Mr Deeds Goes to Town - 1936 * * * *

Frank Capra struck gold with this movie. Constantly seeing it pop up in 100 greatest film lists I finally got around to watching it the other day and really enjoyed it. Starring the wise-cracking Jean Arthur who was one of the driest comic actresses I've seen in the Golden Age ( alongside Lombard and Harlow) and the lovely Gary Cooper we follow young Mr Deeds, a gentle and unassuming soul who comes into a lot of inherited money and goes to the big city to make his mark, bumping into Jean Arthur on the way who is in fact an undercover journalist, hoping to get a big story on him. However you know what is going to happen, of course she is going to fall for him, and then comes the problem of how she tells him that she is out for all she can get. On top of this, Mr Deeds is now dealing with an insanity charge after he kindly decides to give his money away to the less fortunate ( the city cannot believe anyone in their right mind would give any of their money to anyone else!) which climaxes in a really excellent and heart-felt speech in court towards the end of the film. Capra is a master for comedy and timing and although I wouldn't call this movie a screwball comedy it still serves it's fair share of laughs. Cooper and Arthur are well -suited to each other. Next on my list will be the next Capra movie - 'Mr Smith Goes to Washington.'