Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

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Directed by Frank Capra.

Starring Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Gary Cooper, Douglas Dumbrille, Lionel Stander, H.B. Warner.

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When a car crash ends the life of a fabulously wealthy patron of the arts, the decedent's $20,000,000 fortune is inherited by one Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) of Mandrake Falls, Vermont. Already a reasonably successful local businessman, Deeds doesn't really feel the need for anything extra in his life: he just wants enough time to practice his tuba and compose greeting-card doggerel. When Deeds is convinced to move to New York, hard-boiled newspaper reporter Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur) is dispatched to get the inside scoop on "The Cinderella Man." Babe's stories of Deeds' eccentricities and no-nonsense dealings with phonies and poseurs provide excellent headline fodder; but she begins to regret her actions, having fallen in love with the big lug. Deeds ultimately sets up a foundation to dispense his fortune to the country's neediest souls, on the proviso that the recipients do their best to get back on their feet, a turn of events that leads his lawyer John Cedar (Douglas Dumbrille) to try to have him declared insane. By the end of the sanity hearing, the judge (H. B. Walker) declares: "Not only are you sane, but you're the sanest man who ever walked in this courtroom!" A joyously unadulterated hunk of Frank Capra-corn, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town was adapted by Robert Riskin from Clarence Buddington Kelland's short story "Opera Hat." In addition to the pleasure of watching the country bumpkin outwit city slickers, the movie is a film buff's dream, boasting one of the best character-actor casts ever assembled for a single film. Nominated for four Academy Awards, the film won Frank Capra his second Oscar (out of three) as Best Director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936, U ...
by CinemaRian in CinemaRian Blog

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"Frank Capra is one of the most controversial of all American directors. Yet he is rarely thought of that way. Perhaps it is because that his detractors do not deny that he is technically accomplished filmmaker who made the movies he wanted to make. Instead, they deny those films worth. To them, his film are worse then bad- they are not even worth talking about, being little more than, as my friend Oslan once described the works of Capra's spiritual descendant, Stephen Spielberg, "baby food for the masses". On the hand, Capra's supporters (and I am one) believe that his films are far more complex than meets the eye. His film are metaphors for the average person (Capra was one of the first Hollywood directors to have well rounded female protagonists) in the American world. But, contrary to popular belief, his works are not cinematic equivalent of a Norman Rockwell painting. The fact that his movies tend to be upbeat does not say they do not contain darkness, altho ... " [More]

Justifying Jumper
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

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"What is the first thing you’d do if you found out you had super powers? Save someone? No, you’d probably try something selfish first, just because you could. You’d likely say you’ll use the powers for good after that initial all-for-me trial run, but there’s a good chance you’ll get greedy instead. After all, you’re only human — you’re just more powerful than the rest of the race. This is exactly what happens to David Rice (played by Max Thieriot then Hayden Christensen), a kid who discovers he can teleport, or jump, anywhere he’s been before. Yes, he’s kind of like the X-Men character Nightcrawler, someone David is likely familiar with since he references Marvel comics and therefore has a good self-awareness of the fantastical sort of life he’s a part of, or ought to be a part of. But unlike Spider-Man, another exemplary Marvel character, he doesn’t believe in the whole “with great power comes great responsibility” crap. Although the first time he robs a bank he tells himself he’l ... " [More]

Movie year countdown viewing pr ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

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"This is a list for Round 2 of my movie year countdown viewing project as first described here. If by any strange chance whoever is reading this is actually following along you may notice that I'm still less than two thirds of the way through my original one. Well I'm starting this new one because as much as I love old movies it can get a little tedious watching just older movies. So I'm going to be blending my watching of the two lists together. Still focusing on the original one, but every once in a while sliding in the next entry from this new list.Again these new movies are limited to full length movies that are available on Netflix. And for this new round instead of picking a movie from every year, I will be picking a movie from every two years. For example the first movie must have come out during 2006 or 2007. The second movie must have come out in 2004 or 2005. The next in 2002 or 2003. You see.The list is not finished yet, but here is what I have decide ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

Frank Capra built his career around the themes that he explores in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. For the populist Capra, the battle lines are clearly drawn; he makes his points (sometimes heavy-handedly) by pitting small-town simplicity, selflessness, and idealism against big-city sophistication, greed, and cynicism. Capra raised the "little guy" to iconic status, stereotyping him as effortlessly as he stigmatized the corrupt city slicker. Gary Cooper's Longfellow Deeds often looks as if he is visiting from a different era, an errant knight guided by an anachronistic code of chivalry. He is not afraid to resort to violence if words don't get the job done, although his impassioned speeches tend to get him in more trouble than they get him out of. He is looking for a "damsel in distress," and he is guided by an archaic and romantic notion of "noblesse oblige." Jean Arthur makes her first of three Capra appearances as this damsel, the hard-nosed reporter who exposes Mr. Deeds to ridicule. Her nasally, pointed line delivery is sharp and precise, and Cooper's trademark laconic delivery is also perfect for the role. Playing the part as if born to it, Cooper is at the top of his game, imbuing Deeds with just the right blend of empathy and intelligence. Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town won Capra his second of three Best Director trophies. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide

Tags: Classic , funny , Great , must-see , Capra
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