JAMES "JIMMY" STEWART - ACTOR, PATRIOT AND LIVED A LONG WONDERFUL LIFE

Stewart Family c. 1915

His name was James Maitland Stewart, family and friends affectionately called him “Jimmy”, which filtered to his adoring fans. The movie credits would show the name James Stewart but when fans referred to him it was always Jimmy. And that is the way it should be because his personality seen on screen was, as actors and actresses who worked with him knew, was the way James Stewart was in real life.

Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania on the 20^th of May, 1908, he was the son of Elizabeth and Alexander Stewart and grew up in a small town with his two sisters, Virginia and Mary where he learned values that would stay with him for the rest of his life. His family were descendants of Scots who probably arrived in the United States to escape Protestant persecution by the Catholics in Old Great Britain and seek their fortune. They found it in the hardware business in Pennsylvania. 

Jimmy at age 4 (1912)

People, family and friends called him “Jimmy” when he attended Indiana Normal School, Mercersburg Academy, and on to Princeton University. He had plans to work at the J.M. Hardware Co. store in town that his grandfather established and passed down to his father, Alexander Stewart. This never came to be.

Sound familiar? It should if you have ever watched It's A Wonderful Life, that has become a Christmas classic shown on television since its release in 1946, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Although based upon a short story The Greatest Gift, self-published by Philip Van Doren Stem in 1943 and loosely based on the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol – another Christmas classic film presentation that has so many variants and principle actors across a broad time span; the film closely parallel Jimmy's youth. At the time of It's A Wonderful Life film release in 1946, it received mixed reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office barely making over the break-even point of $6.3 million (two times the production cost) after being released in theaters during the course of a year. But it became a Christmas classic favorite after its copyright lapsed and designated public domain allowing it to be broadcast without the usual royalty fees. Now it ranks as one of the greatest films of all time. It was nominated for five Academy Awards that included Best Picture and recognized by the American Film Institute in 1998 as No. 11 on greatest movie list and in 2007, No. 20. In the category of the most inspirational American film of all time it is No. 1.

"It's a Wonderful Life", James Stewart & Donna Reed

Looking at the background story of the film, one would wonder if it wasn't tailored made for the principle actor as the character George Bailey. There was a cadre of principle actors & actresses and for those of classic Hollywood film connoisseurs will recognize:

• James Stewart as George Bailey

• Donna Reed, who would become America's sweetheart and star in her own TV show (1958-1966) as Mary Hatch. Here on-screen daughter would be a surrogate daughter in real life - Shelley Fabares (born 1944). 

• Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter

• Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy

• Henry Travers as Clarence (playing the angel in the story who is earning his wings)

• Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Bailey

• Frank Faylen as Ernie Bishop (taxi driver)

• Ward Bond (of Western film fame) as Bert (town cop-constable)

• Gloria Grahame as Violet Bick (voluptuous popular girl)

• H.B. Warner as Mr. Gower (owner of town pharmacy)

• Frank Albertson as Sam Wainwright

• Todd Karns as Harry Bailey

• Samuel S. Hinds as Pa Bailey

• Bill Edmunds as Mr. Martini

Other cast actors are listed at the Wikipedia entry. The following is the ending scene from the film:

On to the biography of James “Jimmy” Stewart …

James and his childhood accordion

Jimmy's mother was a pianist and so music became an important part of the Stewart family. When a customer at the family hardware store could not pay his bill, Stewart's father accepted an old accordion as payment. It was relegated to Jimmy who learned to play it with the help of a local barber. During his acting career, that accordion became a common fixture offstage. He carried that accordion wherever he went, playing it between scene breaks and in the film "Night Passage" played an accordion on screen.

Jimmy was shy as a child and spent much of his time after school in the basement building model airplanes, mechanical drawings and chemistry – his primary dream to be a pilot and/or an aviation engineer. At the Wilson Model School (primary and junior high school), he received an average to low grades. According to his teachers, it was not from a lack of intelligence, but with a tendency to daydream in class.

1938 - Jimmy's Model Airplane

Jimmy began attending Mercersburg Academy prep school in the fall of 1923, because his father feared he would not be accepted into Princeton, if he attended regular public high school. His father was a member of the Princeton Class of 1898. Jimmy was a member of the academy's track team and competed as a high jumper under the coaching of Jimmy Curran. He was also the art editor of the school yearbook and a member of the glee club. He became a member of the John Marshall Literary Society. To Jimmy's disappointment, when joining the academy's football team, he was on the third-tier because of his slender frame. Jimmy made his first onstage appearance at Mercersburg as Buquet in the play The Wolves in 1928.

