I wasn't writing a blog when that all-American stalwart of mid-20th Century cinema Jimmy Stewart died of a pulmonary embolism at age 89, twenty years ago, on July 2, 1997. I didn't even own a computer, nor did I possess a deep knowledge and understanding of film history. I like to think I do now, and Stewart's inherent goodness and marvelous acting ability has often been a joy to discover fifty years after he reigned as one of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars. You don't have to be a film school scholar to know that he starred in "It's a Wonderful Life". Frank Capra's Christmas staple is one of the iconic works of the 1940s and a huge part of his legacy. Delve a little deeper and you'll find that his four-film union with Alfred Hitchcock was just as significant, with "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" regularly cited as two of The Master of Suspense's greatest achievements. He eagerly enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces the same year he won the Best Actor Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story", because his deep love for this country was more important than his Tinsel-town obligations. Stewart was the first major movie star to wear a military uniform during WWII and flew in several combat missions. If that doesn't increase your respect and arouse an interest in the man that DIDN'T shoot Liberty Valance, than I don't know what will. Join me as I recap the life and career of a true screen titan.
Stewart was born in Pennsylvania in 1908 and was the descendant of veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. A 20 year old James was expected to enter his father's hardware business, but his studies at Princeton University led to the drama club and summer stage productions in Cape Cod. It was there that he met another future superstar named Henry Fonda who encouraged a move to New York after graduation to pursue work on Broadway. He achieved moderate success in the early 1930s, despite the Great Depression hitting the theater community hard. However, the movie biz was thriving, which meant another move, this time to Los Angeles. Stewart and Fonda both attracted the attention of MGM and became contract players in 1935. Jimmy soon befriended starlets like Greta Garbo, Ginger Rogers and Margaret Sullavan and was told that his lankiness and shy demeanor were assets rather than detriments. After receiving positive feedback in a string of minor films, Stewart had a life-changing meeting with director Frank Capra. "You Can't Take It With You" won Best Picture in 1938, and Capra, now a three-time Academy Award winner, declared that Stewart was one of the best actors in the world. Their second collaboration, 1939's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", would certainly back that assertion. Jimmy played a political idealist in one of his signature roles, and the result was the first of five Oscar nominations.
Stewart won the Best Actor Oscar at age 32 for George Cukor's "The Philadelphia Story" opposite the legendary Katherine Hepburn. That same year, he starred in another celebrated romantic comedy "The Shop Around the Corner"(which would be remade by his 1990s counterpart Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail"). He was a household name with 28 films under his belt when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Jimmy was underweight and six years older than the maximum age limit when he lobbied to join the Air Corps. His lifelong passion for flying(he already had a private pilot certificate) and college education got him accepted into the Service Pilot program in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Initially used as recruitment tool, Stewart pushed for more advanced training until he was deemed fit for bombing assignments in Berlin. He flew deep into Nazi-occupied Europe in 1943-44, and was promoted from private to colonel, an honor bestowed upon only a handful of Americans that fought in WWII. The details of his heroism are too numerous to be included in this blog(he never wanted any publicity for it), but his military credentials are extensive and highly impressive, and he would remain affiliated with the Air Force in some capacity until 1968.
The post-war period found Stewart working at the peak of his acting powers. "It's a Wonderful Life" was his return to the screen after a five-year absence, and the 38 year old patriot didn't miss a beat. Universally considered one of the greatest movies ever made, the role of George Bailey was his ticket to immortality. "Harvey", an Oscar-winning 1950 comedy, and Hitchcock enabled Stewart to stave off the method eruptions of Marlon Brando and the suaveness of Cary Grant. A wheelchair-bound Jimmy did big business for Hitch in their second team-up, "Rear Window"(they first got together for 1948's "Rope"). He played Buttons the clown in Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic "The Greatest Show on Earth", which no doubt helped this crowd-pleaser collect Best Picture in 1952. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his eight-film alliance with director Anthony Mann- "Winchester '73", "Bend of the River", "The Naked Spur", "Thunder Bay", "The Glenn Miller Story", "The Far Country", "The Man from Laramie", and "Strategic Air Command" was a success streak that allowed him to strike a more straightforward heroic pose.
Stewart completed his Hitchcock collaborations with "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "Vertigo". The latter is one of the decade's most revered films, and the pinnacle of a partnership that many feel should have continued. He racked up his fifth and final Best Actor nomination for 1959's "Anatomy of a Murder", directed by Otto Preminger. With fewer acting challenges on the horizon, an aging Stewart was content to rely on his established brand in 1960s Western hits like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "How the West Was Won", "Shenandoah" and "The Rare Breed". But a change was brewing. An influx of exciting young talent were uniquely qualified to reflect an undeniable cultural shift that brought about a deep distrust of authority and an overall rejection of traditional values. To say that the Vietnam War was unpopular would be a massive understatement, and Stewart's old-school conservatism had him blindly supporting it. His headliner status was suddenly on shaky ground as we entered the uncertainties of the Nixon era.
Stewart worked sporadically in the '70s, but his wholesome image started seeming archaic next to nervy newcomers such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. The muted response to his later films("Firecreek", "The Cheyenne Social Club", "Fools' Parade") necessitated a brief foray into television, where he didn't fare much better. The end was near, and it's incredibly fitting that Jimmy and John Wayne, reunited here in "The Shootist", wrapped up their acting careers simultaneously after running parallel for four decades. "The Magic of Lassie", an underwhelming family flop released in the summer of '78, would mark his final film appearance.
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| Receiving an honorary Oscar in 1985. |
The last two decades of Stewart's life were spent basking in well-deserved adulation as one of the elder statesmen of the entertainment industry. He campaigned for his old pal Ronald Reagan, whose 1980 election victory was a restoration of simpler American ideals, in theory at least. Smart investments kept him a multimillionaire, but he did come out of retirement to lend his distinctive voice to commercials and the 1991 animated hit "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West"(technically, his last role). He is the most represented lead actor on AFI lists, and ten of his films have been selected for the U.S. National Film Registry. The respect and admiration he quietly commanded throughout the world has rarely been seen since, and he was married to his wife Gloria from 1949 until her death in 1994. He made 78 movies, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you never sat down in front of his delightful work. Film is forever, and this great medium never knew a finer gentleman than Jimmy Stewart.
