Evie Jackson (Geraldine Page) a small-town postmistress meets Harry Mork, (Glenn Ford) a womanizing salesman recently promoted, at a postal workers convention in New York. They fall in love; the only problem is his fiancee, a self-centered woman (Angela Lansbury) who already has a grown son.
Evie struggles with her small-town social mores, Harry tries to be true to his fiance, and the fiancee is a cold-hearted bitch. Romance wins out. The lyrics say it all:
Dear heart wish you were here to warm this night
My dear heart, seems like a year since you've been out of my sight
A single room, a table for one
It's a lonesome town all right
But soon I'll kiss you hello at our front door
And dear heart I want you to know
I'll leave your arms never more
A single room, a table for one
It's a lonesome town all right
But soon I'll kiss you hello at our front door
And dear heart I want you to know
I'll leave your arms never more
The original name of the movie was the Out of Towners, but the name was changed when Henry Mancini came up with a catchy tune that became the theme for the movie. The song was nominated for an Oscar, but lost out to the movie Mary Poppins with Dick VanDyke singing Chim Chim Cher-ee. Andy Williams recorded the song the following year on an album that went Gold. The song was subsequently recorded by various artists including the Ray Coniff Singers.
