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Welcome to “Pop Break Goes to Washington” where host Allison Lips is joined by a special guest to discuss the historical significance and impact of a political film. Allison and her guests discuss how politics is portrayed in each film. While this podcast focuses on the American political system, it does make a few forays outside of the United States.
For our first episode, Allison and Aaron Sarnecky from The Anniversary Brothers podcast explore the themes present in the movie that inspired the title of this podcast: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The film stars Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, and was directed by Frank Capra.
The movie made a splash when it debuted at an event sponsored by the National Press Club. While politicians and the press criticized the James Stewart vehicle, the public bought enough tickets to make it the second highest grossing film at the 1939 box office-behind Gone with the Wind. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won for Best Original Screenplay for Lewis R. Foster.
Join Allison and Aaron as they debate whether the classic 1939 Frank Capra film holds up today and deserves its reputation as one of the best films ever.
