MovieChat Forums > Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Discussion > Was Mr. Smith based on somebody??

Was Mr. Smith based on somebody??

posted 12 years ago by ironhorse_iv
3 replies | jump to latest

Honestly, I am wondering if Jefferson Smith was based on somebody. It was kinda off that they use 'Boy Rangers' over 'Boy Scouts'?? Why did they do that?? Who is Jefferson Smith based off?

[–] athomed 12 years ago

He's not based on any person in history specifically which one could cite. The film used the term Boy Rangers because they didn't have the permission to use Boy Scouts.

That’s a very interesting mixture of poetry and meanness.

[–] usherman 12 years ago

Possibly Strom Thurmond. I know he did the same thing right around that time frame or it may have been in the 40s.

[–] doug65oh 11 years ago

Could be, but it wasn’t Strom Thurmond. He didn’t go to the Senate until 1954, and wasn’t elected to a full term until 1956. That I know of, though (or have ever heard) Jefferson Smith wasn’t actually based on any particular person, just as athomed says.