You are right, ksf-2, and subsequent posters also, the man is a gem. Could he get multiple roles in Hollywood today? I wonder. Meeks knew how to use his body, voice and face for precision humor, without stealing or over-reaching.
He's awesome in You Can't Take It With You, and unforgettable in the poignant moment in Stagecoach where he befriends outcast Claire Trevor with the gentle line, "Let's have a little Christian charity . . . one for the other."
His many parts are a tribute to the wisdom of Capra and Ford.
Donald Meek was also excellent in Young Mr. Lincoln as the prosecuting attorney.
The last movie I saw him in was The Thin Man Goes Home.
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."
-Dennis