Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Trivia

• Won the Academy Award for Best Story.
• Selected for the National Board of Review: Top Ten Films.
• Also nominated for: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Academy Award for Best Actor; Academy Award for Best Director; Academy Award for Best Film Editing; and 5 more.
• Because Cooper was unavailable, Capra then "saw it immediately as a vehicle for Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur", and Stewart was borrowed from MGM. Capra said of Stewart: "I knew he would make a hell of a Mr. Smith ... He looked like the country kid, the idealist.
• In January 1938, both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures submitted Foster's story to the censors at the Hays Office, likely indicating that both studios had an interest in the project before Columbia purchased it.
• Following Capra's usual habits, working with people he knew well, he brought together again three of the leading actors from his previous film production for Columbia Pictures in 1938, You Can't Take It with You, with Arthur, Stewart, and Arnold in lead roles again.

Filming Locations

• Washington, D.C.
• Some location shooting took place in Washington, D.C., at Washington Union Station, the United States Capitol, and other locations for background use.
• The production also used the "New York street set" on the Warner Bros. lot, using 1,000 extras when that scene was shot.

Previous Showings

24 Runs • 13 Festivals

Original Billings: 1 run (December 13, 1939)

Original Run: December 13, 1939 (Wednesday - Saturday)

All runs on record (24):

• December 13, 1939 (Wednesday - Saturday)James Stewart, Jean Arthur
• December 13 - 14, 1989w/ Young Mr. Lincoln
• March 16 - 18, 1990w/ State of the Union
• February 2 - 3, 1991w/ State of the Union
• July 3 - 6, 1993w/ Yankee Doodle Dandy
• December 26 - 31, 1993w/ The Mortal Storm
• November 11 - 14, 1995w/ Arsenic and Old Lace
• June 20 - 21, 1996w/ It's a Wonderful Life
• May 24 - 25, 1997w/ Broadway Bill
• September 17 - 19, 1999summer99w/ Lost Horizon
• December 28 - 30, 1999w/ The Wizard of Oz
• November 9 - 10, 2002Fall Folliesw/ Harvey
• December 17 - 19, 2003Satyajit Ray 2003w/ Ganashatru (An Enemy of the People)
• December 8 - 11, 2007Fall 2007 The Films of Frank Capra, plus other favoritesw/ American Madness
• October 18 - 19, 200920th Anniversary Festivalw/ The Man Who Knew Too Much
• April 3 - 6, 2010Spring 2010w/ Come Live with Me
• November 19 - 20, 2011Fall 2011w/ Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
• August 18 - 21, 2012Summer 2012w/ The Philadelphia Story
• February 14, 2014Frank Capra Festivalw/ American Madness
• March 1 - 2, 2014Frank Capra Festivalw/ American Madness
• July 23 - 26, 2016Summer 2016w/ Lady for a Day
• June 14 - 16, 2019James Stewart Festivalw/ Destry Rides Again
• December 26 - 27, 201980 Years Ago in This Theatre: The Films of 1939w/ Another Thin Man
• February 1 - 2, 2025The Films of Frank Capraw/ Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

More

• Tile: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
• IMDb: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
• Wikipedia: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington