Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) presented by TCM

Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Entertainment are bringing Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to select cinemas nationwide for a special two-day event, which also includes specially produced commentary from Turner Classic Movies. The naïve Jeff Smith (James Stewart) is appointed as a U.S. Senator by a corrupt political party machine headed by the Governor, a publisher and Senator Paine (Claude Rains). Paine, hoping to keep Senator Smith from prying into a pending bill for an unnecessary but profitable dam, suggests to Smith that he sponsor a bill for his own pet project, a boys’ camp. Meanwhile, Smith’s disillusioned secretary, Saunders (Jean Arthur), who is on Paine’s payroll, has fallen in love with Mr. Smith. She informs him that the dam and camp share the same land site! Shocked, Mr. Smith threatens Paine with exposure, but Paine tells the senate that Smith owns the land. Mr. Smith fights back with a heroic one-man filibuster.