Pop Culture 101 - MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town introduced the words "pixilated" and "doodle" to the vocabulary.

In 1969, ABC premiered a half-hour situation comedy based on the film. It starred Monte Markham as Longfellow Deeds and Pat Harrington, Jr. as the PR man he inherited from his wealthy uncle. Scheduled opposite the vastly popular Hogan's Heroes, it only lasted half a season.

In a speech before the National Alliance of Business in 1981, President Ronald Reagan would quote from Mr. Deeds Goes to Town to defend his administration's economic policies and his espousal of volunteerism over federal welfare programs.

In 2002, Adam Sandler played the title role in a loose remake titled Mr. Deeds. Winona Rider was Babe Bennett, with John Turturro as the butler and Peter Gallagher as the head lawyer. As a tribute to the original film, they used the Mandrake Falls sign from the earlier film. The remake was not well-received by critics, most of whom complained that it vulgarized the original material.

by Frank Miller