MovieChat Forums > Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Discussion > Jean Arthur is just simply amazing in th...

Jean Arthur is just simply amazing in this


Never heard or seen this actress before. And what a pleasant surprise to discover such a talent. She was just brilliant in this movie. Loved every second she was on screen.

Very captivating, charismatic actress. Looking forward to seeing more of her work.

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She also has a great supporting role in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), starring Gary Cooper.

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You got your mind right, Luke?

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You haven't seen the classic western Shane? Mr Deeds Goes To Town? A Foriegn Affair? Jean Arthur was a treasure. Great dramatic actress with excellent comedic timing.

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Jean Arthur was simply amazing in everything I've ever seem her in. You'll love the rest of it, too.

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You know, I can’t recall having seen Jean Arthur in anything, either, despite the fact that I watch a lot of classic films.

She’s fantastic in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Her character was the best part of the film for me. It still would/could have been a great movie without her, but her character was so special. She was a firecracker – whip-smart, witty, and cynical, but thawing from that frost of cynicism thanks to the fresh, bright-eyed Jefferson. She’s so relatable, too. I think we all feel a bit like Clarissa at some point, tossed around in the gears of a system we can’t get out from, trying to apply ourselves but just spinning our wheels, getting a bit more jaded every time we fail. Yet another reason we need more Jefferson Smiths in our lives.

The character’s great, the performance is great, and she had a magic rapport with basically everybody she interacted with. She also truly surprised me as the love interest, who I thought was going to be Susan Payne. I figured the central conflict with the romance would be a daughter torn between her father/luxury life and the simpler, kinder Jefferson Smith. But nope! Along comes Clarissa Saunders like dynamite to blow the plot up and send it somewhere else entirely.

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What do Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Marsha Hunt and Margot Kidder have in common? Same birthday, October 17th.

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