The hypocrisy of Frank Capra’s populism
Frank Capra’s pictures about the ‘little man’ vs the system went over so big that he was the first Hollywood director to have his name above the title – way back when nobody cared who was the brains behind a film. Guys liked westerns, gals liked musicals, and tickets were bought on the strength of a star’s name. Then, in 1934, Capra made It Happened One Night. This screwball romance about a hoity-toity heiress (Claudette Colbert) and a roughneck reporter (Clark Gable) was a smash hit – and by my count the first of just two comedies that have taken the Best Picture Oscar. A couple of years later, when Capra made Mr Deeds Goes to Town, his name was up there in the opening credits next to those of the stars, Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur.
