Loosely based on the 1936 Frank Capra movie of the same name, this was the story of a tuba player named Longfellow Deeds (Monte Markham) from the small town of Mandrake Falls.
Deeds discovered he was heir to his late Uncle Alonzo P. Deeds, inheriting the multi-million dollar corporation known as Deeds Enterprises.
But Longfellow had been the news editor for a small newspaper and was now overwhelmed in his new position as president of his uncle’s New York City empire.
He had very little experience in the business world, but his assistant Tony Lawrence (Pat Harrington Jr) and Deeds Enterprises chairman of the board Henry Masterson (Herb Voland) tried to keep this information under wraps.
Deeds’ young business and stock market-savvy tutor, Jeff (Bud Cort), let the information slip to a gas station attendant, though, and soon was headline news.
The ever-honest honest Deeds then told the truth at a stockholders’ meeting and regained their confidence. He also tried to undo and reverse some of his uncle’s less savoury business deals – much to the chagrin and amazement of Chairman Masterson.
The show was savaged in the ratings by Hogan’s Heroes on CBS and The Name of the Game on NBC and disappeared very early in 1970. Only 16 of the 17 filmed episodes were aired.
Adam Sandler starred in an extremely loose 2002 Columbia Pictures interpretation of the original, called simply Mr Deeds.
Longfellow Deeds
Monte Markham Henry Masterson
Herb Voland Tony Lawrence
Pat Harrington Jr Jeff
Bud Cort