Princeton University Honors

During summer breaks, Jimmy returned to his hometown of Indiana, working as a brick loader and a magician's assistant.

Jimmy graduated from Princeton with a degree in Architecture, but not many jobs in that career venue were available during the Great Depression between 1929 and 1939.

In 1927, Jimmy had to take time out of school due to scarlet fever that caused a kidney infection, which delayed his graduation until 1928. His passion about aviation continued, enhanced by the first solo transatlantic flight performed by Charles Lindbergh, but abandoned his dreams of becoming a pilot when his father convinced him to attend Princeton.

In 1928, Jimmy enrolled at Princeton as a member of the class of 1932, majoring in architecture and a member of the Princeton Charter Club. He did far better than he did in junior high school academically. He became attracted to the school's drama and music clubs which included the Princeton Triangle Club. 

Henry Fonda & Jimmy Stewart - 1936

Upon graduating in 1932, he was awarded a scholarship for graduate studies in architecture for his thesis on an airport terminal design. But he chose to join the University Players instead, an intercollegiate summer stock company that performed in West Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. During that summer of 1932, Jimmy performed in bit parts. Among other actors were the married couple Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan, who became Stewart's close friends. At the end of the season, Jimmy moved to New York with his Players friends, Myron McCormick and the divorced Henry Fonda. Jimmy debuted on Broadway in the brief run of Carry Nation and a few weeks later appeared as a chauffeur in the comedy Goodbye Again. The New Yorker magazine commented that “Mr. James Stewart's chauffeur … comes on for three minutes and walks off to a round of spontaneous applause.”

Following the seven-month run of Goodbye Again, Jimmy took a stage manager position in Boston, but was fired after missing frequently missing his cues. He returned to New York and landed a small part in Spring in Autumn and a role in All Good Americans, where he was required to throw a banjo out of the window. Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote, “Throwing a $250 banjo out of the window at the concierge is constructive abuse and should be virtuously applauded.” Both plays folded after short runs and so Jimmy started thinking about going back to his studies.

However, when Jimmy was convinced to continue his acting, he was cast in the lead role of Yellow Jack, playing a soldier who becomes the subject of a yellow fever experiment. It premiered at the Martin Beck Theater in March of 1934. Jimmy received praise from the critics, but the play itself didn't do well and folded in June of 1934. During the summer, Jimmy made his film debut in Shemp Howard comedy short film Art Trouble (1934) and acted in other summer stock productions. In the fall, he received more excellent reviews for other productions culminating as part of the cast in A Journey By Night in the spring of 1935.

After the run of A Journey By Night ended, Jimmy signed a seven-year contract with MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). His first Hollywood role was a minor appearance in the Spencer Tracy film The Murder Man (1935). MGM did not see Jimmy as leading-man material, so they loaned him out to other studios.

1930s - Margaret Sullavan & Jimmy

His small role in Rose Marie in 1936, led to being cast in seven other films in the same year, ending the year with After the Thin Man. He received help from his University Players friend, Margaret Sullavan, who campaigned for him to be her leading man in Next Time We Love (1936). Sullavan rehearsed extensively with him to boost his confidence and helped with incorporating his mannerisms and “boyish” charm into his screen personality. It worked and that gained notice from the MGM executives. So following the role in Next Time We Love, Jimmy had two successful romantic comedy support roles – Wife vs. Secretary (1936) with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy and Small Town Girl (1936). In both films, Jimmy portrayed a betrayed boyfriend of the leading lady – Jean Harlow and Janet Gaynor, respectively. Jimmy's last three film releases of 1936 were all box-0ffice successes.

In 1937, he performed in the romantic drama, Seventh Heaven, when Jimmy was loaned to 20^th Century-Fox to play a Parisian sewer worker. Critics did not provide Jimmy with good reviews.

Edward G. Robinson - The Last Gangster (1937)

Also in 1937, Jimmy was part of the cast of The Last Gangster starring Edward G. Robinson, which also did not do well at the box-office. But the tide changed when he performed in Navy Blue and Gold as a football player at the United States Naval Academy. The New York Times wrote: “the ending leaves us with the conviction that James Stewart is a sincere and likable triple-threat man in the MGM backfield.”

From 1938 to 1941, Jimmy was still a minor star, despite good reviews and was still being loaned out to other studios. After the success of the film Of Human Hearts (1938), he was loaned out to RKO to act opposite of Ginger Rogers in the romantic comedy Vivacious Lady (1938). 

