"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", though replete with exaggeratedly patriotic idealism and sharing the white hat/black hat dualism of contemporary westerns, worked perfectly well because at its core it painted a true picture of government's susceptibility to corruption, a picture that rings even truer today than when the picture was made. It also boasted a script that had some real dramatic tension, beautifully carried out by Jimmy Stewart.
However, this effort, released just a year earlier, tries to hang the same ideals - faceless, heartless, and greedy corporate (as opposed to governmental in "Mr. Smith") anonymity versus the charming goodness of "little folks" - on much shakier plot devices. The quirkiness of the Vanderhof/Sycamore household is totally contrived, and the aristocratic snottiness of the Kirbys is drawn with an absurdly broad brush. Jimmy Stewart, who carried "Mr. Smith", has much less to do here and does it much less effectively. The whole thing just doesn't ring true enough to give us any sense of sympathy at the final resolution.
As an aside, note how the Judge, wonderfully played by Harry Davenport, foreshadows the role of the Senate President in "Mr. Smith", even to the odd way he rests his head against his right hand as he surveys the chaotic chamber before him with resigned bemusement. Too similar to be done other than intentionally.
However, this effort, released just a year earlier, tries to hang the same ideals - faceless, heartless, and greedy corporate (as opposed to governmental in "Mr. Smith") anonymity versus the charming goodness of "little folks" - on much shakier plot devices. The quirkiness of the Vanderhof/Sycamore household is totally contrived, and the aristocratic snottiness of the Kirbys is drawn with an absurdly broad brush. Jimmy Stewart, who carried "Mr. Smith", has much less to do here and does it much less effectively. The whole thing just doesn't ring true enough to give us any sense of sympathy at the final resolution.
As an aside, note how the Judge, wonderfully played by Harry Davenport, foreshadows the role of the Senate President in "Mr. Smith", even to the odd way he rests his head against his right hand as he surveys the chaotic chamber before him with resigned bemusement. Too similar to be done other than intentionally.