Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Radio review – CP#49 – “Mr Deeds Goes to Town” (1940) **

The lead roles are utterly miscast –Orson Welles standing in for Gary Cooper, and Gertrude Lawrence subbing for Jean Arthur. Stars whose personas fit with sophistication, culture trying to pass off as a gee, aw shucks, Americana innocent and wisecracking reporter respectively. It doesn’t work – it might have, had the script be reworked to accommodate them, but it doesn’t. Welles and Lawrence were stars rather than actors – versatile, but within their range.

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