Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

93% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(8,689 ratings)

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… More 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, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Frank Capra
Written By: Robert Riskin, Clarence Budington Kelland
Genres: Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1936 Wide
On DVD: Feb 15, 2000
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Ellen MacKay, Common Sense Media
Snappy lines, stellar performances, Capra classic.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Capra advocates populism and egalitarianism, underlined by values of Christianity. For him, every person is "God's creation" in his/her own right, evert person possesses some talent and should do his/her best with that gift.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
A wonderful Capra vehicle; Cooper is superb; Arthur luminous. A comic movie with heart and a point to make. True Capra-corn, and that is not a criticism. A fine example of populist art.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Essential Capra and one of his best. Cooper and Arthur are luminous.
Brad Laidman, Film Threat
It's tough enough to film a credible morality play without being laughed out of town. It's altogether mind boggling to do so and provide a grade A romantic comedy to boot.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
The tedium of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town outweighs its message of freedom and charity.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a sweet, sentimental fable, as funny and relevant today as when it first appeared.

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Graham J

Another inspiring tale from the master. Gary Cooper is brilliant.
Michael G

God, I loved this movie! Not only is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town yet another of Frank Capra's best works but it manages to do what every other great Frank Capra movie does -- restores my faith in humanity, gets me teary-eyed and has me clapping at the end. Admittedly I was on the… More
God, I loved this movie! Not only is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town yet another of Frank Capra's best works but it manages to do what every other great Frank Capra movie does -- restores my faith in humanity, gets me teary-eyed and has me clapping at the end. Admittedly I was on the fence about Gary Cooper when this movie started but I loved the man by the end. The echo scene was hysterical and for as much as I started to roll my eyes at the beginning of the courtroom scene, I felt as bad doubting Capra as the characters in the movie did doubting Deeds. Unfortunately I couldn't stop thinking about the awful Adam Sandler remake the whole time but its probably for the best I saw that one first (I know, I know...) as I'd probably make it my life's mission to drop an anvil on his head. As for the Capra one, you cannot go wrong...!
Jameson W

What a great classic film! Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur are absolutely perfect!
AJ V

If you've seen Mr. Deeds, the one with Sandler, you should really see the original movie with Cooper. Arthur is such a great actress, and she's great in this movie too. The movie is funny, realistic, and insightful, much more so than the remake which was just stupid.
Anthony L

The creation of the romantic comedy as we know it, Capra's classic is now the format it seems for every Rom-com made ever since. Don't watch them though, watch this instead, the first, the best. There is a theory going around that there are actually only 7 story-lines in… More
The creation of the romantic comedy as we know it, Capra's classic is now the format it seems for every Rom-com made ever since. Don't watch them though, watch this instead, the first, the best. There is a theory going around that there are actually only 7 story-lines in cinema, Kurosawa invented 6 of them, Capra made the 7th! It's such a shame that this film has been rated by just over 7,000 people while the remake has over 600,000 hits!
Ken S

So much better then I was expecting! A really funny, touching and surprising film that just makes you smile! One of Capra's best. Does anyone think Daniel Craig stole his DNA from Gary Cooper?
Matthew Y

Don't let the Adam Sandler film fool you Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is a charming and quaint little film and vintage Capra. A "pixified" young small-town man has inherited a large fortune. He ventures to the big city and a culture class of high society vs. low society… More
Don't let the Adam Sandler film fool you Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is a charming and quaint little film and vintage Capra. A "pixified" young small-town man has inherited a large fortune. He ventures to the big city and a culture class of high society vs. low society plus big city ruthlessness vs. little town hospitality occurs. Personified by a journalist desperate to prove she's got what it takes to make it in the biz and doesn't care if she takes complete advantage of the naive lad. That is, of course, until she does and witnesses the aftermath of her actions. A cute little picture filmed and acted with warmth and sincerity. Well worth the watch.
Andrew F

Kind of boring. I wasn't a huge fan.
Lovable M

A good Capra classic.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Gary Cooper as Longfellow Deeds

            Jean Arthur as Babe Bennett

            George Bancroft as MacWade

            Lionel Stander as Cornelius Cobb

            Douglass Dumbrille
            
            Douglas Dumbrille as John Cedar

            Raymond Walburn as Walter

            H.B. Warner as Judge Walker

            Margaret Matzenauer as Madame Pomponi

            Warren Hymer as Bodyguard

            Muriel Evans as Theresa

            Ruth Donnelly as Mabel Dawson

            Spencer Charters as Mal

            Emma Dunn as Mrs. Meredith

            Wryley Birch as Psychiatrist

            Arthur Hoyt as Budington

            Jameson Thomas as Mr. Semple

            Walter Catlett as Morrow

            Margaret Seddon as Jane Faulkner

            Stanley Andrews as James Cedar

            Irving Bacon as Frank

            Billy Bevan as Cabby

            Beatrice Blinn
            
            Harry C. Bradley as Anderson

            Cecil Cunningham as Bit part

            Beatrice Curtis
            
            Ann Doran as Girl on the Bus

            Jay Eaton as Writer

            Bess Flowers as Bit part

            Edward Gargan as 2nd Bodyguard

            Frank Hammond
            
            George 'Gabby' Hayes as Farmers' Spokesman

            Russell Hicks as Dr. Malcolm

            Harry Holden as Guard

            Paul Hurst as 1st Deputy

            Eddie Kane as Henneberry

            Edward Keane as Board member

            Edward J. Le Saint as Dr. Fosdick

            Edwin Maxwell as Douglas

            Margaret McWade as Amy Faulkner

            George Meeker as Brookfield

            James Millican as Interne

            Gene Morgan as Waiter

            Jack Mower as Reporter

            Vesey O'Davoren
            
            Franklin Pangborn as Tailor

            Barnett Parker as Butler

            Paul Porcasi as Italian

            Christian Rub as Swenson

            Lee Shumway as Bailiff

            Charles Sullivan
            
            Dale Van Sickel as Lawyer

            Gustav von Seyffertitz as Dr. Emil Von Hallor

            Pierre Watkin as Arthur Cedar

            Charles C. Wilson as Court Clerk

            George Cooper as Bob

            Charles Lane as Hallor

            Dennis O'Keefe as Reporter

            Lillian Ross as Hat Check Girl

            John Picorri as Board member

            Florence Wix
            
            Mary Lou Dix as Shop girl

            John Wray as Farmer
See full cast