American Madness (1932)
It is hard to explain the attitudes toward banking at the time, for Franklin Delano Roosevelt's policies had altered the perception of the safety of a person's personal finances in a bank. But at the time of its making, American Madness looks at banking in its current form of 1932, with banks losing the depositor's funds through panic and the bank's failure. In 1933, it will be the 1st year of FDR's administration and they are quick to try different things to help alleviate the suffering. Part of the theme of the First Hundred Days in Presidential politics comes out of FDR's policies at this time. The Roosevelt program of the FDIC saved the banking system.
American Madness is fiction, but it reflects some of the harsh realities of the period and the anxiety Americans had about the economy, while throwing in a Little romance, a little sex, bad guys with guns, and conniving businessmen.
Made in late 1932, American Madness is a drama starring Walter Huston as Thomas Dixon, the Bank President of the fictional Union National Bank, caught in many different scenarios in his day at the bank, involving his wife, his tellers and employees, and his board of directors. It has themes of man battling the system alone, women motivating the actions of men, information being misinterpreted and poor communication skills causing more problems than direct communication, learning to trust in one another during aversity, and friends coming forward to save the day.
The opening scene is a treasure of the unknown world of the underground vault, Capra employs these details when he can. It is a recreation of an actual vault and its workings and the nonchalance of the tellers and their off-hand discussion of borrowing a few bucks from each other (by observation, never the bank's funds) is a standard show the character's style of Capra. We meet the main characters, Pat O'Brien's Matt Brown (who is man who has previously served time in prison!) and the others, from Matt's girlfriend secretary to Dixon -to switchboard operator-to bank officer Cyril Cluett (who has gambling debts to the wrong people) to the president's wife, Mrs. Dixon (Kay Johnson) who is feeling neglected -never a good sign for a happy marriage.
With his introduction, Mr. Dixon practices an overt form of egalitarian management; through his day of gentle chiding, firm suggestion or supportive words of encouragement, he walks through his bank with the respect earned from his employees, a sense of good will that transcends class. He extends this trust and goodwill to the customers as well, and his resolve for his business acumen and instincts will be sorely tested by not only his conniving board of directors who hope to unseat him, but his anxious customers and his mere mortal and fallible co-workers.
Directed brilliantly at a fast pace and break-neck action by Capra, this movie is not sluggish at all and quickly draws you into all various aspects of his classic storytelling style with his quick fades or simple cuts, and montages that give the story a rush of info that pulls us into the other subplots without missing a beat. Capra and screenwriter Robert Riskin looked at the efforts of their banker, Attilio (Doc) Gianini, and creates a tone of a banker that puts trust and faith into the business of holding the trust and money of customers.
I will revisit American Madness at a later date and greater detail comparing its messaging, tone, and characters with Gabriel Over the White House (1933). Both were released near the same time but from very different perspectives.