Mr. Smith goes to Washington filibuster
An evening pause: In honor of Rand Paul’s filibuster today, let’s watch Jimmy Stewart perform a movie filibuster from the (1939) movie, Mr. Smith goes to Washington.
As Mr. Smith says, “Somebody will listen to me.”
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I’m not really a big fan of Rand Paul, but I give him mega-praise for this.
The movie was considered such an insult to reporters, characterizing them as a swarm of vultures and the newspapers of Smith’s state as under the thumb of the Taylor machine, that it was banned from showings at the National Press Club in Washington – which was portrayed in one scene as harboring nothing but a bunch of disrespectful cynics. That ban persisted until 1979, when the club finally invited Stewart to introduce the movie at a screening marking its 40th anniversary, which Stewart graciously accepted. I’m a member of the club, and I attended that screening. In remarks beforehand, Stewart confided that he had achieved the raspy voice he needed for the climax of Jeff Smith’s long filibuster by having a doctor administer a solution of bromide of mercury to his throat, which irritated it so badly he could barely speak for days.
Thanks for that…info I never knew.