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IMDbPro

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

  • 1939
  • Passed
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
118K
YOUR RATING
James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, and Eugene Pallette in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tristar
Play trailer1:37
1 Video
89 Photos
ComedyDrama

A naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries... Read allA naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.A naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.

  • Director
    • Frank Capra
  • Writers
    • Sidney Buchman
    • Lewis R. Foster
    • Myles Connolly
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • Jean Arthur
    • Claude Rains
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    118K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Frank Capra
    • Writers
      • Sidney Buchman
      • Lewis R. Foster
      • Myles Connolly
    • Stars
      • James Stewart
      • Jean Arthur
      • Claude Rains
    • 342User reviews
    • 100Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #198
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

    Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
    Trailer 1:37
    Watch Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

    Photos89

    James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
    James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
    James Stewart and Jean Arthur in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
    James Stewart, Beulah Bondi, Ruth Donnelly, and Guy Kibbee in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Frank Capra, James Stewart 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, James Stewart 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" James Stewart, Jean Arthur 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Thomas Mitchell 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" James Stewart 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Claude Rains,  James Stewart, 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" James Stewart, Claude Rains and Cast 1939 Columbia
    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Frank Capra 1939 Columbia

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Stewart
    James Stewart
    • Jefferson Smith
    Jean Arthur
    Jean Arthur
    • Saunders
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Senator Joseph Paine
    Edward Arnold
    Edward Arnold
    • Jim Taylor
    Guy Kibbee
    Guy Kibbee
    • Governor Hopper
    Thomas Mitchell
    Thomas Mitchell
    • Diz Moore
    Eugene Pallette
    Eugene Pallette
    • Chick McGann
    Beulah Bondi
    Beulah Bondi
    • Ma Smith
    H.B. Warner
    H.B. Warner
    • Senate Majority Leader
    Harry Carey
    Harry Carey
    • President of the Senate
    Astrid Allwyn
    Astrid Allwyn
    • Susan Paine
    Ruth Donnelly
    Ruth Donnelly
    • Mrs. Hopper
    Grant Mitchell
    Grant Mitchell
    • Senator MacPherson
    Porter Hall
    Porter Hall
    • Senator Monroe
    H.V. Kaltenborn
    H.V. Kaltenborn
    • H.V. Kaltenborn
    Charles Lane
    Charles Lane
    • Nosey
    Pierre Watkin
    Pierre Watkin
    • Senate Minority Leader
    Dick Elliott
    Dick Elliott
    • Carl Cook
    • Director
      • Frank Capra
    • Writers
      • Sidney Buchman
      • Lewis R. Foster
      • Myles Connolly(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bitterly denounced by Washington insiders angry at its allegations of corruption, yet banned by fascist states in Europe who were afraid it showed that democracy works.
    • Goofs
      Under the Standing Rules of the Senate governing debate, Senator Paine would not technically have been allowed to attack Senator Smith's character and accuse him of graft. The rule states: "No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator."
    • Quotes

      Jefferson Smith: You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading The Land of the Free in history books. Then they get to be men they forget even more. Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.

    • Connections
      Edited into High Hopes: The Capra Years (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean
      (1843) (uncredited)

      Written by David T. Shaw

      Played during the opening credits and often in the score

    User reviews342

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    It works in a way no other movie could, THERE IS PROOF
    Now, I must admit that this is one of my top five favorite films. There is a warmth, idealism, and kinda simple feeling of hope, that makes one believe that things will work out in the end. Capra knew exactly what he wanted, and it shines. Jimmy Stewart, in the role of his life, makes us believe, what we know is almost impossible in todays crass world.

    Claude Rains is incredible as Senator Smith's evil mentor. Jean Arthur, as his confidant, plays the part so well,that we just want her to save the day.

    The final scene, where the filibuster is taking place, is among the greatest ever made.

    BUT THE PROOF, YOU ASK?

    In the early 80s, I showed this film, over three days, to a group of 15 year old inner city teenagers. I taught Political Science in a very difficult school in Chicago. It was a new class, and not all of the "best" students took it.

    I decided to show this film at the end of the year, just to see how long I could keep the students attention. I didn't expect much. Fifteen is a very tough age to keep any kind of attention span, and it was at the end of the day, 2:30 -3:15 pm. which made things worse. As the film began, there was rustling in the seats, boredom, that famous oh what a waste of time look...Mind you, this is 43 year old film, about a white Senator, in those "old" days, and being shown to a totally Afro-American crowd of 15 year olds, late in the day, (over a three day period, which meant the students would have to wait till the next day to see what was going on. ..By the end of the third day, Capra had worked his magic, and the entire class was spellbound by this film. They were there till the very end, and you could see how much they enjoyed seeing a film, that they wouldn't have looked at in a thousand years..Comments were wonderful. Any film that could accomplish this, more than 40 years after its conception, to a crowd that no one would believe would have any interest in, deserves to be truly called a "great film."
    helpful•154
    29
    • stuartpiles
    • May 1, 2006

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    FAQ4

    • What is 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' about?
    • Is "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" based on a book?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 19, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
    • Filming locations
      • Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,900,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $144,738
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $83,205
      • Oct 14, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $144,738
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, and Eugene Pallette in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
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