TMS Discussion: Jefferson Smith Forever

(Columbia Pictures)

So, you might have noticed I’m not the most politically vocal person. This isn’t necessarily because I have controversial views or because I don’t want to alienate people who might have different beliefs than me and want to read my writing [although I guess there is a little of the latter at the end of the day too]. But the real reason is…I can’t handle embarrassment. If I show support for a politician or a stance, and then somewhere down the line the politician is exposed as a fraud, or society progresses in a way that unexpectedly ages an opinion that might have been popular in the past; I would be grimacing and cringing at myself for however long into the future for endorsing them. I’m already afraid of accidentally sticking my foot in my mouth when it comes to serious topics. I vote every election, have my own opinions about the government, and have plenty of in-person conversations about the news; so politics and world events will continue to be a ‘no’ from me on social media and my pop culture and entertainment newsletter. That said…now that I’ve brought this topic up…

As my American readers know, Tuesday is our most recent Election Day, and we have hit our share of overexposure with advertisements and endorsements for candidates. Anytime an election comes around, I’m always reminded of one of my favorite movies with one of my all-time favorite male protagonists: Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Played by my main Old Hollywood dude, Jimmy Stewart, Jeff is the everyman in America. The idealistic, well-meaning local hero who has no experience in politics, but is head Boy Ranger in his midwestern hometown and a natural leader, liked by most of his peers and neighbors. He’s suddenly recruited by his state’s governor, Hubert Hopper (Guy Kibbee), to replace a member of the US Senate who has just passed. Though taken by surprise, Jeff signs up because Senior Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) was an old friend of Jeff’s father. What the young man doesn’t know is that political boss Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold) conceived Jeff’s Senate placement to take advantage of his naivety for corrupt reasons. Now Jeff has to take on the whole government when his simple pitch to build a new boys’ campsite is vetoed for a more profitable, but less practical, city project and he’s set up with a fake scandal to lose public sympathy.

Capra—who was already known for his wholesome Americana themes by 1939—could only envision Jimmy playing Jeff once Gary Cooper dropped out of the production, and ‘Mr. Deeds Goes to Washington’ quickly turned into ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.’ The director and the actor had just collaborated on the family dramedy You Can’t Take It with You (1938) and naturally jelled together. As Capra put it, Jimmy IS Jefferson Smith. He came from a small town in Pennsylvania and was active in extracurricular activities growing up. No one else could personify the impressionable boy who isn’t deterred by DC regulars treating him like a hick or yokel. When Jeff has to take his fellow senators to court, one of his few supporters is his secretary, Clarissa Saunders, played by YCTIWY co-star Jean Arthur. The actress was reportedly unhappy during the filming of Mr. Smith because she was looking forward to making a sequel to Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) with Frank and Gary again. I think some of her frustration can be visible on film and works in the early parts of Mr. Smith. Clarissa is the disillusioned city girl who’s seen it all. She’s the opposite of Jeff’s optimism and can actually fit as a stand-in for the modern viewer.

(Columbia Pictures)

It’s a little funny to think now, but MSGTW was semi-controversial when it was released. Both politicians and studio execs warned Capra his film could set a bad example and portray US Congress too negatively, since nearly everyone except Smith, Saunders, a 12-year-old pageboy played by Dickie Jones, and the President of the Senate played by Harry Carey are written as a crook or idiot. Even more amusingly, the film was originally banned in then fascist Germany, Italy and Spain for “showing democracy can be successful.” Over time, Mr. Smith has grown a reputation for being viewed as too cartoony and full of that famous ‘Capracorn’ by liberals and progressives. In fact, I remember a Poli-Sci professor I had my first year of college showing the scene where Saunders explains how a filibuster works and the teacher feeling the need to state that he “doesn’t agree with anything else in this movie” [suggesting the story is too conservative]. With the world seeming more cynical than ever these days, I can’t help but wonder if the pendulum has swung back around and audiences might now see the government as pessimistically as Capra did.

At the beginning of the movie, Clarissa is just passively easing Jeff into his new political position until she is convinced he was set up by his fellow senators. She is the brains to Jeff’s heart as they get to know each other. Naturally, they’re in love by the end. It’s easy to toss aside Jeff’s brand of Truth, Justice and the American Way as a simplification when you have the wisdom and experience of a working adult. But I don’t think Jeff is necessarily saying anything outdated or factually incorrect. He’s just trying to show liberty and the Constitution can still be relevant for leading the country, and reminding us the children are our future four decades before Whitney Houston sang the same sentiment in song. This is a Hollywood movie with a Hollywood ending. Jefferson Smith is a well-written and performed film character who doesn’t exist in the real world, but it would be nice if he did.