Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Jefferson Smith is the idealistic leader of the Boy Rangers in a western state. He’s chosen to go to Washington as a senator, although his appointment is far from straightforward. A political boss hopes to perpetrate a land swindle at a site called Willet Creek and has several senators in his pocket to ease his plans through. It falls to Jefferson to try and defeat the plan and also save his own good name. Co-starring Jean Arthur and Claude Rains., Jefferson Smith is appointed to the Senate because his bosses think they can control him and maintain their corrupt schemes. But Smith doesn’t fall for their flattery and overcomes a scandal to expose the graft on Capitol Hill., Frank Capra’s classic comedy-drama established James Stewart as a lead actor in one of his finest (and most archetypal) roles. The film opens as a succession of reporters shout into telephones announcing the death of Senator Samuel Foley. Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), the state’s senior senator, puts in a call to Governor Hubert “Happy” Hopper (Guy Kibbee) reporting the news. Hopper then calls powerful media magnate Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), who controls the state — along with the lawmakers. Taylor orders Hopper to appoint an interim senator to fill out Foley’s term; Taylor has proposed a pork barrel bill to finance an unneeded dam at Willet Creek, so he warns Hopper he wants a senator who “can’t ask any questions or talk out of turn.” After having a number of his appointees rejected, at the suggestion of his children Hopper nominates local hero Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), leader of the state’s Boy Rangers group. Smith is an innocent, wide-eyed idealist who quotes Jefferson and Lincoln and idolizes Paine, who had known his crusading editor father. In Washington, after a humiliating introduction to the press corps, Smith threatens to resign, but Paine encourages him to stay and work on a bill for a national boy’s camp. With the help of his cynical secretary Clarissa Sanders (Jean Arthur), Smith prepares to introduce his boy’s camp bill to the Senate. But when he proposes to build the camp on the Willets Creek site, Taylor and Paine force him to drop the measure. Smith discovers Taylor and Paine want the Willets Creek site for graft and he attempts to expose them, but Paine deflects Smith’s charges by accusing Smith of stealing money from the boy rangers. Defeated, Smith is ready to depart Washington, but Saunders, whose patriotic zeal has been renewed by Smith, exhorts him to stay and fight. Smith returns to the Senate chamber and, while Taylor musters the media forces in his state to destroy him, Smith engages in a climactic filibuster to speak his piece: “I’ve got a few things I want to say to this body. I tried to say them once before and I got stopped colder than a mackerel. Well, I’d like to get them said this time, sir. And as a matter of fact, I’m not gonna leave this body until I do get them said.”, Frank Capra’s Best Picture nominee about a wide-eyed patriotic bumpkin named Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), who’s appointed to the Senate by corrupt politicos, chief among them and unbeknownst to Smith is a senior senator whom he idolized. Stewart was nominated for Best Actor and the film was up for a total of 10 Academy Awards. A TV series of the same name had a one-season run (1962-3)., A wide-eyed patriotic bumpkin named Jefferson Smith, who’s appointed to the Senate by corrupt politicos, chief among them and unbeknownst to Smith is a senior senator whom he idolised.