Mr. Deeds Goes to Town1936Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936
Longfellow Deeds, a tuba-playing greeting-card poet from Mandrake Falls, Vermont, unexpectedly inherits twenty million dollars and moves to New York. Lawyers, socialites, and a reporter who secretly mocks him in print all try to use him, until he decides what the money is really for.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
A plain small-town man refuses to be corrupted by sudden wealth and wants to give it to struggling Depression farmers. Capra exposes the cynics while honoring decency and generosity, in the same spirit as Mr. Smith.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Babe, a reporter, deceives Deeds and ridicules him in her stories; the film treats it as wrong, and she is ashamed, confesses, and defends him, which is a good chance to talk about honesty and repentance. Deeds goes on a drinking spree and punches men who mock him (played for comedy and not repeated), and a desperate farmer threatens him with a gun.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why did Deeds want to give his money away? Would you have?
- What did you think of Babe once you learned what she was doing? Did she make it right?
- Why did people call Deeds "pixilated"? Who was really foolish?
- Which moment in the courtroom stuck with you most?
Content advisory
Common Sense Media 9+: Deeds uses his fists on men who mock him; he goes on a drinking spree and wakes up hungover; no profanity.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Blu-ray (80th Anniversary Edition)
Blu-ray · April 4, 2017
4K UHD listed on Blu-ray.com (release date unconfirmed)
Edition link coming soon.
Listing on Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.