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In honour of James Stewart's 108th birthday, which happens to be today, this week on «Film Friday» I thought I would bring one of his most iconic pictures. This was also the second of his films that I saw and remains one of my personal favourites. Directed by Frank Capra, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) begins when the untimely death of Senator Foley disrupts the plans of corrupt political boss Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), who needed the senator's help to perpetrate a land swindle at Willet Creek. He controls the state's Governor, Hubert «Happy» Hopper (Guy Kibbee) and the state's beloved senior Senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), who suggest a popular citizen and local Boy Ranger leader, Jefferson «Jeff» Smith (James Stewart) to fill the empty position. Smith is humbled and proud to be under the wing of Paine, who had known Smith's late father, a crusading journalist. Jeff and Paine travel to Washington, where the patriotic young senator is overwhelmed by hi...

Directed b y Mitchell Leisen, Remember the Night (1940) opens just before Christmas as assistant district attorney Jack Sargent (Fred MacMurray) is forced to delay his trip to his mother's home in Indiana in order to prosecute a young woman named Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck) for shoplifting. Since jurors are more likely to be compassionate to defendants during the festive season, Jack contrives to postpone the trial until after the beginning of the new year. Then, feeling guilty because he has condemned someone to a prison cell over the holidays, he arranges Lee's bail. However, she is not especially grateful; she has no money and nowhere to spend Christmas. Learning that she is also from Indiana, Jack offers to drop her off at her mother's house.   After a road trip filled with wrong turns and  adventures with small-town justice, they finally arrive at Lee's mother's farm. Lee finds that her embittered mother (Georgia Caine) has remarried and does not want any...