Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 film which tells the story of an idealistic young man who is sent to Washington to fill the unexpired term of a deceased Senator. more...

There, he is taken under the wing of a corrupt senator whom he naively admires because he was his late father's best and oldest friend. As time goes on, however, the young Mr. Smith becomes increasingly dismayed by the corruption he finds in the halls of government.

The film stars Claude Rains as the senior senator and James Stewart as the new recruit. Also appearing are Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Charles Lane, and Thomas Mitchell.

In the spring of 2005, media attention over the "nuclear option" focused extra attention on what was already the melodramatic climax of the film, when Smith launches a lengthy and defiant filibuster.

The film was directed by Frank Capra, who also directed James Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life, and 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.

The film premiered in Washington, D.C. on October 17, 1939. It was also made into a television series of the same name that ran during the 1962-63 season, starring Fess Parker and Red Foley. It was loosely remade in 1992 as The Distinguished Gentleman, starring Eddie Murphy.

Awards

• Best Picture (nomination)
• Best Actor (nomination) - James Stewart
• Best Supporting Actor (nomination) - Claude Rains
• Best Supporting Actor (nomination) - Harry Carey
• Best Writing, Original Screenplay - Lewis R. Foster and Sidney Buchman

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