American Madness

Infobox Film
name = American Madness


image_size =
caption = "American Madness" poster
director = Frank Capra
producer =
writer = Robert Riskin
narrator =
starring = Walter Huston
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =
released = 1932
runtime =
country = USA
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0022626

"American Madness" is a 1932 American film directed by Frank Capra and starring Walter Huston as a New York banker embroiled in scandal. Capra would later repeat the 'run on the bank' scene in his 1946 classic "It's a Wonderful Life".

Plot

In the Great Depression era, the Board of Directors of Thomas Dickson's bank want Dickson (Walter Huston) to merge with New York Trust and resign. He refuses. One night, Dickson's bank is robbed of $100,000. The suspect is Matt Brown (Pat O'Brien), an ex-convict whom Dickson hired and appointed Chief Teller. Brown, who's very loyal to Dickson, refuses to say where he was that night. He actually has two witnesses for his alibi, Mrs. Dickson (Kay Johnson) and fellow worker Cyril Cluett (Gavin Gordon), but Brown is protecting Dickson from finding out that Mrs. Dickson was with Cluett having a romantic evening. Cluett, who has a $50,000 gambling debt, is actually responsible for the robbery, but lets Brown take the rap. Will Brown's loyalty to Mr. Dickson pay off, or send him back to prison?

Cast

*Walter Huston ... Thomas Dickson
*Pat O'Brien ... Matt Brown
*Kay Johnson ... Mrs. Phyllis Dickson
*Constance Cummings ... Helen
*Gavin Gordon ... Cyril Cluett
*Arthur Hoyt ... Ives
*Robert Emmett O'Connor ... Police Inspector (as Robert E. O'Conner)
*Robert Ellis ... Dude Finlay
*Jeanne Sorel ... Cluett's secretary
*Walter Walker ... Schultz
*Berton Churchill ... O'Brien
*Edward Martindel ... Ames

Trivia

*This was actor Sterling Holloway's feature - length film debut

References