"Ellen Schoeters is a member of Actorama + where actors can upload a monologue or scene performance for peer review. What do you think of Ellen Schoeters's performance?"
(0 votes)
| Character | Mr. Deeds???? | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Male | |
| Age Range(s) | Young Adult (20-35), Adult (36-50) | |
| Type of monologue / Character is | Persuasive, Speech | |
| Type | Dramatic | |
| Year | 1936 | |
| Period | 20th Century | |
| Genre | Romance, Drama, Comedy | |
| Description | Why do I want to give all my money away? | |
| Details | 1 hr 50 minutes into the film | |
Summary
When Martin W. Semple, a wealthy civic leader, dies in a car accident, everybody awaits to know who will be named the heir to his fortune. The closest relative turns out to be Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper), a young man from a small town who likes to write poetry and play the tuba in his town's band. As he moves to the big city to get his inheritance, he becomes the target of a lot of people interested in his money. They also think he is simple minded and that they can make fun of him, but it turns out he is not easily outwitted or manipulated. Eventually he falls in love with a girl, Babe Bennet, a reporter that pretends to be a girl in need of help just to get close to him and write articles about him.
After he finds out Babe Bennet is not who he thought she was and after almost getting shot by a desperate homeless man, he decides to leave town and give his fortune away to people in need. In order to stop him, his lawyers accuse him of being crazy and bring him to court. After having many people testify about his odd behaviour, Mr. Deeds is given the opportunity to defend himself.
When asked why he wants to give all his money away, he argues that wanting to help people in need is just natural and what anybody with some sense would do...
After he finds out Babe Bennet is not who he thought she was and after almost getting shot by a desperate homeless man, he decides to leave town and give his fortune away to people in need. In order to stop him, his lawyers accuse him of being crazy and bring him to court. After having many people testify about his odd behaviour, Mr. Deeds is given the opportunity to defend himself.
When asked why he wants to give all his money away, he argues that wanting to help people in need is just natural and what anybody with some sense would do...
Written by Administrator
| Excerpt |
|---|
| MR. DEEDS: "Suppose you were living in a small town and getting along fine....and suddenly somebody dropped 20 million dollars in your lap. Supposing you discover all that money was messing up your life...was bringing vultures around your neck and making you lose faith in everybody. You'd be a little worried, wouldn't you? You'd feel that you had a hot potato in your hand, and you'd want to drop it... Personally, I don't know what Mr. Cedar is raving about. From what I can see, no matter what system of government we have, there will always be leaders and always be followers. It's like the road out in front of my house. It's on a steep hill. Every day I watch the cars climbing up. Some go lickety-split up that hill on high, some have to shift into second, and some sputter and shake and slip back to the bottom again. Same cars, same gasoline, yet some make it and some don't. And I say the fellas who can make the hill on high should stop once in a while and help those who can't. That's all I'm trying to do with this money. Help the fellas who can't make the hill on high. It's like I'm out in a big boat, and I see one fellow in a rowboat who's tired of rowing and wants a free ride, and another fellow who's drowning. Who would you expect me to rescue? Mr. Cedar - who's just tired of rowing and wants a free ride? Or those men out there who are drowning? Any ten year old child will give you the answer to that. " |
