|
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 drama, directed by Frank Capra, about American government. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards upon its release (it won Best Screenplay), the film made James Stewart a major movie star. It also starred Jean Arthur and Claude Rains, as well as a bevy of well-known supporting actors, among them Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Charles Lane, and Thomas Mitchell. It was written by Lewis R. Foster and Sidney Buchman. It has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Mr. ...
This article is about the film director. ...
This article is about the film director. ...
Sidney Robert Buchman (March 27, 1902 – August 23, 1975) was a film writer and producer who worked on 38 films from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. ...
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ...
Jean Arthur (October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an Oscar-nominated American actress and a major film star in the 1930s and 1940s. ...
Claude Rains (November 10, 1889 – May 30, 1967) was a British, and later American, theatre and film actor, best known for his many roles in Hollywood films. ...
Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (Russian: , Dmitrij ZinoveviÄ Tëmkin, somtimes translated as Dmitri Tiomkin) (May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a film composer and conductor. ...
Joseph Walker or Joe Walker can refer to more than one person of note, including: Joseph A. Walker, a United States military aviator Joseph A. Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (The River Niger) J. E. Walker, former president of the Universal Life Insurance Company. ...
The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ...
// Movie historians and film buffs often look back on the year 1939 as the greatest year in film history (see below: 1939 in film#Films released in 1939, for a list with over 20 classics). ...
A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ...
This article is about the film director. ...
Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal Politics of the United States takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President...
Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ...
Jean Arthur (October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an Oscar-nominated American actress and a major film star in the 1930s and 1940s. ...
Claude Rains (November 10, 1889 – May 30, 1967) was a British, and later American, theatre and film actor, best known for his many roles in Hollywood films. ...
Arnold in City That Never Sleeps Edward Arnold (February 18, 1890 - April 26, 1956) was an American character actor. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Charles Lane (January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007[1] ) was an American character actor seen in many movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death was the oldest living American actor. ...
A scene form Its a Wonderful Life; Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) cant find the money that Mr. ...
Sidney Robert Buchman (March 27, 1902 – August 23, 1975) was a film writer and producer who worked on 38 films from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. ...
The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. ...
The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...
Mr. Smith goes to Washington has been cited as one of the quintessential whistleblower films in American history. Dr. James Murtagh and Dr. Jeffrey Wigand cited this film as a sentinel even in U.S. history at the first "Whistleblower Week In Washington," May 13- 19, 2007. [1] A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. ...
Plot synopsis The movie opens with the governor of an unnamed state, Governor Hubert "Happy" Hopper (Guy Kibbee), about to pick a replacement to fill the unexpired term of a deceased Senator. His corrupt political boss, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), wants Hopper to choose his handpicked stooge. Popular committees want him to name a reform candidate. The governor's children want him to select Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), the head of the Boy Rangers. The governor, unable to make up his mind between the reformer and the political crony, decides to flip a coin. When it lands on its side - and next to a newspaper opened to a story on one of Smith's accomplishments to boot - he chooses Smith, calculating that his clean image will please the people while his naivete will make him malleable to the political machine. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the...
Arnold in City That Never Sleeps Edward Arnold (February 18, 1890 - April 26, 1956) was an American character actor. ...
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ...
Smith is taken under the wing of the publicly esteemed, but secretly crooked, Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), whom he admires because he was his late father's oldest and best friend. He develops an immediate attraction to the Senator's daughter Susan Paine. The press in Washington quickly vilify Smith as being a bumpkin, having no business in Washington. Paine, to keep Smith busy, suggests he propose a bill. Claude Rains (November 10, 1889 – May 30, 1967) was a British, and later American, theatre and film actor, best known for his many roles in Hollywood films. ...
The bill "Jeff" Smith proposes would authorize a Federal Government loan to buy some land in his home state for a national boys' camp, to be paid back to the U.S. Treasury from donations from youngsters across America. Donations pour in immediately. The proposed boys' campsite is on the same piece of land in Terry Canyon that is part of a graft scheme by the Taylor machine and supported by Senator Paine to build the Willet Creek Dam. Graft may refer to: Grafting, where the tissues of one plant are affixed to the tissues of another. ...
