| Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Capra |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | "The Gentleman from Montana" (unpub. story)[1] by Lewis R. Foster[2] |
| Produced by | Frank Capra (uncredited) |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Colin James Mackey (uncredited) |
| Cinematography | Joseph Walker |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 125–126 or 130 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.5 million |
| Box office | $9 million[3] |
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United States senator who fights against government corruption, and was written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story "The Gentleman from Montana".[4] The film was controversial when it was first released, but successful at the box office, and it made Stewart a major star.[5] It was also loosely based on the life of Montana U.S. Senator Burton Wheeler, who underwent a similar experience when he was investigating the Warren Harding administration.[6][7]
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Original Story.[8] Considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, the film was selected by the Library of Congress as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1989, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[9][10]
- ^ a b c Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ McNamer, Deidre (January 7, 2007). "They Came From Montana". The New York Times.
- ^ "Box Office Information for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". The Numbers. Retrieved: April 12, 2012.
- ^ "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Notes". AFI. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ Brenner, Paul. "Overview". Allmovie. Retrieved: June 26, 2009.
- ^ "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington By Robert Sklar "The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films," 2002" (PDF). www.loc.gov.
- ^ "Mr Smith and the New Deal: pro or con? (Michael P. Rogin and Kathleen Moran, "Mr. Capra Goes to Washington," Representations 84, In Memory of Michael Rogin (Autumn, 2003), pp. 213-248 [219-20])". University of Missouri–St. Louis.
- ^ Nugent, Frank (October 20, 1939) "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)". The New York Times. Retrieved: June 26, 2009.
- ^ "ENTERTAINMENT: Film Registry Picks First 25 Movies". Los Angeles Times. Washington, D.C. September 19, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 6, 2020.