During the filming, Jimmy became ill and was hospitalized, which shut down production for months in 1937. RKO intended to replace Jimmy, but the project was canceled. Jimmy was recast in Vivacious Lady when Ginger Rogers insisted he play the leading man. It was conceded after Rogers' success in stage musicals.

"You Can't Take It With You" (1938)

He became a major star when he was loaned out to Columbia Pictures to play lead role in the Frank Capra production, You Can't Take It With You (1938) opposite Jean Arthur. Capra was looking for a new type of leading man and seeing Jimmy act in his previous performances, he decided to accept him in the leading role. The film was a success but his later films in 1939 did not do as well. Regardless, Newsweek recognized the rising star who had happened to be a part of flopped films writing that directing and screenwriting was to blame for poor box-office performances.

"Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" (1939)

So, in 1939, Jimmy once again worked with Capra in the political comedy-drama Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which has become a TCM classic film today as popular as It's A Wonderful Life. The film received critical praise being the third-highest-grossing film of 1939. Jimmy won the New York Film Critics Circle award and received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. That film and The Nation provided Jimmy a place among the best Hollywood actors of the period. He finished the year 1939 in the film, Destry Rides Again, his first role in a Western as a pacifist lawman with Marlene Dietrich as a saloon girl who falls in love with him. Time magazine wrote: “James Stewart, who had just turned in the top performance of his cinematurity as Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, turns in as good a performance or better as Thomas Jefferson Destry.”

Between films, Stewart began a radio career with a distinctive voice on the Lux Radio Theater. His slow drawl became so well-known that comedians impersonated him.

Jimmy and Sullavan reunited for two films in 1940: The Shop Around the Corner and The Mortal Storm, directed by Frank Borzage, featuring Sullavan and Stewart who portrayed lovers caught in the turmoil of Hitler's rise to power. It was one of the first anti-Nazi films produced in Hollywood. It was well-received by critics, but failed at the box office. Ten days after filming The Mortal Storm, Jimmy began filming No Time For Comedy (1940) with Rosalind Russel. Once again, critics praised Stewart, but not a box-office success.

Jimmy continued his comedy films with Come Live With Me (1941) with Hedy Lamarr and Pot O' Gold (1941), featuring Paulette Goddard – both being box-office failures. Jimmy considered Pot O' Gold as his worst film of his career. His last film before serving in the military in 1941 was the musical Ziegfeld Girl, co-starring Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner. It was a critical failure, but best box-office performance of the year. Go figure. It questions the eligibility of critics.

MILITARY SERVICE: 1941-1947

James Stewart - 1942

Jimmy Stewart became the first major American film star to enlist in the United States Army to fight in World War II. His family had military roots with both of his grandfathers serving in the Civil War and his father serving in both the Spanish-American War and World War I.

At first, Jimmy was rejected for low weight in November of 1940, but he ended up enlisted in February of 1941 as an experienced amateur pilot, reporting as a private in the U.S. Army Air Corps on the 22^nd of March, 1941. He was almost 33 years old and over the age limit for Aviation Cadet training and so he applied for an Air Corps commission as a college graduate and licensed commercial pilot. He received his commission as second lieutenant on January 1^st, 1942. After enlisting, Jimmy remained under contract with MGM, but made no commercial films. The Air Corps scheduled him on a network radio with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on the radio program We Hold These Truths, celebrating the Bill of Rights of the United States, which began broadcasting a week after the attack of Pearl Harbor.

It was during this time that Jimmy appeared in a short recruitment film Winning Your Wings. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942. It appeared in movie theaters nationwide beginning in May of 1942, resulting in 150,000 new recruits.

Jimmy was concerned that his celebrity status would cause him to be assigned behind lines. So, after spending a year training pilots at Kirkland Army Airfield in New Mexico, he appealed to his commander to be sent to England as part of the 445^th Bombardment Group as a pilot of a B-24 Liberator. His commander agreed and in November of 1943, Jimmy was based at RAF Tibenham and then moved to RAF Old Buckenham. Stewart was then promoted to Major after a mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany on January 7^th, 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions as a deputy commander of the 2d Bombardment Wing and the French Croix de Guerre with palm and the Air Medal with three oak clusters. Jimmy was promoted to full colonel on March 29^th, 1945, becoming one of the few Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years. In June of 1945, Colonel Stewart was the presiding officer of the court martial of a pilot and navigator who accidentally bombed Zurich, Switzerland.