The machine, using Paine as its weapon, accuses Smith of trying to profit from his bill by producing fraudulent evidence that Smith owns the land and would greatly profit from any sale. When Smith is given the opportunity to defend himself, he is too shocked by Paine's betrayal and runs away. However, his cynical aide and secretary Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur) has come to believe in him and talks him into launching a filibuster on the Senate floor just before the vote to expel him. While Smith talks, his constituents try to rally around him. But the entrenched political opposition is too powerful and all attempts are crushed. On Taylor's orders, newspapers and radio stations in Smith's home state refuse to report what Smith has to say, and even twist the facts to turn the scheme against him. Even an effort by the Boy Rangers to spread the news results in vicious attacks by Taylor's hoodlums against the children. Jean Arthur (October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an Oscar-nominated American actress and a major film star in the 1930s and 1940s. ...
As a form of obstructionism in a legislature or other decision making body, a filibuster is an attempt to extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay or completely prevent a vote on its passage. ...
Although all hope seemed lost in his home state, the senators begin to pay attention despite Smith's utter exhaustion and the hoarseness of his voice. Paine has one more card up his sleeve. He brings in bins of letters and telegrams from Smith's home state from people demanding his expulsion. Nearly broken by the news, he finds a small ray of hope in a friendly smile from the President of the Senate (Harry Carey). He vows to press on until people believe him, but he immediately collapses. Senator Paine leaves the Senate chamber and, overcome with guilt, attempts to kill himself. When he is stopped, he bursts back into the Senate chamber, loudly confesses to the whole scheme and confirms Smith's innocence. Harry Carey (January 16, 1878–September 21, 1947) was an American actor and one of silent films earliest superstars. ...
Smith's filibuster and the tacit encouragement of the Senate President are both emblematic of the director's belief in the difference that one individual can make. This theme would be expanded even further in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life and other films. Its a Wonderful Life is a 1946 film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story, The Greatest Gift written by Philip Van Doren Stern. ...
Background The novel on which the movie was based was Lewis R. Foster's "The Gentleman from Montana", but the state is not specified in the movie. After reading the original two-page synopsis of the Columbia Pictures project based on the novel, Frank Capra "saw it immediately as a vehicle for Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur" [2]. To ensure authenticity in a Washington-based scenario, an elaborate set was created, consisting of Senate committee rooms, cloak rooms, hotel suites as well as specific Washington, DC monuments. Even the Press Club of Washington was reproduced in minute detail.[3]
Cultural influence When it was first released (the film premiered in Washington, D.C., on October 17, 1939), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was attacked by the Washington press, and politicians in the U.S. Congress, as anti-American and pro-Communist for its portrayal of corruption in the American government. However, neither the Republican nor Democratic party is mentioned in the film. Image File history File links Mr. ...
Image File history File links Mr. ...
Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack...
is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Opposition to United States foreign policy. ...
Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ...
This article describes the government of the United States. ...
The film was banned in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Falangist Spain. According to Capra, the film was also dubbed in certain European countries to alter the message of the film so it conformed with official ideology. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...
This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...
Falange was a totalitarian clerical fascist political organization founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera in 1933 in opposition to the Second Spanish Republic. ...
In filmmaking, dubbing or looping is the process of recording or replacing voices for a motion picture. ...
When a ban on American films was imposed in German-occupied France in 1942, some theaters chose to show Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as the last movie before the ban went into effect. One theater owner in Paris reportedly screened the film nonstop for thirty days after the ban. See also: 1941 in film 1942 1943 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash when returning from a War Bond tour. ...
City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ...
Awards Stewart's Best Actor Oscar for The Philadelphia Story the following year is sometimes seen as belated recognition for his portrayal of Jefferson Smith. // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ...
The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ...
// The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ...
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ...
Sidney Robert Buchman (March 27, 1902 – August 23, 1975) was a film writer and producer who worked on 38 films from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. ...
