Richard Whitley on

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Released 1936
Distributor Columbia Pictures

Frank Capra knew his audience. This populist fantasy, released when the Great Depression was in full bloom, pitted a good-hearted but wealthy tenderfoot against the heartless oligarchs. Gary Cooper was born to play this simple but savvy country bumpkin and Jean Arthur is the cynical newspaper woman destined to fall for him. Douglass Dumbrille makes for a great villain (as he always would) and Robert Riskin, Capra’s long-time collaborator, wrote the script.

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About Richard Whitley

Richard Whitley’s first job in Hollywood was playing a mutant in a Roger Corman movie. His mutant skills were so impressive B-movie legend Corman hired him to co-write the cult classic ROCK ‘n ROLL HIGH SCHOOL. This led to writing screenplays for Universal, Warner Bros., Tri-Star, United Artists, MGM, ABC Films, 20th Century Fox and FOX 2000, including scripts for directors Amy Heckerling and Joel Schumacher. He has written extensively in television, including SPACE: ABOVE & BEYOND, MILLENNIUM, ROSWELL, HOMEFRONT, ROSEANNE, THE DAILY SHOW and as a writer/producer on Michael Moore’s Emmy nominated TV NATION. Richard currently teaches screenwriting at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

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