A simple, small town man inherits a massive fortune, making him the target for scammers and publicity-seekers. Overwhelmed by the turn his life has taken, and awoken to another use for his new-found fortune, he makes a momentous decision.
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Title: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Gary Cooper | ... | Longfellow Deeds | |
| Jean Arthur | ... | Babe Bennett | |
| George Bancroft | ... | MacWade | |
| Lionel Stander | ... | Cornelius Cobb | |
| Douglass Dumbrille | ... | John Cedar | |
| Raymond Walburn | ... | Walter | |
| H.B. Warner | ... | Judge May | |
| Ruth Donnelly | ... | Mabel Dawson | |
| Walter Catlett | ... | Morrow | |
| John Wray | ... | Farmer | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
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>
Taglines:
Rocking America with laughter!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
12 April 1936 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El secreto de vivir See more »Filming Locations:
Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Longfellow Deeds: Even his hands are oily.
See more »
(1894) (uncredited)
Music by Antonín Dvorák
Hummed by Gary Cooper
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In the movie, Mr. Deeds couldn't find a word to rhyme with "Budington". This is the writer's middle name (Writers: Clarence Budington Kelland (story)). See more »Goofs
On the way out in the rain, Deeds closes the gate twice. See more »Quotes
[Deeds and attorney Cedar shake hands in parting]Longfellow Deeds: Even his hands are oily.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Winthrop Oliver Warner (a studio musician) actually played the tuba for the film. See more »Soundtracks
Humoresque, Op. 101/7(1894) (uncredited)
Music by Antonín Dvorák
Hummed by Gary Cooper
See more »
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Gary Cooper plays the title character here perfectly, even though the character lacks credibility in terms of how he is so astute about some things and yet so naïve about others. Jean Arthur also has an interesting character - one for whom we are not sure when and when not she is pretending. The romance between these two characters is simple formulaic and predictable, but the messages that the film has help to pull it through. It is a slight satire on the media, the justice system, and generally the way in which we function as individual human beings. The film also ends on a high note, with many laughs towards the end of the courtroom sequences. It is a bit fanciful, and arguably Stander is added in just for laughs, plus there are a few other minor imperfections. However 'minor' is the key word here: it is overall enjoyable and well made stuff either way.