Colonel Stewart returned to the United States in the fall of 1945 and continued to serve in the reserve of the Army Air Force after the war, and was one of the 12 founders of the Air Force Association in October of 1945. After the split from the Army Air Forces and the separate branch of the United States Air Force was established, Colonel Stewart transferred to that reserves in 1947. During his active duty periods he served with the Strategic Air Command and completed transition training as a pilot on the B-47 and B-52.

1953 - Janet Leigh & Jimmy

Colonel Stewart was first nominated for promotion to brigadier general in February of 1957; but his promotion was initially opposed by Senator Margaret Chase Smith. Senator Smith was known to break rank with the Republican Party, especially when it came to foreign policies, supporting President Harry S. Truman, yearning to be his Under Secretary of the Navy in 1945, but failed to do so. Senator Smith did become a member of the House Armed Services Committee in 1946 and sponsored the passage of the Woman's Armed Services Integration Act. Senator Smith, despite being a member of the Republican Party, supported FDRs' socialist New Deal legislation as well as her husband while he was in office. She voted in favor of the Selective Service Act in 1940 and voted against the Smith-Connally Act in 1943. In 1945, she voted against making the House Un-American Activities Committee a permanent body. 

As a member of the House, Representative wore a red rose on her clothes throughout her career as representative and senator. As a senator, Smith supported Senator McCarthy's accusations of Communists infiltrating the federal and state governments and working within the State Department, but when McCarthy failed to provide sufficient evidence, she canceled her support. Later in political history, it would show that Senator McCarthy was correct that Marxism (socialists and communists) had indeed infiltrated Hollywood, federal and state governments, as well as certain circles being established in universities. When McCarthy was the target of Democrats for not providing sufficient evidence of Communist infiltration, Senator Smith made a 15-minute speech Declaration of Conscience, where she publicly refused to name McCarthy directly but denounced “the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled from this side of the aisle.”

Being a feminist, Senator Smith initially declined to accept the promotion of Colonel Stewart as brigadier general. At the time of his nomination, Smith ignored the accolades in the Washington Daily News that: “He trains actively with the Reserve every year. He's had 18 hours as first pilot of a B-52.” Despite Smith's opposition, Colonel Stewart was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the highest-ranking actor in American military history.

1943 - Colonel Stewart receives French Award

During the Vietnam War, he flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission in February of 1966. He served for 27 years and officially retired from the USAF on May 31^st, 1968 at the mandatory retirement age of 60. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. Stewart rarely spoke about his wartime service experiences, but did appear in the British television documentary series The World at War (1974), commenting on the disastrous 1943 mission against Schweinfurt, Germany. In 1985, Stewart was promoted to rank of major general on the USAF retirement list.

After his impressive service in the Army Air Force, Jimmy considered returning to Pennsylvania to run the family store. His former agent, Leland Hayward, has different plans for him. Jimmy decided not to renew his MGM contract and signed a deal with MCA. He later stated that he was given a new beginning with award-winning producer and director, Frank Capra, who asked him to be the leading role in his new film, It's a Wonderful Life (1946) – the first postwar film for both of them. His portrayal of George Bailey became legendary. During the filming, Jimmy experienced doubts about his abilities and continued consideration of retiring from acting.

1946 - "Its A Wonderful Life"

As previously stated at the beginning of this article, It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards that included Jimmy's Best Actor nomination – but the review were mixed and only got a moderate success at the box-office – failing to cover production costs. Despite accolades from President Truman, critics stated the movie was too sentimental. President Truman stated: “If my wife and I had a son we'd want him to be just like Jimmy Stewart in this film.” Since then, the American Film Institute claims it to be one of the 100 best American movies. Capra's production company went into bankruptcy and Jimmy continued to have doubts about his acting abilities, not realizing that the film did not succeed because of bad acting on any actor's part nor any blame upon the screenwriters. It was just that the critics were against “sentimental” films for some reason. In addition, a new wave and generation of actors had made the Hollywood scene as rising stars while Jimmy was in Europe fighting a war, that included Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and James Dean.

1956 - Grace Kelly & Jimmy

So Jimmy returned to making radio dramas in 1946 and continued his work between films until the middle of the 1950s. During this time he participated on stage on Broadway.

In 1948, Jimmy appeared in four films: Call Northside 777, On Our Merry Way (James Stewart & Henry Fonda perform as jazz musicians), You Gotta Stay Happy with Joan Fontaine, the most successful post-war films up to that point.

The film Rope (1948) began Jimmy's collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock. The film was shot in long “real-time” takes and brought great pressure upon Jimmy who wanted his performance to be flawless.

