American Madness

American Madness
American Madness poster
Directed by	Frank Capra
Produced by	Frank Capra Harry Cohn
Written by	Robert Riskin
Starring	Walter Huston
Music by	Mischa Bakaleinikoff (uncredited) Karl Hajos (uncredited)
Cinematography	Joseph Walker
Editing by	Maurice Wright
Studio	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	August 4, 1932
Running time	75 min
Country	USA
Language	English

American Madness is a 1932 American film directed by Frank Capra and starring Walter Huston as a New York banker embroiled in scandal. The story thematically anticipates Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life, in which Capra repeats the "run on the bank" scene. This was also Sterling Holloway's feature-film debut.

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.

Word of the robbery causes a run on the bank, but friends of the banker come to his aid, and the bank is saved.

Cast (in credits order)

• Walter Huston as Dickson
• Pat O'Brien as Matt
• Kay Johnson as Mrs Dickson
• Constance Cummings as Helen
• Gavin Gordon as Cluett
• Arthur Hoyt as Ives
• Robert Emmett O'Connor as Inspector

External links

• American Madness at the Internet Movie Database