MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
TCM, 6:30 p.m. ET
This 1939 Frank Capra movie contains both sides of the political and mass media seesaw. On one hand, some politicians are shown as corrupt, and some newspaper and radio reporters as jackals and parasites. But on the other side of the seesaw, there’s James Stewart as Jefferson Smith, a newbie senator so raw, honest and noble that he seems like the endangered species he was, and still is. Jean Arthur, as the more experienced Washington hand who is given the job of “handling” him, is just as magnetic as Stewart – and together, they bring such drama and inspiration to politics, especially in the U.S. Senate, that this is a film that should be seen this year, tonight, no matter how many times you’ve seen it.