Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was released during a fantastic year for movies—1939 also saw the release of Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.

Jimmy Stewart’s role as the naïve senator Jefferson Smith became one of his most iconic performances.

It received 11 Oscar nominations but only won for Best Original Story.

They had to build a fake Senate chamber, as the U.S. Congress would not allow filming in the real Senate. The set was so accurate that Washington lawmakers praised its authenticity.

The movie was mildly controversial for its portrayal of political corruption. Several lawmakers tried to ban the film, believing it made Congress look bad.Congress added the film to the National Film Registry in 1989.

It was banned in the fascist countries of Italy and Germany.

Jefferson Smith as a character was partly inspired by Senator Burton Wheeler, who exposed corruption in 1924.

The ending was edited to make the film’s conclusion more optimistic.

The Boy Rangers were clearly inspired by the Boy Scouts of America but had to be renamed for legal reasons.

It actually became a huge hit in France and remained a very popular American film there for some time.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt received a private screening of the movie, and he reportedly enjoyed it.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington has inspired many productions, including The Candidate starring Robert Redford and the TV series The West Wing. It continues to influence political dramas more than 80 years later.