Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

  • 19391939
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
115K
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
88 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
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.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
115K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frank Capra
  • Writers
    • Sidney Buchman(screen play)
    • Lewis R. Foster(story)
    • Myles Connolly(contributor to screenplay construction and dialogue)
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • Jean Arthur
    • Claude Rains
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frank Capra
  • Writers
    • Sidney Buchman(screen play)
    • Lewis R. Foster(story)
    • Myles Connolly(contributor to screenplay construction and dialogue)
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • Jean Arthur
    • Claude Rains
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 337User reviews
    • 93Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #191
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

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

    Photos88

    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(screen play)
      • Lewis R. Foster(story)
      • Myles Connolly(contributor to screenplay construction and dialogue) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    It Happened One Night
    8.1
    It Happened One Night
    The Grapes of Wrath
    8.1
    The Grapes of Wrath
    The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
    8.2
    The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    8.1
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    On the Waterfront
    8.1
    On the Waterfront
    Rebecca
    8.1
    Rebecca
    You Can't Take It with You
    7.8
    You Can't Take It with You
    To Be or Not to Be
    8.2
    To Be or Not to Be
    The General
    8.2
    The General
    The Philadelphia Story
    7.9
    The Philadelphia Story
    The Third Man
    8.1
    The Third Man
    All About Eve
    8.2
    All About Eve

    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 reviews337

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Sure It's Cheesy, But Also Oh So Aspirational
    Critics of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" will call it cheesy, saccharine, and over-the-top in its character portrayals. Truth be told, I really can't call those critiques "wrong". But the thing is, this is such an endearing, aspirational film that I'm always able to look past the cheese-factor and enjoy the performances and overall message.

    For a very basic overview, 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" tells the story of Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a wide-eyed, aww-shucks, country boy rube who gets nominated for a U. S. Senate seat in large part to be a straight-ticket voter for the political machine of Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains). Once in Washington, however, both get a rude awakening: Smith discovers the graft in politics, while Paine begins to realize--to his horror--that Smith isn't just going to "tow the party line".

    This movie remains an all-time classic for me because of the earnestness of its message. It isn't quite as perfect as Capra's more famous "It's A Wonderful Life", but I do see similarities between the two pictures. Here, the story strikes such a simple--yet highly emotional--chord. Though deep down I think we all realize that corruption and compromise are likely unavoidable aspects of politics, we like to cling to ideals of honesty and supreme integrity. That is precisely the journey that Smith takes viewers on. This isn't "politics as it is", but rather "politics as we want it to be", and I think there is equal room for both in politically-minded films.

    Of course, casting Stewart is the cherry on top of all this. I'm not sure there has been a better individual born to play the Jefferson Smith role. His stuttering, stammering, "golly gee whiz" routine is perfect, yet when the chips are down he delivers a filibuster monologue almost guaranteed to have you in tears. Rains is fine as the corrupt Senator and Jean Arthur has a nice sidekick supporting role, but "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" is memorable because of Stewart. I very much liken his performance here to that of Henry Fonda's in "12 Angry Men". It's what we all wish we could be like--but know we'll probably never quite get there.

    The only reason I can't give this a full 10 stars? It was made in 1939--or back when Hollywood didn't really know how to properly end movies other than an emotional flourish and a fade to black. With a less-rushed, more nuanced endgame, this one could have ascended even higher.

    Overall, though, I consider this to be one of my favorite political films of all time. Make all the gritty, tough governmental thrillers you want (I love some of those too!), but I hold steady that a more aspirational, positive-minded effort like this isn't out-of-date or irrelevant simply because of that nature.
    helpful•14
    1
    • zkonedog
    • Mar 4, 2017

    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

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, and Eugene Pallette in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    Editors' Picks: What to Watch Now on Netflix
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Double Take: Celebrity Twins
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.