For a film that proudly waves the flag for the American way, Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ran into plenty of political opposition. Many equated the film’s endorsement of one man taking a stand for his principles as subversive. After idealistic naïf Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) is appointed to the U.S. Senate, he hopes to push through his pet project of building a boys’ camp on highly coveted property. Instead, he discovers he’s a pawn of a corrupt political machine. Though the film doesn’t ascribe party affiliations to any of its characters, it made enemies in Congress and abroad. Nominated for 11 Oscars, it won only one (for original story). But in the Class of 1939, which many consider Hollywood’s greatest year, Mr. Smith stands tall. It gave Stewart a career-defining role. Like Capra’s best works, it triumphantly celebrates the American spirit. — Laura Emerick
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