#mr smith goes to washington

[thebarroomortheboy]

JAMES STEWART and JEAN ARTHUR in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) | dir. Frank Capra

#1930's cinema #1930's #james stewart #jean arthur #frank capra #mr smith goes to washington #1939 #comedyedit #drama #dramaedit #old hollywood #filmblr #classicfilmsource #filmedit #oldhollywoodedit #classicfilmgifs #my gifs

[asgardian-angel]

Ok I just think Hayden could play Jimmy Stewart, right? I can't be the only one who sees this, right!?

The way they move? The micro expressions? The forehead? The mouth?

#star wars #hayden christensen #anakin #james stewart #jimmy stewart #anakin skywalker #fancast #old hollywood #destry rides again #sw #mr smith goes to washington #bell book and candle #recast

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

#movies #polls #mr. smith goes to washington #mr smith goes to washington #frank capra #30s movies #old hollywood #james stewart #jean arthur #have you seen this movie poll

[citizenscreen]

Frank Capra’s MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON held its world premiere in Washington, D.C. #OnThisDay in 1939, on Jean Arthur’s birthday.

#mr smith goes to washington #james stewart #jean arthur

[villainesfilles]

James Stewart

#james stewart #50s #vintage #photography #1950s #mr smith goes to washington #aesthetic #cinema #film #girl blogger #girlblog aesthetic #love

[starboykin]

i am a jimmy stewart fangirl

#mr smith goes to washington #jimmy stewart #mae talking to herself

[jamesmaitlandstewartsblog]

Screaming crying throwing up

#james stewart #jimmy stewart #mr smith goes to washington #30s movies #old hollywood #soft boi #baby boy

[nigesakis]

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) dir. Frank Capra

#mr smith goes to washington #1939 #old hollywood #jimmy Stewart #james stewart #black and white #b/w cinema #frank capra

[velvet4510]

#james stewart #movie star #movie polls #old hollywood #black and white movies #vintage movies #classic film #classic cinema #old movies #old films #jimmy stewart #1930s movies #1940s movies #1950s movies #1960s movies #it’s a wonderful life #the philadelphia story #vertigo 1958 #rear window #anatomy of a murder #the man who shot liberty valance #mr smith goes to washington #the shop around the corner #harvey 1950

[catastrofewaitress]

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) directed by Frank Capra

#mr smith goes to washington

[axsolotle]

Jefferson Smith from Mr Smith goes to Washington is autistic no I do not take constructive criticism

#mr smith goes to washington

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

My Personal Ranking of James Stewart’s movies.

A while ago, I did three separate posts ranking Cary Grant’s, Audrey Hepburn’s and Claude Rains’ films (at least of the ones I’ve seen), and I realized that there are a couple more actors that I wanted to do this for...actors whose filmography I’ve tried to work through, and to see as much of their work as I can.  With 102 credits, it will be a long time before I see all of James Stewart’s work, but here’s my personal ranking of the films I have seen.

And this is based mostly on my enjoyment of the movie, not just his performance...though his performance may have been the deciding factor if I needed a “tie breaker”.

14. Ziegfeld Girl

Now, I actually saw this movie for the first time last night and I was pretty excited to see it.  A young James Stewart in a movie with Judy Garland and there are Busby Berkley musical numbers?  This is going to be great!  Ummm...I have to admit that sadly, I was pretty bored.  This movie is 2 hours and 12 minutes, and they could have easily cut 10 minutes and not lose anything.  And Stewart is only in 25 minutes of the movie.  His scenes are great, and it’s always nice to see Judy Garland in any movie, but the three separate storylines just didn’t flow well together and I found myself checking the time a lot.  The most interesting thing about it for me was that it was Stewart’s last film before WWII, and that some people think you can see Gene Kelly in the background of one of the numbers.

13.  The Greatest Show on Earth

Speaking of overly long movies...this one is a two hour movie stretched out to three...but it’s Cecil B. DeMille, and I don’t think he ever made a movie that wasn’t a long epic with a cast of thousands.  And while a lot of the circus stuff did not age well, a lot of it is still very impressive to watch.  Gloria Grahame learned how to work with elephants, Cornel Wilde and Betty Hutton did their own trapeze work, and the train crash sequence still holds up.  And James Stewart plays a clown!  You never see him out of his clown makeup, as his character is hiding from the law...and it’s kinda fun to see him act silly and do some more gag-type humor.  But this is another case where his scenes are some of the more interesting ones, but he’s just not in the movie all that much.

12.  You Can’t Take It With You

This one is ranked a bit lower because I’ve only seen it once!  So, if I ever get around to watching it again, it may move up the ranks.  But it’s a fun, light comedy that is perfect for someone like Frank Capra.  And he’s really adorable in this movie.

11.  Harvey

Another case of me only seeing this movie once years ago...but this is also a really sweet movie, and Stewart is great as the “pleasant” Elwood P. Dowd, who is best friends with a giant rabbit.

10.  Rope

This is a very interesting movie.  The first time I saw it, I didn’t really like it...but after a few more viewings, I’ve grown to appreciate it more.  It’s not my favorite Hitchcock movie, and not his best collab with Hitchcock, but it is technically impressive with some decent tension.  