1941 - "Ziegfeld Girl"

Jimmy found success again with The Stratton Story (1949), playing baseball star Monty Stratton.

The New York Times stated: “The Stratton Story was the best thing that has yet happened to Mr. Stewart in his post-war film career … he gives such a winning performance that it is almost impossible to imagine any one else playing the role.”

Another 1949 release, Malaya with Spencer Tracy was a commercial failure and received mixed revues.

From 1950 to 1959, James Stewart collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock to produce films that would become classic:

• Winchester'73 (1950), when Jimmy agreed to perform in the film in exchange for being cast in a screen adaptation of Harvey. He earned more than his usual salary, about $600,000 for Winchester '73. In today's money that would be $6 million. It was a box-office success.

• Broken Arrow (1950)

• The Jackpot (1950) – comedy that was a commercial success.

• Harvey (December 1950), directed by Henry Koster with James Stewart reprising his Broadway stage role. It was the only film for which he received both an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. Like It's a Wonderful Life, Harvey achieved popularity later as frequent television programs.

• No Highway in the Sky (1951), one of the first airplane disaster films ever made. It was filmed in England and was a box-office hit in England (UK), but failed to attract audiences in the United States.

• The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), portraying a troubled clown in the Cecil B. DeMille epic classic film. Jimmy said that he was inspired by Lon Chaney and his ability to disguise himself while letting his character emerge. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Critics wondered why Jimmy accepted such a small part and out-of-character role. He was right to accept the part because his performance, thanks to the inspiration provided by Lon Chaney, he shined.

• Carbine Williams (1952)

• Bend of the River (1952), a commercial and critical success. At this point, Jimmy Stewart was gaining a momentum in film culture and fan recognition.

• The Naked Spur (1953)

• The Far Country (1955), performing in a more mature role and developing his screen persona that would make him famous and adored by fans. It was part of the popular Western films that began depicting more realistic depictions of the classic genre.

• The Six Shooter (1953-1954) was a one-season television series.

• Thunder Bay (1953)

• The Glenn Miller Story (1954), critically acclaimed co-starring June Allyson.

• Rear Window (1954), a Hitchcock and Stewart conglomeration. It was an audience success and appeared frequently in Look magazine as the one of the most popular movie star.

• Strategic Air Command (1955), again with June Allyson. Jimmy used his Air Force experience to develop his central character.

• The Man from Laramie (1955) – first Western to be filmed in CinemaScope. Audiences loved it.

• The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) – another Hitchcock film with co-star Doris Day.

• The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) – another aviation film, where Jimmy portrays his childhood hero, Charles Lindbergh.

• Night Passage (1957) – another role in a Western, but because of an argument with Man and writer Borden Chase over the script, Mann left the film and never collaborated with Jimmy again. James Nielson took his place, but the film became a box-office flop. Jimmy was soured by the failure and refused to accept Western film roles for four years.

• Vertigo (1958) – the last film collaborating with Hitchcock, he co-stars with Kim Novak. Hitchcock blamed the box-office failure on Jimmy, stating he was “too old to convincingly be Novak's love interest.” He was 50 years old at the time. Hitchcock cast Cary Grant in his next film, North by Northwest (1959).

• Bell, Book and Candle (1958) – once again paired with Kim Novak as a romantic partner. While it failed at the box-office, it would become one of Stewart's classic films appreciated by film buffs. It did not affect Jimmy's popularity.

• Anatomy of a Murder (1959) – something one would think would be a Hitchcock production, but it was an Otto Preminger production with realistic courtroom drama.

• The FBI Story (1959) – Jimmy won his first BAFTA, a Volpi Cup, a New York Film Critics Circle Award and a Producers Guild of America Award as well as his fifth and final Academy Award nomination for his performance. The film marked the close of the most commercially successful decade of his career. Jimmy was one of the actors on the list for the top money-making star for 1950, 1952-1959, and 1965. He made number one in 1955.

• The Mountain Road (1960) – Jimmy begins the new decade with a war film. While it was a box-office failure, he felt it was one of the best scripts he had ever read.

• Two Rode Together (1961) – marked the debut of director-producer John Ford, bringing Jimmy back into the Western genre. In the same year, Jimmy narrated the film X-15 for the USAF. In 1962, Jimmy turned down the part in To Kill a Mockingbird, being concerned about the film being controversial. His buddy, Henry Ford took the part and the rest is film history.

• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – A Ford Western that Jimmy collaborated with. It is a psychological Western shot in black-and-white at Ford's insistence. Lee Marvin plays superbly as the villain and John Wayne who plays the tragic rancher who loses the woman he loves to Jimmy Stewart's East Coast attorney pacifist who becomes a successful Washington politician after the death of Liberty Valence. Over the next decade, the film became a critical favorite as it was more appreciated for its Western psychological genre.

• Flashing Spikes (1962) – a made for television play with Stewart, Wayne, and Ford collaborating for ABC's Alcoa Premiere.

• How the West Was Won (1962) – an all-star cast that included Henry Fonda and John Wayne as well as James Arness of Gunsmoke fame. While produced in 1962, the film series was not released into the United States until 1963. The film won three Academy Awards and reaped a massive amount of box-office funds.

• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) – marked Jimmy signing a multi-movie deal with 20^th Century-Fox. A hilarious comedy featuring co-star Maureen O'Hara. A box-office hit.

• Take Her She's Mine (1963) – a box-office hit.

• Cheyenne Autumn (1964) – John Ford's final Western.

• Dear Brigitte (1965) – featuring French actress Brigitte Bardot, a box-office failure.

• Shenandoah (1965) – a commercial success.

• The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) – Jimmy continues his aviation experience into a film, well received critically, but a box-office failure.

• The Rare Breed (1965) – co-starring Maureen O'Hara.

• Firecreek (1968) with Henry Fonda.

• Bandolero (1968) – with Dean Martin.

• The Cheyenne Social Club (1970) – with Henry Fonda is long-time friend, never letting their political views come between them. Henry Fonda was a Democrat, while Jimmy was a Republican and a moderate conservative, a devoted husband and father while Henry was going through multiple marriages – Jimmy was comfortable and happy with his one and only life and life partner.

• The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971) – marked Jimmy's NBC television career running from 1971-1997. He portrayed a small-town college professor whose adult son moves back home with his family. Stewart disliked the amount of work needed to film the show each week and was relieved when it was canceled after only one season. This gave him more time with his family.

• Fool's Parade (1971) – did better with the audience. The New York Times wrote “the movie belongs to Stewart, who has never been more wonderful.” In 1972, Jimmy was rewarded by being inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in 1972.

1934 - "Yellow Jacket"

Jimmy returned to television with a remake of Harvey for NBC's Hallmark Hall of Fame series. In 1973, CBS produced Hawkins, a mystery series about a small-town lawyer investigating mysterious cases. This won him a Golden Globe award for his performance. It was canceled, however, after one season.

During this period, Jimmy began to appear regularly on The Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson. The following video is an excerpt from a show where he shares a particular compelling poem he wrote about his dog. Jimmy later put together his collection of poems and published them in a book: Jimmy Stewart and His Poems (1989).

Jimmy returned to films with a major role in John Wayne's final film, The Shootist (1976), playing a doctor who diagnoses gunfighter Wayne with terminal cancer – ironic because Wayne had battled lung cancer that finally got the best of Wayne in real life.

In 1976, Jimmy was offered a role in Howard Beale's Network – but declined because the script contained explicit language. Jimmy was an actor, but he had principles like Charlton Heston. Instead it accepted in supporting roles in the disaster film Airport '77 with Jack Lemmon, the remake of The Big Sleep (1978) with Robert Mitchum as Philip Marlowe, and the family film The Magic of Lassie (1978).

Jimmy Stewart made a memorable cameo appearance on the final episode of The Carol Burnett Show in March of 1978. It was a memorable moment for Carol Burnett. Tim Conway is his usual zany antics as well as the rest of the cast. Carol Burnett is another much loved celebrity and a life-long fan of Jimmy Stewart.

Jimmy's final live-action film was The Green Horizon filmed and produced in Japan by director Susumu Hani. Jimmy took the role because it afforded his family to travel to Kenya and the film promoted wildlife conversation, his wife's passion that in later years he also became enthusiastic.

In 1981, Jimmy was offered the role of Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond (1981), but he turned it down because he didn't like the father-daughter relationship; so he suggested that Henry Fonda take the role instead. It did match Henry Fonda's real-life relationship with his Marxist wild daughter Jane “Hanoi Jane” Fonda.

In the 1980s, Jimmy filmed two television movies: Mr. Krueger's Christmas (1980), which allowed him to fulfill a life-long dream to conduct the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The second film was Right of Way (1983), an HBO drama co-starring Bette Davis. He also made an appearance in the historical miniseries North and South (1986). He did voice-over work for commercials for Campbell's Soups in the 1980s and 1990s. His final performance was voicing the character of Sheriff Wylie Burp in the animated movie – An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991).

