Fetching results...
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Poster

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 0.0

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
0.0

Directors : Frank Capra

Producers : Frank Capra

Writers : Sidney Buchman, Myles Connolly

Cinematographers : Joseph Walker

Editors : Gene Havlick, Al Clark

Music Directors : Dimitri Tiomkin

Official Trailer
Share on

General Information

Completed On: 17 Oct, 1939

Director:

Duration: 2 hr 10 min 0 sec

Genres: Fiction

Language: English

Country: United States

Submitted By: CONTRIBUTORS CLUB

Public Rating 0.0
  • 10
    0.00%
  • 9
    0.00%
  • 8
    0.00%
  • 7
    0.00%
  • 6
    0.00%
Photos
Videos
No videos added yet!

In the late 1930s, the governor of an unnamed western state, Hubert "Happy" Hopper, appoints Jefferson Smith to replace deceased U.S. Senator Sam Foley. Smith is head of the Boy Rangers, and his appointment is supported by the governor’s children. Corrupt political boss, Jim Taylor, sought the appointment of his handpicked stooge, while popular committees wanted another candidate. Smith, however, was chosen because his naivety about politics would make him easy to manipulate.

Smith is taken under the wing of the publicly esteemed, but secretly crooked, Senator Joseph Paine, who was Smith's late father's friend. Smith develops an immediate attraction to the senator's daughter, Susan. At Senator Paine's home, Smith has a conversation with Susan, fidgeting and bumbling, entranced by the young socialite. Smith's naïve and honest nature allows the unforgiving Washington press to take advantage of him, quickly tarnishing Smith's reputation with ridiculous front-page pictures and headlines branding him a bumpkin.

To keep Smith busy, Paine suggests he propose a bill. With the help of his secretary, Clarissa Saunders, who was the aide to Smith's predecessor and had been around Washington and politics for years, Smith comes up with a bill to authorize a federal government loan to buy some land in his home state for a national boys' camp, to be paid back by youngsters across America. Donations pour in immediately. However, the proposed campsite is already part of a dam-building graft scheme included in an appropriations bill framed by the Taylor political machine and supported by Senator Paine.

Unwilling to crucify the worshipful Smith so that their graft plan will go through, Paine tells Taylor he wants out, but Taylor reminds him that Paine is in power primarily through Taylor's influence. Paine then advises Smith to keep silent about the matter. The following day, when Smith speaks out about the bill at Senate, the machine in his state—through Paine—accuses Smith of trying to profit from his bill by producing fraudulent evidence that Smith already owns the land in question. Smith is too shocked and angry by Paine's betrayal to defend himself and runs away.

Saunders, who looked down on Smith at first, but has come to believe in him, talks him into launching a filibuster to postpone the appropriations bill and prove his innocence on the Senate floor just before the vote to expel him. In his last chance to prove his innocence, he talks non-stop for about 25 hours, reaffirming the American ideals of freedom and disclosing the dam scheme's true motives. Yet none of the senators are convinced.

The constituents try to rally around him, but the entrenched opposition is too powerful, and all attempts are crushed. Owing to the influence of Taylor's machine, newspapers and radio stations in Smith's home state, on Taylor's orders, refuse to report what Smith has to say and even distort the facts against the senator. The Boy Rangers' effort to spread the news in support of Smith results in vicious attacks on the children by Taylor's minions.

Although all hope seems lost, the senators begin to pay attention as Smith approaches utter exhaustion. Paine has one last card up his sleeve: he brings in bins of letters and telegrams from Smith's home state, purportedly from average people demanding his expulsion. Nearly broken by the news, Smith finds a small ray of hope in a friendly smile from the President of the Senate. Smith vows to press on until people believe him but immediately collapses in a faint. Overcome with the pangs of remorse, Paine leaves the Senate chamber and attempts to commit suicide by gunshot but is stopped by onlooking senators. He then bursts back into the Senate chamber, shouting a confession to the whole scheme; the reformed Paine further insists that he must be expelled from the Senate and affirms Smith's innocence to Clarissa's delight. The President of the Senate observes the ensuing chaos with amusement.

  • Directors
    Frank Capra
  • Producers
    Frank Capra
  • Writers
    Sidney Buchman, Myles Connolly
  • Cinematographers
    Joseph Walker
  • Editors
    Gene Havlick, Al Clark
  • Music Directors
    Dimitri Tiomkin
  • Film Type
    Fiction
  • Genres
    Political Comedy-Drama
  • Runtime
    2 hours 10 minutes 0 seconds
  • Completion Date
    17 Oct, 1939
  • Production Budget
    1500000 USD
  • Country of Origin
    United States
  • Country of Filming
    United States
  • Film Language
    English
  • Shooting Format
  • Aspect Ratio
  • Film Color
    Color
  • Student Project
    No
  • First-time Filmmaker
    No

Columbia Pictures
Worldwide:

Cast

Not Found

Cast Role Played

Special title treatment

Role Played

Project Links
0 Reviews

Please log in to write a review!

Official Trailer
Photos
Videos
No videos added yet!
Project Links