Mr Smith goes to Washington

[Robert]

I guess the more things change the more they stay the same. With a few name changes and the drama that was instilled, it was so much a small pic of what Trump is going through today. It took on a new meaning when I watched it and couldn't believe the parallels to the current time. What a great movie and timely.

From the pushing of a man to become a senator that seemingly didn't know the Washington crowd to trying to destroy him when he actually started to drain the swamp. I loved watching this again.

From the control of the press by big money to the pushing of a seemingly unwitting and unable candidate to a senate position so they could control him to the people and projects that Smith was up against it was kind of funny. To those who he thought was on his side betraying him in a big way.

What I would say though is the anti hero at the end who actually broke the whole thing wouldn't happen today, the compassion would not be there.   

Mr Smith Goes To Washington
Made in 1936


https://archive.org/details/MrSmithGoesToWashington1939480x360

When the words were read on the Lincoln monument it gave me chills.

At the end when Smith is in Congress he says I want to instill in those boys the idea of a great country the US is that is what is missing in society today.

  Its not nationalism but a devotion to the ideas of freedom, honor, like mindedness in the making of a country. Its not devotion to a place or land but to the concept of all men are created equal in the eyes of their creator and that is what the left today does not understand today nor want instilled by anything but laws instead of peoples hearts.

 For control cannot be had by those that are not slaves to a rule of law.

Men with purpose and honor and direction are a law unto themselves being subject to conscience and creator and to the benefit of each and every person. That is why our Constitution is wholly useless to a unmoral people.

[bentwrench]

Hear hear !

[Jess from VA]

I watched it last night (again) too.

Great American movie, and Jimmy Stewart (and Frank Capra) at his best.  

Some films (and stories) never lose their relevance or get old.  

Except for black and white film and fedora hats, the story-line of power and greed of (multiple term) politicians, political machines and fixers, corruption, lying press, is just as relevant today as in 1939.

My favorite scene is Jimmy stalking around punching every reporter he can find in the nose.

The only bad part is at the end when Claude Rains has an attack of conscience and honesty and tries to shoot himself and confesses to the entire chamber.  That would never happen.  

You see a young Jimmy Stewart in 1939, and know in a few short years, he'd be a Lt Col flying B24 missions over Germany.  (Both his grand fathers fought in the Civil War, and his father in the Spanish-American.)  After initially being refused for service for being UNDERweight, he became the first major American movie star to wear a military uniform in World War II (as a private).  With his expert pilot training and college degree, he applied for the Air Corp, but was 6 years beyond the maximum age, but he got by that.  

He got out of the poster boy PR crap (and instructor pilot), and got a multi-engine rating and went to war.  He was one of the very few Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years during the Second World War.  On merit.  He stayed in the reserves after service, and he remained current as a pilot of Convair B-36 Peacemaker, Boeing B-47 Stratojet, and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress intercontinental bombers of the Strategic Air Command.  After retirement, he went over to RVN, and reportedly snuck aboard one or more combat bombing missions over North RVN.  His (adopted) stepson Ronald was killed in action in Vietnam in June 1969, while serving as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

Many years later during my Air Force service, I was surprised to hear that walking around in uniform with your hands in your pockets was called ..... Air Force gloves (especially by guys in the Army, Navy and Marines).  

[Robert]

I watched it last night (again) too.

My favorite scene is Jimmy stalking around punching every reporter he can find in the nose.

I loved this scene also and thanks for the fill in, I never knew that about him.

He was one of my favorite actors and played in so many movies that I liked. One of my favorites that I have a copy of is, "Its a wonderful life" and although have seen it many times I always enjoy it.

[rocketray]

yep--he was the real deal

[Alpha Dog]

It was in 1984 I believe I got to see Jimmy give a speech on the Palos Verdes Peninsula with my friend who lived there.  It was in conjunction with the arrival of I, think ,Clipper ships.

This is a little known story about Jimmy.  A Nepal monastery had a hand in a case they claimed was from a Yeti.  Famed Yeti adventurer and researcher Peter Bryne, in the 1950s ( you may have seen him in clips from In Search of and other such documentaries back in the 70s and 80s ) managed to steal a finger from it, and replacing it with a human finger, and had to smuggle it out of the country and airport.
It was smuggled out of India by hiding the finger in Jimmy's wife's lingerie case, and sent to England.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-16316397.

[Jess from VA]

Wow, hiding your finger in another man's wife's lingerie can be real dangerous.   

(link no workee)