Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

DVD review from The Movie Snob

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (B). Capra re-teamed Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur for this tale of a decent but apolitical guy (Mr. Smith, played by Stewart) who is unexpectedly appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. The senior senator from his state, at the direction of the political boss who basically runs the state, is on the verge of pushing through an appropriations bill that has hidden within it a dam project that will make the boss fabulously rich. Unfortunately, the innocent Mr. Smith decides to try his hand at bill-writing and proposes to build a camp for poor boys--exactly on the site of the dam project. This sets up a memorable showdown between Smith and the political machine. The depiction of corruption in the Senate was apparently quite controversial at the time. Completely corny, but still an enjoyable film.