Jimmy Stewart remained in the public eye because of his frequent visits to the White House during the Reagan administration, for whom Ronald Reagan was a pal from the classic Hollywood days. Indeed, Nancy and Ronald Reagan were present at the spectacular tribute to James “Jimmy” Stewart at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983. The tribute begins with Burt Lancaster who then narrates a video presentation of Jimmy Stewart's life. Carol Burnett one of his lifelong biggest fans, chimes in with the surprise appearance of the USAF choir and Chuck Yeager, WW2 fighter pilot and test pilot. I highly recommend you view this excellent tribute. You will notice several celebrities in the audience including President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan:

PERSONAL LIFE

In his early career and living together with Henry Fonda, became life-long friends. Margaret Sullavan also became a friend, mentor and possibly a romantic relationship. But likely because she was an ex-wife of Henry Fonda, nothing came of it. They had met while performing for the University Players and he even invited her for a date. She only regarded him as a close friend and co-worker. To Margaret their relationship was maternal on her part. She became his acting mentor in Hollywood and provided him more confidence in his abilities. According to director Edward H. Griffith, she “made him a star”. They co-starred in four films together.

Jimmy and Father - Family Hardware Store

Jimmy did not marry until his forties – in his younger days hanging with Henry Fonda, he had learned to be cosmopolitan having been raised in a small town. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper called him the “Great American Bachelor.” Indeed, he had become part of what American history denotes as the “Great Generation” - people who survived the Great Depression and then a World War from 1940 to 1945. During his bachelor period, he had several romantic relationships. Fonda introduced Ginger Rogers to the young Stewart and had a brief relationship in 1935. During the production of The Shopworn Angel (1938), Jimmy dated Norma Shearer for six weeks. Afterward, he dated Loretta Young; who wanted to settle down but Stewart did not. Their relationship ended when her other boyfriend proposed to her. While filming Destry Rides Again (1939), Jimmy had an affair with co-star Marlene Dietrich, who was married at the time. Dietrich became pregnant, but she terminated the pregnancy. After the film was completed, Jimmy ended the relationship. Dietrich was hurt by the rejection and barely mentioned him in her memoir, stating it was just a one-time affair.

Jimmy next dated Olivia de Havilland between late 1930s to early 1940s. She ended the relationship just before he began his military service because she had fallen in love with director John Huston. Jimmy met Dinah Shore at the Hollywood Canteen, a club that attracted servicemen. They began a romantic relationship and nearly married in Las Vegas in 1943, but Jimmy called it off before they arrived, stating he had gotten cold feet. To Jimmy, marriage was permanent, at least it was supposed to be.

After the war, Jimmy had a relationship with Myrna Dell while he was filming The Stratton Story (1949). Gossip columnists claimed they were planning to marry, but was not true. At the time, many people, including fans thought he would marry his co-star because they had sparked such a great screen performance. All of his dates had been beautiful cosmopolitan women and when asked about them he merely stated they were good dancers and he loved to dance.

Gloria H. McLean & James Stewart (1949)

Jimmy would meet his future wife, Gloria Hatrick McLean at Keenan Wynn's Christmas Party in 1947. He had crashed the party and became intoxicated and left a poor impression with Gloria. A year later, Gary Cooper and his wife Veronica invited Gloria and Jimmy to a dinner party and the two started dating. Gloria was a former model who was divorced with two children. Jimmy and Gloria hit it off and were married at Brentwood Presbyterian Church on August 9^th, 1949 and remained married until her death from lung cancer in 1994. They had been married for 45 years and the loss was devastating for Jimmy.

In 1951, the couple purchased a home in Beverly Hills, where they lived for the rest of their lives. They also owned a ranch in Nevada (Winecup Gamble Ranch) from 1953-1957.

Jimmy adopted Gloria's two sons, Ronald (1944-1969) and Michael (born 1946), and Gloria gave birth to twin daughters, Judy and Kelly on May 7^th, 1951. Jimmy was devastated when Ronald was killed in action in Vietnam on June 8^th, 1969 at the age of 24, while serving as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He had already lost his parents.

While Jimmy would attend the required ceremonies and other things celebrities are expected to do, he always guarded his personal life and tended to avoid interviews. He was considered to be a loner, but in fact it was because he was a devoted family man.

