I love Jean Arthur and think she was a fantastic actress. Hope to check out as many of her films as I can. She should have received an Oscar nomination for her performance in this movie. Anyone else agree?
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."
I think she gave easily one of the best performances of 1939. Of course, Vivien Leigh's much showier performance for Gone with the Wind got top honors. Jean Arthur's performance as Saunders still remains my favorite female performance of all time.
I never did it either. I'm not a nymphomaniac, I'm a compulsive liar.
Jean Arthur is GREAT in this movie. I gotta say, when she's playing this role, I have a complete crush on her. She was a beautiful woman.
"I know you're in there, Fagerstrom!"-Conan O'Brien
Next to Vivien Leigh, my favorite female performance of 1939 was Jean Arthur in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
"Watch me run a 50-yard dash with my legs cut off!"
The only minor gripe that I have with Ms. Arthur's performance (and it makes me smile everytime I see the film) is:
When she starts out, she sounds very streetwise. Her manner of speaking is very Moe Howard - you wouldn't be surprised if she said "Spread out, you mugs!" and clonked two reporters heads together. Until she falls in love with Jeff. You can hear it when she's crying in the gallery when Jeff is filibustering - she sounds almost British!
Who cares, though...it works anyway...she's beautiful and sassy - what more do you need?
I agree, Jean Arthur is great in this movie, Though I do prefer her in Mr. Deeds. She is very underrated. I have her as my third favorite actress just behaind Barbara Stanwyck and Irene Dunne.
I am awesome
"I agree, Jean Arthur is great in this movie, Though I do prefer her in Mr. Deeds."
For some reason, I never really liked Jean Arthur very much*, but her performance in this is extraordinary. Maybe I have missed her in her best films, or maybe the films I have seen "were not my type"???? Either way will look for "Mr Deeds" or any other film youse recommend....
*which is not to say I dislike her either....(I find I have the same type 'problem' with Irene Dunne and others....With regard to Irene Dunne, watched "Theodora Goes Wild" and loved it and her....)
"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five."
Regarding Jean Arthur, have you seen:
Only Angels Have Wings
The More the Merrier
The Talk of the Town
A Foreign Affair
Shane
The Devil and Miss Jones
History is Made at Night (which I need to see again)
Perhaps seeing these will change your mind about Jean Arthur?
"Watch me run a 50-yard dash with my legs cut off!"
I completely agree. Jean Arthur is very beautiful in this film. I like that they made her such a strong female character. My perception of that time is that women, in general, weren't to be taken seriously on that level, but her character had a lot of toughness and intelligence.
Yes, she (her character) was beautiful and she could have used that to her advantage, surely. But, I think she simply knew the system and how it could work to one's advantage. It was a great role for any women in any era.
The drinking scene is really remarkable. I love her performace in It Could Happen to You as well. Just can't believe she's 38, I thought she was 22.
shareThere were 5 nominees for best performance by an actress in 1939:
Vivien Leigh in "Gone With The Wind", Bette Davis in "Dark Victory", Irene Dunne in "Love Affair", Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka", and Greer Garson in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips".
Jean Arthur was great in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington", but those other 5 actresses were all great too! 1939 was the peak year of motion picture history.
Jean Arther seems to really shine when she stars in movies directed by by Frank Capra. She seems "so-so" in other movies, without Capra's direction, like "The More the Merrier," "Only Angels Have Wings" and "The Plainsman." I watched them as a Jean Arther fan and was disappointed. She seemed quite wet behind the ears in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" but she was good in it and she showed growing maturity and confidence as a comedic actress in "You Can't Take It with You." In "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," Jean Arther has really come of age as an actress and she's really her best in this movie. She had great lines in this movie like, "He's come in under his own power and he's sober." When Jean is playing a lady who has had one too many drinks, she reminds me of Georgett on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Jean Arther is my favorite classic film actress and my favorite performance of Jean is her role in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." When ever I go to Washington DC, I always try to visit the Lincoln Memorial and stand at the spot where Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arther) gives "Daniel Boon" Senator Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) that great "win-the-day" pep-talk.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! The last time I was in Washington I went to the Lincoln Memorial at night and thought more about this scene than about Lincoln himself -- and I rank Lincoln as one of our greatest, if not our greatest, presidents. Instead, I was hearing Jean Arthur: "Mr. Lincoln had his Senator Paines, too ..."
I often give this scene, and the bill-writing scene, and Jeff's filibuster speech to my high school acting students, and they cannot understand why I love these scenes, they quickly see the power in these scenes.
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Love your comments. Thanks.
shareI like her, but in one scene she sounds exactly like Sniffles the mouse.
shareHeh heh, she is pretty mousey.
I love her in this movie, her eyes and face are so expressive. Simple, strong and lovely. Helps that the character was so well written too, she has some great scenes and dialogue but Jean really brings Clarissa to life with a feisty realism.
Thanks for sharing your great experiences and observations, Ljspin.
shareFor me, her words of encouragement to Jeff at the Lincoln Memorial was the high point of the movie.
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