The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-24

screen public in months.
The arrival In New York of Long
fellow Deeds, the greeting card poet
from Mandrake Falls to whom an
eccentric uncle tossed $40, 100000 is
new blood in the veins of the news
paper headline hunters.
But Longfellow, hiding away with
his pet brass tuba, manages to dodge
the reporters while editors tear their
hair Mac Wade, one of the hair
tearers, assigns Babe Bennett, sob
sister, TO track down the elusive
farm boy.
His Troubles Many
Longfellow's troubles aren't limited
to newspaper people. Cedar, his
late uncle's attorney, attempts to do
him out Of huge sum for profess
sional services. Naively, Longfel-
low evades the signing of any pa
pers. The opera company wants
$4,000 to pay off a deficit. They
see the unframed recruit as an easy
mark. But Longfellow comes from
staunch stock and nobody gets a
cent
But Babe gets him. She pulls an
act in front of his home, pretends to
faint from hunger, and succeeds in
getting Longfellow drunk for the
first time in his life. Next morn
ing's papers carry headlines about
Mr.. Deeds, found feeding dougfinuts
to a horse at Amidst and Broadway
just before dawn. He arrives home
attired only in shorts.
The feature stories continue daily.
He falls in love with Babe, who
hides her true identity, writes per-
sonal notes about Mr.. Deeds for her
paper. Finally the truth comes out,
and the discovery that Babe has
been tricking him proves to be the
last straw for Mr. Deeds. He heads
for Mandrake Falls, but horde of
starving farmers crowds his home
and he decides to give his fortune to
them. With a vast plan for distrib-
uting his wealth in a farm project,
Longfellow works day and night to
finish the examination of his
tenants.
Tried for Sanity
The attorney, seeing his fee slip
ping, has Longfellow arrested as in
sane. At the trial, everything goes
against him. He refuses to defend
himself until Babe comes to the res
cue. She admits writing the stories
about him, tells the court she loves
Longfellow. With new hope, Mr..
Deeds makes a heroic plea, and the
judge announces:
Il pronounce you a sane man Mr..
Deeds. Not only that but I believe
you are the sanest man that ever
walked into this courtroom"
There is a nice, romantic ending
The plot reads rather drably, but
the Capra magic touch" gives it a
vigor and freshness which mere
words can not explain. The actors
give themselves whole-heartedly to
the directors wishes. They cease
being individuals and become an i'm
personal part of very funny whole.
We wouldn't be surprised II Mr..
Capra had little moral he was try
ing to get across through the big,
numbering Longfellow. 1t might have
something to do with the futility OF
modern life with its whir.igig of
big city activity, it's lack of senti-
ment, its mechanistic philosophy.
Demonstrations Sharp
Each sequence in the picture is
clipped off at the precise moment
when it ceases to add to the tenn
permanent of the story The charac-
terization stands out sharply and
clearly. now like caricatures, now
like oil portraits.
MIR. cooper is at his best. as Mr..
Deeds, whose love for humanity is
blasted by his first experience with
wealth. Miss Arthur does an excel
lent Job as Babe Bennett. Lionel
Stander's work as Mr.. Deeds secre-
tary is a gem of comedy.
In one scene, Walter Catlett, as
Morrow, a New York poet, surpasses
everything he has done on the
screen, reveals that with the proper
guidance he could become one OF the
screens ablest comedians.
The story is by Clarence Budding
to Kelland; the screen play by Rob-
ert Riskin. Both deserve a hand.
Refreshing, MIR. Deeds Goes to
Town" is tops as light-hearted, hap
-go-lucky entertainment. We
wouldn't have you miss it.