James Stewart & Henry Fonda - 1960s

Jimmy's 50-year friendship with Henry Fonda began in Manhattan, where Henry invited Jimmy to be his third roommate. Later in life, Jimmy's and Henry's children hung together when Henry came to visit. Stewart and Fonda liked building and painting model airplanes as a hobby in their early New York years and began doing so together again when they could. They also liked to build and fly kites, play golf and reminisce their early acting days. After Fonda's death in 1982, Jimmy just said: “I've lost my best friend” and began to feel his own mortality.

Jimmy had other close friends: his former agent, Leland Hayward; director John Ford; photographer John Swope, Jimmy's former roommate; and Bill Grady, the talent scout who discovered Jimmy and also was his best man at his wedding with Gloria. Gary Cooper was another close friend. On April 17^th, 1961, Cooper was too ill (cancer) to attend the 33^rd Academy Awards ceremony, so Jimmy accepted the Oscar on his behalf.

Stewart Home for 50 Years

Jimmy Stewart, along with film career salaries, had diversified his investments into real estate, oil wells, a charter-plane company (Southwest Airways) and was a member of major corporate boards – all of which made him a multimillionaire. He also possessed a private pilot certificate and commercial pilot license, having over 400 hours of flying time. He entered a cross-country race with Leland Hayward in 1937, and was one of the early investors in Thunderbird Field, a pilot-training school built and operated by Southwest Airways in Glendale, Arizona.

Jimmy Stewart was also an active philanthropist. He served as national vice-chairman of the entertainment department of the American Red Cross and campaigned to raise funds for wounded soldiers in Vietnam, as well as donations for improvements and restorations to Indiana, Pennsylvania, his hometown. As a result, his hometown built a museum in his honor, where his Oscar was kept, formerly and proudly displayed in the display window of his father's store.

Jimmy was also an adult Boy Scout leader in from 1970 to 1980. Jimmy was also a Life Member of the Sons of the Revolution in California.

After Gloria's death in 1994, biographer Donald Dewey, stated that her death left Jimmy depressed and “lost at sea”. He became more reclusive, spending a lot of time in his bedroom only coming out to eat and visit his children. For the rest of his life he shut out most people, not just the media and the public, but his co-stars and friends.

In 1995, Jimmy was hospitalized when he fell. In 1996, he was due to have the battery in his pacemaker changed, but decided not to. In February of 1997, he was hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat. On June 25^th, a thrombosis formed in his right leg that led to a pulmonary embolism one week later. Jimmy died of a heart attack while sleeping at the age of 89, surrounded by his children at his Beverly Hills home on July 2^nd, 1997.

Americans had lost a national treasure – a great actor, a gentleman and a patriot.

James “Jimmy” Stewart was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Over 3,000 mourners attended his memorial service, including friends and co-workers June Allyson, Carol Burnett, Bob Hope, Nancy Reagan, Esther Williams, and Robert Stack. The service included full military honors with three volleys of muskets fired. On his gravestone was the prayer his father sent him while serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps in WW2. He kept it all of his life to remind him and be thankful for the blessings and long life he would have. The bunny placed on his gravestone by an unknown fan is reminiscent of one of his favorite films he acted in - "Harvey" and one of his best performances.

James Stewart Statue - Indiana, PA Courthouse

A large statue of Jimmy stands on the lawn of the Indiana County Courthouse and a plaque marks his birthplace. His hometown erected a James Stewart Museum that one can visit today if you are in Pennsylvania.

Jimmy Stewart belonged to the "Great Generation" that is disappearing today. Our fathers and our grandfathers were part of that generation. We need to bring back that attitude of that generation, its determination to win against tyrants and aggressors who would destroy peace and remove liberties and rights from the people. Family life was close knit, generally and values were far better than we see today. Saying "goodbye" to those remaining who still are alive is difficult, but it would be more important if their attitude, their loyalty, their determination and integrity died with them. We the People need to bring back those sentiments and those traditions that keep We the People united and strong in mind and body. We need to bring back that "home town" atmosphere across our nation - respecting each other, loving our communities and nation and most of all respecting ourselves, loving our children and grandchildren, and enough self-respect and worth to achieve a life to be proud of as we grow old. "God Bless America" and the patriots who still retain what the "Great Generation" provided us as a legacy. History is not just studied because it is interesting. History provides us with lessons learned with hopes the mistakes will not be repeated again. Thank you, James "Jimmy" Stewart. Rest in Peace. The following is from a "Tonight Show" episode where Jimmy is a guest star for host Johnny Carson and he reads the heart rendering poem he wrote about his dog ...