Jefferson Smith
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A 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart as a naive senator who fights against government corruption. The film was controversial, successful, and influential, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Directed by Frank Capra. With Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold. A naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate.
- (122K)
- Comedy, Drama
- Frank Capra
- 1939-10-19
A classic political comedy drama starring Jimmy Stewart as an idealistic young senator who fights against corruption. Read critics reviews, watch the trailer, and find out where to stream or buy the movie.
- (98)
- James Stewart
- Frank Capra
- Columbia Pictures Corporation
Jean Arthur, James Stewart and Claude Rains star in Frank Capra's MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, the award-winning 1939 classic about an idealistic, small tow...
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
- Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, American dramatic film, released in 1939, by director Frank Capra that angered the political establishment but won wide acclaim from the public and film industry.
The story concerns Jefferson Smith (played by James Stewart), a hokey, idealistic youth leader who is appointed to the U.S. Senate by his state’s political authorities on the assumption that he will be a pliable stooge. However, when he proposes a national youth camp on the site of a crooked land deal he was expected to approve, his benefactors—as well as the state’s senior senator (Claude Rains)—turn against him. Disillusioned by the corruption of Washington, Smith nearly leaves town but is persuaded by his secretary (Jean Arthur) to mount an impassioned challenge to the system in the form of a marathon filibuster. In the popular climactic scene, one of the few in film history that hinges on a legislative tactic, Smith successfully exposes the attempted graft and wins the day.
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The unflattering depiction of government officials so infuriated real-life legislators that there were calls for the film to be banned. For its portrayal of American political corruption, it was called anti-American and communist; some deemed it propaganda that aided the efforts of the Axis countries at the start of World War II. Notably, Joseph P. Kennedy, then U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, sought to suppress its release abroad.
Critics and audiences responded far differently, and the inspiring, heartwarming film became a box-office hit in the United States and garnered 11 Academy Award nominations. Stewart would win the best actor Oscar the following year for his work in The Philadelphia Story, but many consider his role in Mr. Smith the best performance of his career. The film’s essential belief in the power of democracy was highlighted when, in 1942, several cinemas in France chose it as the final English-language motion picture to be shown before a Nazi-ordered ban was imposed.
•Studio: Columbia Pictures
•Director and producer: Frank Capra
•Writer: Sidney Buchman
•Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
•James Stewart (Jefferson Smith)
•Jean Arthur (Clarissa Saunders)
•Claude Rains (Sen. Joseph Harrison Paine)
•Edward Arnold (Jim Taylor)
•Guy Kibbee (Gov. Hubert Hopper)
•Thomas Mitchell (Diz Moore)
•Picture
•Director
•Lead actor (James Stewart)
•Supporting actor (Harry Carey)
•Supporting actor (Claude Rains)
•Writing (original story)*
Learn about the 1939 political satire by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart as a naive senator who challenges corruption. Find out how the film was received, nominated, and banned in different countries.
- Lee Pfeiffer
Find out who starred in the classic Frank Capra film about a naive senator who fights corruption in Washington. See the full list of actors, writers, directors and other crew members on IMDb.
A classic 1939 drama-comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart as an idealistic Senate replacement. Learn about the film's plot, cast, awards, trivia and more on TCM's official website.
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