9.  Anatomy of a Murder

Now, I’ve only seen this movie once...even though I do own the Criterion Blu-Ray...it’s just a very long movie and it’s tough to find the time.  But it’s a very engaging legal drama and Stewart is excellent as the defense lawyer of a man on trial for murdering his wife’s rapist.

8.  The Man Who Knew Too Much

So, this is a remake that Hitchcock made of one of his mown movies...and Hitchcock preferred this one, saying that “the first was made by an amateur, and the remake by a professional.”  I personally like them both about the same, liking some things more in the original, some in the remake...but James Stewart was the perfect choice to play the father of a kidnapped child.  He and Doris Day have very nice, easy chemistry...they do feel like a married couple who are just so comfortable together.  

7.  Rose Marie

So, this isn’t really a James Stewart movie...not in the way you would think.  This is a Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald movie, where James Stewart appears in one scene.  This was his second movie, and he is about 21 years old and just so cute...He plays Jeanette Macdonald’s younger brother who is on the run after murdering a Mountie.  I remember watching this movie when I was like, eight...so this was probably my introduction to James Stewart, before I even knew who he was.

6.  Shenendoah

I just re-watched this movie about a week ago and James Stewart is so fucking good in it...if you want to see his definitive curmudgeon performance while he also makes you cry, you don’t need to look any farther than Shenandoah.  Stewart plays a Virginian farmer during the Civil War who has basically not chosen a side.  He doesn’t support the Confederates because he’s opposed to slavery, but he also doesn’t support the North because he’s opposed to war.  He just wants to sit out the war and tend his farm with his seven children...but then his youngest son gets taken prisoner by the Yankees, and he goes off to try and find him.  It’s a deeply layered performance and I’m honestly surprised that he wasn’t nominated for it...it’s also the movie where you get to hear him say the phrase: “a spare tit”, which is weirdly hilarious to me.

5.  It’s a Wonderful Life

Now we’ve made it to his most well-known movie...what can I saw about It’s a Wonderful Life that hasn’t already been said?  It’s so iconic and such a huge part of so many people’s Christmas traditions...and his performance is so incredible... George Bailey goes on such a massive emotional journey, and he is captivating to watch.

4.  Vertigo

This movie is so mesmerizing...it’s definitely one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces.  Stewart’s character Scotty is actually fairly unlikable for the majority of the movie (there are so many moments that just make me go “ick”), but his performance is so layered, you can’t keep your eyes off of him.  And that scene between him and Kim Novak in the tower is one of my favorite scenes in any Hitchcock movie.  It is so intense, and there have been plenty of times that I haven’t rewound the movie to re-watch the scene.

3.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

If I had to pick James Stewart’s best performance, I would have to pick this movie.  It is an absolutely incredible, and it is too bad that he didn’t win his Oscar for this movie (though many people think that his win the next year was a consolation prize).  Jefferson Smith is a patriot...wide-eyed, innocent and always believes the best in people...but he slowly gets ground down as he learns that Washington DC is not a great as he thought.  People are dishonest and untrustworthy...he learns it the hard way, but he still has some fight left in him, and he’s the kind of person that just has to try.  And his scenes in the Senate between him and Claude Rains are outstanding.

2.  Rear Window

This was the first Hitchcock movie I ever saw, and what a great way to start!  It is such an interesting murder mystery, and for so long, you’re not even 100% sure that it is a murder mystery...but Jeff is so invested in finding out the truth that you have to stick with him until we know for sure.  And the fact that it takes place all in one room and you never get bored is a testament to how engaging the story and James Stewart as Jeff are.

1.  The Philadelphia Story

I love this movie so much.  It interesting, when I made my Cary Grant countdown, this movie ended up at number one there, too.  But I think it comes down to just how much fun this movie is...the characters are likable and interesting; the dialogue is razor sharp and the actors all have terrific chemistry.  Especially James Stewart and Katharine Hepburn.  That scene with them after the party could be a short film all on its own and it would still be perfect.  And the scene between a drunk Mike and sober Dexter never fails at making me cackle.  I think that this movie is a good recommendation for someone who is looking for more Old Hollywood movies to watch.

And there you have it!  If you’ve made it to the end of this long post, congratulations. :)

There are a couple more of his movies I would like to check out, like Vivacious Lady and Bell, Book and Candle...maybe I’ll make an addition/update to this countdown.

Also, I never realized until I looked at his filmography, just how many westerns this man starred in...he made around 20 over the course of his career, which is so interesting to me, since he’s not the first person I think of when I think “westerns”...but anyway...thanks for reading!

#james stewart #the philadelphia story #mr smith goes to washington #rear window #vertigo #shenandoah #it's a wonderful life

[stone-cold-groove]

Frank Capra - 1942.

#frank capra #film directors #it's a wonderful life #mr smith goes to washington #it happened one night

[citizenscreen]

Frank Capra’s MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON premiered in Washington, D.C. #OnThisDay in 1939.

#mr smith goes to washington #james stewart #jean arthur

[villainesfilles]

Jean Arthur

#60s #girlblog aesthetic #girl blogger #beauty #film #music #vintage #models #cinema #1950s #old hollywood #old cinema #jean arthur #classic hollywood #classic movies #old movies #mr smith goes to washington #james stewart #1940s #1940s fashion #1950s fashion #1950s music #1950s movies #1950s history #life magazine

[honeyssuckle]

either i’m dead right or i’m crazy!

#mr smith goes to washington #film edit #classic films #30’s