The first of the AFI 100 Years. ...
100 Years. ...
Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...
The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 romantic screwball comedy starring Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. ...
1939 was a good year for Thomas Mitchell. He would appear in two other classics that year: Gone with the Wind and Stagecoach, for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel of the same name. ...
Stagecoach in Switzerland A stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled enclosed passenger and/or mail coach, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, widely used before the introduction of railway transport. ...
Popular culture - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was also made into a television series of the same name that ran during the 1962-63 season, starring Fess Parker and Red Foley.
- In Take Her, She's Mine (1963), Stewart's character laments that people have confused him with "that, uh, actor, ever since Mr. Smith Goes to Washington came out."
- In 1977, Tom Laughlin remade the film as Billy Jack Goes to Washington, part of the Billy Jack series. The film was unsuccessful.
- Comedian Dennis Miller called his first HBO stand-up special Mr. Miller Goes to Washington (1990). He has also referenced the movie at least twice on his show Dennis Miller Live; he referred to Al Gore as "Mr. Smith STAYS in Washington" in one rant, and said in a rant about Washington D.C. that "if Frank Capra took a look at today's Washington, Mr. Smith would've stayed home."
- The Simpsons episode Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington, Episode 2 of Season 3 which aired September 26, 1991 has a similar plot. The Simpsons episode Beyond Blunderdome (Episode 1 of Season 11, air date September 26, 1999) revolves around Homer's collaboration with Mel Gibson remaking Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was loosely remade in 1992 as The Distinguished Gentleman, starring Eddie Murphy.
- The Family Guy episode Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington (first aired 2001) revolves around Peter appearing before Congress as a tobacco lobbyist.
- In "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" (2003), Emmett and Elle are seen watching the movie together while he is in Boston and she in Washington. Emmett remarks, "I'm glad we're watching this. This is really good for you." due to the same theme of "whistle-blowing" in both movies.
- One of levels in the 2005 video game Destroy All Humans! is named "Mr. Crypto goes to Washington" in honor of the movie.
- Connecticut Senate candidate Ned Lamont appeared in a 2006 campaign commercial parodying the movie. [1]
Fess Parker (born August 16, 1924) is an American film and television actor. ...
Clyde Julian Red Foley ( June 17, 1910 - September 19, 1968) was a country music singer. ...
Take Her, Shes Mine is a 1963 comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee. ...
Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack Tom Laughlin (born August 10, 1931) is an American actor and director. ...
Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a 1977 film starring Tom Laughlin. ...
Billy Jack is the second, and highest grossing, in a series of motion pictures centering on a fictional character of the same name, played by Tom Laughlin. ...
Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American comedian, political commentator, television personality, and talk radio host. ...
HBO (Home Box Office) is an American premium cable television network. ...
Dennis Miller Live was a weekly talk show on Home Box Office, hosted by comedian Dennis Miller. ...
Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ...
Simpsons redirects here. ...
Mr. ...
is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...
Beyond Blunderdome is the premiere of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. ...
is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ...
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson AO (born January 3, 1956) is an American born Australian actor, director, and producer. ...
The Distinguished Gentleman (1992) is a comedy starring Eddie Murphy. ...
Edward Eddie Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961, Brooklyn, New York City[1]) is an Academy Award nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and comedian. ...
Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ...
Mr. ...
Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican...
Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ...
Destroy All Humans! is a video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. It was released for Xbox and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems on June 21, 2005. ...
Edward Miner Lamont, Jr. ...
References - Capra, Frank. Frank Capra, The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1971. ISBN 0-30680-771-8.
- Jones, Ken D., McClure, Arthur F. and Twomey, Alfred E. The Films of James Stewart. New York: Castle Books, 1970.
- Michael, Paul, ed. The Great Movie Book: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference Guide to the Best-loved Films of the Sound Era. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1980. ISBN 0-13-363663-1.
- Sennett, Ted. Hollywood's Golden Year, 1939: A Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. ISBN o-312-03361-3.
External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: |
Feeds |
Contact