Mr Smith Goes to Washington

Frank Capra’s Mr Smith Goes To Washington, the award-winning 1939 classic about an idealistic, small town senator who heads to Washington and suddenly finds himself single-handedly battling ruthless politicians out to destroy him. When Frank Capra decided to film the novel ‘The Gentleman From Montana’ he ran into an obstacledirector Rouben Mamoulian owned the rights to the story. Unwilling to sell, Mamoulian eventually traded the material to Columbia Pictures on the condition that he be allowed to direct Golden Boy. As Capra began working on the film, now called Mr Smith Goes To Washington, it was suggested that Gary Cooper, the star of Mr Deeds Goes To Town, take the lead. Capra selected Jimmy Stewart insteadand the film solidified Stewart’s movie career, gathering his first Academy Award nomination. Receiving a total of eleven 1939 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture and Best Director), and winning one (Best Motion Picture Story), Mr Smith Goes To Washington is considered one of Capra’s, Stewart’s and Columbia’s finest films.