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James Stewart
FILMOGRAPHY (ONLY REVIEWED ENTRIES)
James Maitland Stewart was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, in 1908 to a local hardware store owner. He initially seemed destined for a career in architecture, before Joshua Logan persuaded him to pursue acting. After moving to New York and working on Broadway, he became close friends with Henry Fonda, and eventually landed small roles that led to a film contract with MGM. From the outset, Stewart's screen presence stood out, and he reached an early pre-war peak with memorable performances in Destry Rides Again, It's a Wonderful Life, and the wonderful The Philadelphia Story opposite Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. His career took a turn when he began working with Alfred Hitchcock, starting with Rope in 1948. After previously having been cast mostly as a romantic lead, Stewart now increasingly portrayed ordinary men drawn into extraordinary circumstances. Many consider his Hitchcock collaborations to be the pinnacle of his career, especially Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958). Stewart's career declined during the 1960s and 1970s, and unlike his lifelong friend Fonda – who enjoyed a late-career highlight with On Golden Pond – Stewart never truly found his own swan song (though he did appear in John Wayne's swan song, The Shootist). He died at the age of 89 in his Los Angeles home.
Destry Rides Again (1939) "James Stewart is charming and even a little bit sexy as the mild-mannered Destry" - Pauline Kael The Philadelphia Story (1940) "Stewart a fast-talking (!) reporter who falls in love with her. Entire cast is excellent, but Stewart really shines in his offbeat, Academy Award-winning role" - Leonard Maltin The Shop Around the Corner (1940) "(...) when you watch later James Stewart films, you may wonder what became of this other deft, sensitive, pre-drawling Stewart" - Pauline Kael Anatomy of a Murder (1959) "This overwhelmingly thorough and slow courtroom drama is, embodied through Jimmy Stewart's gloriously suave performance, as stylish and classic as movies come." - Fredrik Fevang The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) "John Wayne is in his flamboyant element, but James Stewart is too old for the role of an idealistic young Eastern lawyer who is robbed on the way West"
- Pauline Kael
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing a Jimmy Stewart imitation myself." "There ought to be a law against any man who doesn't want to marry Myrna Loy."
Anatomy of a Murder Paul Biegler (James Stewart) to
Charles Dancer (George C. Scott) after the latter was blocking the view
of a witness in the trial:
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Few
actors have been so universally beloved by the public as Jimmy Stewart.
From the late 1930s through the early 1960s, he became a
surrogate father, brother, or buddy for most moviegoers – earning a
respect and loyalty that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Tall, suave, and well-mannered, with delicate features yet the presence
of a regular guy, Stewart embodied a unique blend of elegance and
relatability.