Posted on 12/16/2021 4:17:03 PM PST by ammodotcom
Even when he is playing a Hungarian clerk in Hungary (”The Shop Around the Corner” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033045/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ), Jimmy Stewart comes across as All-American (as does John Wayne as Genghis Khan in “The Conqueror”).
A great American.
https://youtu.be/XOX1v-MsNCo
Rich Little does Jimmy Stewart.
Jimmy was a strong conservative. His best friend, Hank Fonda, was a strong liberal. The respective children were equally opposite in their ideologies as well.
How could two, with such differing opinions, be best friends for decades?
When Fonda died, I recall an intervew with Stewart. Asked that same question, he said “Well, there’s some things we just didn’t talk about.”.
Different times indeed.
Back in the early 70’s when I was in college, a local Seattle FM station had a morning DJ that could do a bang on “Jimmy”. He did the traffic reports as such, flying the Link Trainer from some where over Seattle. I would be doubled over with laughter.
story goes they got into a bit of a fight over politics. and then decided not to talk about them any longer.
Yup. (said in my best “Jimmy”)
This article is cockeyed. It says, for example “He never did become an aviator, but his father’s dreams of Princeton were realized.”
Then it refers to his military service, but focuses on movies he made during the war. It then says he was promoted steadily up the military ranks, but doesn’t say what he did. After saying he never became an aviator it says and won a distinguished flying cross, but not what he did to get it.
In fact he flew 20 dangerous combat missions as a B-24 command pilot, wing commander or squadron commander.
So it’s nice that it says such wonderful things about a guy who not only played an everyman hero in the movies, but actually lived the role in real life, but it really needs work.
that’d be....yu, yu, yu, yup in Stewart’s delivery!
Jimmy could have coasted through WW2 in the entertainment services. Instead he chose to fly combat planes. He’s aces in my book. Wish we had more like him.
Jimmy Stewart dated the greatest actress of all time, Olivia DeHavilland.
More of that “greatest of all time” crap.
I never did like Jimmy Stewart as an actor. But he made every movie he was in better. So I guess I really did like Jimmy Stewart as an actor.
You're right, he could have ducked combat the way a lot of entertainers did, but he did the stand up thing.
It is a statement of fact.
Because Old time Liberals still loved America.
It is a statement of opinion.
“Jimmy was a strong conservative. His best friend, Hank Fonda, was a strong liberal...How could two, with such differing opinions, be best friends for decades?...Different times indeed.” [llevrok, post 5]
USA before World War Two wasn’t just a different time. The country is no longer the same; neither are the people.
Newsmax recently aired a special on Jimmy Stewart. It contained some items missing from the ammoland.com article (which in fairness contained many details missing from the Newsmax special).
Apparently, Stewart shared an apartment with Henry Fonda early in both of their careers. Such non-political associations can weather political differences.
Hard to imagine today, though.
In late spring 1974, BGen Stewart spoke by invitation at the Ring Banquet for the the Class of 1975 at the US Air Force Academy, staged each spring by tradition when the upcoming First (Senior) Class receives their class rings, the year before they graduate. I am a member of that Class, but his speech has failed to remain in my memory.
I was assigned to USAF’s HQ Strategic Air Command in the early 1980s. Listening to the more senior individuals assigned, one could still hear tales of BGen Stewart’s annual active-duty service as an Individual Mobility Augmentee. Worker bees form those days still recalled their astonishment at how he declined to behave like a Hollywood celebrity. He attended various briefings worked his way through other duties pretty much like any other staffer.
In 1962, I believe, I remember Jimmy Stewart hosting a “get out the vote” effort” for PA Republican Governor candidate William Scranton at a huge venue in Hershey with maybe 20,000 in attendance. Jimmy looks around at the standing room only audience and deadpans:”You know, they tell me you can fit all of the Republicans in Pennsylvania in a telephone booth.”. He then looks around and saya,”Some phone booth!!!”
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