into a cramped slum dwelling. When the editors read the piece, they order Gribble to carry out a public opinion survey across the town. Instead of a representative cross-section, he ends up interviewing almost everyone, from shopkeepers to laborers, retirees to young families.