MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936) Cast Then and Now | Gary Cooper R.I.P.

In 1936, Frank Capra gave Depression-era America the hero it was waiting for: Longfellow Deeds, a greeting-card poet from Mandrake Falls, Vermont, who inherits twenty million dollars and walks into New York with his tuba, his rhymes, and a decency the city cannot corrupt. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town won Capra the Academy Award for Best Director and became one of the defining films of the nineteen thirties. This then-and-now tribute follows its three stars: Gary Cooper (1901–1961), the Montana cowboy who became Hollywood's strong silent conscience, earning his first Oscar nomination as Deeds before winning for Sergeant York and High Noon; Jean Arthur (1900–1991), the throaty-voiced queen of screwball comedy who played the reporter Babe Bennett, then walked away from fame at its peak and never looked back; and George Bancroft (1882–1956), the former sailor who ruled silent gangster pictures for Josef von Sternberg before stealing scenes as the reformed detective MacWade, then quit Hollywood to become a rancher. From the Cinderella Man headlines to the immortal sanity hearing, this is the full story of the cast of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, then and now. Rest in peace: Gary Cooper (1901–1961), Jean Arthur (1900–1991), George Bancroft (1882–1956). If you love classic Hollywood, please like, share and subscribe to Reel To Real Cast for more then-and-now journeys through the golden age of cinema. Tell us in the comments: which Capra hero is your favorite — Longfellow Deeds, Jefferson Smith, or George Bailey? #MrDeedsGoesToTown #GaryCooper #JeanArthur #GeorgeBancroft #ThenAndNow #OldHollywood #1930sMovies #ClassicMovies #FilmLegends #FrankCapra