Hero of The Senate: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” was released Oct. 19, 1939 — 85 years ago Saturday.

The film starred James Stewart as a naive scout leader who’s appointed to a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate where he runs into the crooked plans of crooked politicians.

(Very) loosely based on a true story, the film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor and won for Best Writing, Original Story.

Washington Was Not Amused

“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” was, in part, based on an unpublished story by screenwriter Lewis Foster called “The Gentleman from Montana.” The story recounted the ordeal experienced by U.S. Sen. Burton Wheeler of Montana. As a freshman lawmaker in 1923, Wheeler dove into uncovering corruption in the Warren Harding administration in what came to be called the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Wheeler succeeded leading the investigation but then found himself investigated for involvement in a conspiracy — allegations that were later called “pure vindictive retaliation, a frame-up” by the attorney general.

Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Foster’s story intending to turn it into a movie starring Ralph Bellamy. Famed director Frank Capra took an interest in the project, hoping to adapt it into a sequel to “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” starring Gary Cooper.

Cooper, however, was tied up on another movie, so Capra decided to film it with James Stewart in the title role.

As word of the movie spread, members of Congress began to voice their disapproval. Fearing punitive legislation against the entire movie industry, a group of studios offered Columbia $2 million — a half-million more than it cost — to shelve the film. Executives stood behind Capra.

Two days before the film opened in theaters, it premiered in front of 4,000 guests at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Invitees included congressmen, Cabinet members and Supreme Court Justices.

Capra sat next to Sen. Wheeler, who was so offended by the film that he left midway through the movie. Capra described the discussions afterward as “the worst shellacking of my professional life.”

Senate Majority Leader Alben Barkley called the movie “silly and stupid” and complained it “makes the Senate look like a bunch of crooks” and “showed the Senate as the biggest aggregation of nincompoops on record.”

Days after its domestic release, Capra received a cable from the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, Joseph Kennedy, who said he feared the movie would damage “America’s prestige in Europe” and urged Capra to not release the film there.

Columbia released “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” anyway. Several governments including Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy and Franco’s Spain, banned the movie, disliking the way it showed Democracy overcoming corruption. One theater owner in Paris reportedly showed the movie every day for 30 days after Germany occupied France in 1942.

Taking Mr. Smith to Washington

The National Park Service declined to give Capra permission to film at the various monuments in Washington, D.C. Capra quietly filmed footage that was projected behind Stewart, performing in Hollywood. The scene in which Smith reads Lincoln’s words on the wall of his memorial was inspired by a young boy Capra saw reading those same words at the Lincoln Memorial.

Smith was written as a boy scout leader, but the Boys Scouts of America objected to having any involvement at all in the film. Capra had the name of the group in his movie changed to Boy Rangers. Stewart’s performance would earn him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Stewart would win the next year for “The Philadelphia Story.”

Harry Carey is credited as playing the “President of the Senate.” In theory, this would make the character the vice president of the United States. Carey’s character presides over Smith’s big filibuster at the climax of the film and even encourages Smith. Carey’s work would earn him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In order to sound like he had been speaking for 25 hours for the filibuster scene, Stewart dried out his throat with bicarbonate of soda. After his mentor-turned-opponent has thousands of letters and telegrams opposing Smith’s filibuster brought into the chamber, Smith collapses from exhaustion.

The set for the Senate chamber was built to nearly full scale, on two adjoining stages at Columbia. At the time, the set was the largest built at that studio. The set would contain hundreds of actors and extras and would require filming on three different levels: The Senate floor, the rostrum and the visitors and press galley.

Capra brought in 30-year-old Stewart because he felt Stewart projected innocence and idealism. Jean Arthur reportedly disliked Stewart’s performance, considering it too cute. She felt that Capra should have stuck with Cooper, who would have projected more masculinity and would have a stronger screen presence.

The villain of the film — Sen. Joseph Harrison Paine, part of a political machine from Smith’s home state — was reportedly based on Harry Truman, who got his political start as part of a Kansas City political machine. Claude Rains, who ably portrayed Paine’s redemption at the end of the film, would also earn a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

At one point, Mr. Smith asks a young Senate page his name. The boy replies “Richard Jones.” In fact, that was really the boy’s name. He was known professionally as Dickie Jones and appeared in a number of Western films and the Hal Roach “Our Gang” films. He’s best remembered as the voice of Walt Disney’s animated Pinocchio.