Mid-20th century America was a very formal time period. Even Hollywood shied away from addressing an adult male by his first name, churning out films with titles like Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. That last movie stands out from the pack, however, as it gave the world one of Jimmy Stewart's most memorable and powerful performances. Stewart played Jefferson Smith, a scout leader turned appointed U.S. Senator who is achingly idealistic. He is yet untouched by the cynical and corrupt political machine, and so he fights earnestly for truth and honesty in the midst of corruption, culminating in a dramatic filibuster scene.
This 1939 film was one of Stewart's breakthrough roles, and earned him his first Academy Award nomination. But believe it or not, it wasn't even supposed to be his project. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was initially conceived as a sequel to the similarly fish-out-of-water film, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, which starred Gary Cooper in the title role. Filmmakers intended Cooper to continue his character's journey in Mr. Deeds Goes to Washington. Once Cooper became unavailable, the filmmakers realized the movie was actually much more suited to Stewart and his "regular guy" persona. As it turns out, they were entirely correct.
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