Deeds First Name?
Is there any significance for the fact that his first name is Longfellow.
shareHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was a famous American poet of the 19th century. He may be the most famous American poet in history after Carl Sandburg (I'm not a scholar of poetry, so please excuse me if I am overlooking many more laudable American poets). Longfellow Deeds aspired to be a poet. Maybe that was because of urging by one or both of his parents who may have named him Longfellow after the poet, or maybe he chose name himself.
As for the movie, Frank Capra may have chosen the name to remind viewers of the protagonists aspirations. My generation and those earlier knew H. W. Longfellow well from two poems that were taught in school:
"The Song of Hiawatha"
"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere"
Stole my thunder, dannieboy, although I'm way late, just wanted to add when I think of American poets, Longfellow leaps to mind, but only after Robert Frost. But, point taken.
Takes two to tumble it takes two to tango
Speak up don't mumble when you're in the combo
Yes, the reference was to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but it was also a joke in that Cooper was certainly a long fellow - 6ft.4 or something. He was the tallest male star of his generation.
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