Washington Merry-Go-Round (James Cruze, 1932)

Astonishingly prefiguring a later Columbia classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), this fast-paced political drama follows the journey of a naïve-looking but savvy Georgia patriot (Lee Tracy), who is placed in Congress by corrupt forces but ultimately turns against his backers to serve the people he meets in the capital’s shantytowns. Premiering just two weeks before one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history—between Roosevelt and Hoover, with the specter of the Depression looming—Washington Merry-Go-Round was directed by silent-era veteran James Cruze and typified the “topical films” popular at Columbia under Harry Cohn’s leadership. When Roosevelt won, Columbia took out full-page ads in the trade papers proudly noting that its two 1932 films—this one and Frank Capra’s American Madness—had already promised audiences better times and cleaner politics. Both films’ sharp portrayals of political corruption and American idealism derailed by greed and self-interest still resonate powerfully today.