Column: In 1939, ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ took on a corrupt federal government. It wouldn’t have a chance today.

Column: In 1939, ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ took on a corrupt federal government. It wouldn’t have a chance today.

“We are living in an era where bad guys, the real-life kind, are running amuck.” That observation comes courtesy of “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan, who, at a recent industry event, urged his fellow screenwriters to reconsider valorizing “bad guys who make their own rules, bad guys who no matter what they tell you, are only out for themselves.” His proposal: “I say we write more good guys.” Fictional villains may be more “fun and they’re e…