Clarence Budington Kelland (1881 ? February 18, 1964) was an American writer. He once described himself as "the best second-rate writer in America".

In a long and prolific career as a writer of fiction and short stories, he was published in many magazines. The Saturday Evening Post and The American Magazine were his best markets. He published about sixty novels; juveniles at first, then reprints of his magazine serials.

Although largely forgotten now, a small number of his stories achieved some recognition, including Opera Hat, serial from The American, which was the basis for the film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) directed by Frank Capra.

There is no information about the story available on Wikipedia at this time, but here is a link to the film entry.