BUCHMAN, Sidney.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. First draft of the screenplay, here titled The Gentleman from Montana. The script is dated 9 November 1938 on the title page and 23 January 1939 on the front wrapper. Buchman has signed a statement of authorship on the title page, noting that he was contracted on 1 March 1937. This statement is dated 7 February 1939. There are significant differences from the filmed version.A note on the title page details the distribution of 11 copies. It comprises 1. [Harry] Cohn of Columbia Pictures, 2. left blank, 3. Mendel Silverberg, the attorney for the Producers Association, 4. Frank Capra, 5. Samuel J. Briskin, film producer, 6. "?", 7. Sidney Buchman, 8. [Jack] Cohn of Columbia Pictures, 9. "Hays", comprising the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, 10. "Files" (presumably comprising the present copy), and 11. "Hays".In January 1938 two studios submitted Lewis R. Foster's original story to the censors. Objections were raised to "the generally unflattering portrayal of our system of Government, which might well lead to such a picture being considered... as a covert attack on the Democratic form of government" (Breen). A later submission appears to have addressed these issues, for the censor reported "It is a grand yarn that will do a great deal of good for all those who see it and, in my judgment, it is particularly fortunate that this kind of story is to be made at this time. Out of all Senator Jeff's difficulties there has been evolved

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