Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
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Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is a 1936 comedy film. It tells the story of a simple small-town man, Longfellow Deeds, played by (Gary Cooper), who inherits a fortune and encounters people who want to use his money for their own aims. He is able to fight all of them off until a scheming newspaperwoman (Jean Arthur) comes on the scene.
In casting the role of Longfellow Deeds, Cooper was director Capra's first, last and only choice. The film invented the word "pixilated", which was used (in this case) to imply craziness, or the seeming illogical nature of Longfellow Deed's actions in the film.
The film was written by Clarence Budington Kelland and Robert Riskin, and directed by Frank Capra. The film earned star Gary Cooper his first nomination for Best Actor, and was voted Best Picture of the year (1936) by the New York Film Critics and the National Board of Review.
The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Capra won an Academy Award for Directing.
A TV series by the same name ran from 1969-1970.
The film was remade in 2002 as Mr. Deeds starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder.