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Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

 -  Comedy | Drama  -  12 April 1936 (USA)
7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 10,968 users  
Reviews: 99 user | 46 critic

Longfellow Deeds, a simple-hearted Vermont tuba player, inherits a fortune and has to contend with opportunist city slickers.

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Title: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) on IMDb 7.9/10

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Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
George Bancroft ...
...
...
Raymond Walburn ...
...
Ruth Donnelly ...
Walter Catlett ...
John Wray ...
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Storyline

Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life - including playing the tuba in the town band. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow picks up his tuba and moves to the big city where he becomes an instant target for everyone from the greedy opera committee to the sensationist daily newspaper. Deeds outwits them all until Babe Bennett comes along. Babe is a hot-shot reporter who figures the best way to get close to Deeds is to pose as a damsel in distress. When small-town boy meets big-city girl anything can, and does, happen. Written by A.L.Beneteau <albl@inforamp.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Rocking America with laughter!

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

12 April 1936 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El secreto de vivir  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie marks the entry of the verb doodle (in the sense of absent-minded scribbling) into the English language. The word was coined for the movie by screenwriter Robert Riskin. See more »

Goofs

When Mr. Deeds is playing the tuba, the acting is out of synchronization with the sound. See more »

Quotes

Longfellow Deeds: Now, um, heh, now about the Faulkner sisters. That's kind of funny. I mean, about Mr. Cedar going all the way to Mandrake Falls to bring them here. Do you mind if I talk to them?
Judge May: Not at all.
Longfellow Deeds: Jane, who owns the house you live in?
[pause; then Jane whispers to Amy; Amy whispers back]
Jane Faulkner: Why, you own it, Longfellow.
Amy Faulkner: Yes, you own it.
Longfellow Deeds: Do you pay any rent?
Jane Faulkner: No, we don't pay any rent.
Amy Faulkner: Good heavens, no, we never pay rent.
Longfellow Deeds: Are you happy there?
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Winthrop Oliver Warner (a studio musician) actually played the tuba for the film. See more »

Connections

Remade as Mr. Deeds (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
(1788) (uncredited)
Traditional Scottish 17th century music
Played by a band at the train station, including Mr. Deeds on tuba
See more »

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User Reviews

A Pure Heart and Strong Morals Are the True Keys to Happiness.
12 December 2002 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Frank Capra (Oscar-winning for directing) created one of the earlier Hollywood masterpieces with "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town". The film follows a good-hearted small-town Vermont man (Oscar-nominee Gary Cooper) who inherits a fortune from a relative he never knew. Now he must go to New York and take over his late uncle's estate, but he must also contend with a whole host of opportunistic bigwigs who want to take advantage of Cooper's kindness. Cooper is not as slow-witted as he appears though as he seems to outsmart all those around him. When reporter Jean Arthur comes along, Cooper falls hard for her and lets his guard down and forgetting himself, he may lose a part of himself that is priceless. Frank Capra dominated the 1930s and 1940s with life-affirming productions that were just simple human stories that would always strike emotional nerves for the audience. "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" is no exception. The remake should cause many to check this one out. This one stands up much higher than Adam Sandler's under-achiever. 5 stars out of 5.


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