American Legends: The Life of Jimmy Stewart

American Legends

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures.*Includes Stewart's own quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading.*Includes a table of contents. “A feller came up to me the other day and said ‘I don’t know whether this means anything to you but you’ve given me and my family a lot of enjoyment over the years.’ And I said to him, ‘Does it mean anything to me? It means everything to me. That’s the ballgame. That's it.’ And I think that if I have done that to that man, and maybe a couple more…then I’m proud of that.” – Jimmy StewartA lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. When the American Film Institute assembled its top 100 actors of all time at the close of the 20th century, Jimmy Stewart ranked third, behind only Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant. There is a certain inevitability to these three actors ranking at the top of the list; after all, they were the dominant faces of Hollywood during the height of the era known as classical Hollywood cinema, a time before the onset of television when the movies still enjoyed relatively uncontested supremacy over American entertainment. The popularity of Stewart, Grant, and Bogart also extends well beyond the success of any of their individual films, reflecting their much broader cultural significance as monuments of Hollywood during its Golden Age. In fact, if the list was reconstructed today, it is entirely possible that Stewart would rank first. Not only have movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Vertigo (1958) continued to gain in popularity even into the 21st century, but Stewart has come to embody an accessible image of American values that is easy for everyone to embrace. The wholesome, happy-go-lucky persona he cultivated represents perhaps a more palatable image of American masculinity than the gritty realism of Bogart or the erudite but occasionally snobbish tendencies of Cary Grant. If there is any actor that embodies not only classical Hollywood but also American culture more generally, it’s difficult to argue against Jimmy Stewart.The phenomenon of Jimmy Stewart becomes even more remarkable when considering the incredible harmony between the characters he portrayed in his films and his personality off the movie set. Most actors and actresses cultivate a persona in order to achieve success, and in most cases it’s an image that bears only a tangential relationship to an actor’s true personality, but there was no such division for Stewart. The all-American image conveyed in films such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It’s a Wonderful Life corresponds seamlessly with Stewart’s off-screen pursuits, which included a degree in architecture from Princeton and an extended tenure as a pilot during World War II. There were elements of his life story that resisted cultural norms - he waited until age 41 before marrying, and his very decision to pursue acting in 1930s America could be seen as a deviation from more characteristically masculine professions - but there was an almost seamless congruence between the Stewart that audiences saw on screen and the man he was in real life. Naturally, his defining traits developed out of and in response to the values instilled in him by his family and cultural background, and for this reason, examining his filmography alongside his life story paints a complete picture of the delicate unity of Jimmy Stewart’s life.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2013

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Ellen White]

Beautiful collection and memories of who we knew him to be a gentleman, soft spoken, a family man.His movies always touched that tender heartwarming spot in us, Very well done, and glad I got the audio to listen to. Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

[Donadee's Corner]

Jimmy Stewart was and still is loved by all. He was the truest sense of a gentleman. He was the kind of man that all mothers wished their sons would grow up to be and the kind that they wanted for their daughters to marry. I loved him in everyone of his movies! He could make you cry or cry out in fear. He was the cowboy that all little boys wanted to be like and yet so loveable. Even though he was not the hunk, he was so desirable. There were quite a few facts of his life that I had never heard before. All of it so interesting though. Can you tell? I loved the man so dearly. He was one of my most favorite actors and still is today. Another great read!

[Jasmine]

One of Hollywood's best loved actors..for a reason..

Like many Americans, the first Jimmy Stewart movie I saw was an old VHS copy of It's A Wonderful Life when I was a little kid. Fast forward a few years and as a teenager I discovered more of his movies such as Pot O' Gold, Bend Of The River, and Winchester '73. Ever since I've enjoyed watching any of his movies I can find, well except for Vertigo. Vertigo was so effective that I hated it. Shop Around The Corner, yes. You Gotta Stay Happy, definitely. The Man Who Knew Too Much, a must. Two Rode Together, ye-ah! Rear Window, of course! From romantic comedy to westerns to psychological drama, Jimmy Stewart did it all and did it well. There's no doubt why generations have watched and loved him.

This audiobook is a brief overview of the life of one of Hollywood's best actors. It's not in depth but in the hour and twenty-some minute running time you'll get some nice insight and learn a few interesting facts that you may or may not have known. The audiobook production wasn't too bad and the narrator's voice was easy to listen to and a good match for a biography. This audiobook was a nice non-fiction break from what I usually read/listen and I will definitely be looking for more American Legends audiobooks in the future.

[Jerry Jares]

This seems to be the best biography of a star; I was impressed that the author mentioned that IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and VERTIGO were not all that well-received when they were shown initially. There's been a lot of ink spilled over those initial reactions to those movies. It took time before people rethought the stories and ideas espoused in them.

James Stewart was 'Everyman' when we went to watch his films on the big screen. Everybody liked Stewart personally and professionally. I never heard anyone walk out of a James Stewart film complaining about the film or his performance.

This book talks about the conflicts Stewart had in his life; going against his father must have been a very difficult thing to do. In the quotes that open each chapter, James Stewart comes across as the modest, earnest, and professional that he was. I couldn't put this down until I'd read every last word.

[Terri]

I learned a lot in this short biography. The author's commentary on Stewart's early life at home was interesting. I was quite surprised that when very young Stewart was called "Jimbo" because he was fat, and then he shot up in height and we extremely thin. His relationship with his father was an interesting dynamic that had a profound effect on Stewart's personality. Given his father's opinions about acting, it's almost a miracle that Steward finally went against his father's opinion and went into acting. I remember watching the Johnny Carson in the 70's when Jimmy Stewart was a guest and he talked about how he was once Henry Fonda's room mate. I thought the author did a good job in this book giving brief summary's of Stewart's movies. Something I was very surprised to learn about and I have this book to thank is the history of Jimmy Stewart's military service during World War II. I was quite surprised to learn that he was a decorated bomber pilot. I thought the commentary in this book very interesting in the way that it was pointed out the shift in Stewart's personality and acting before World War II to after World War II. In the end I was glad I read this book and yet I was sad that there just aren't many people around like Jimmy Steward any more (his political views aside!)

[Monique]

Hollywood Royalty.

I have watch many of Jimmy Stewart movies over the years and loved each of them. As this book states many times, his characters as well as the man himself portrays a man we all know and love. Saturday nights when I was first married, my husband and I would cuddle up on the lounge and watch a classic Hollywood movie and if it had Jimmy Stewart starring in it, I was guaranteed a winner. My favorites of his are, Philadelphia Story, It’s A Wonderful Life and Rear Window. I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing these parts. He was an amazing man and legend.

[Carol Norris]

Excellent read

This book did not disappoint. I had not read anything about Mr. Stewart, but I will always love him for the awesomeness actor and person he became. I hope his parents and family were also just as and more so as proud of him too!! May God bless and keep you forever and for always.

[Guy]

Jimmy Stewart, the guy next door

I’m a movie attender, just a viewer as the story unfolds. I either enjoy it or I don’t, and life goes on. If it’s a Jimmy Stewart film I’ll undoubtedly enjoy it.
This read uncovered a side of the man that l’d not known and it makes me smile to learn much of what I saw was in fact the man, not merely the character.

[William]

I received a review copy of this audiobook.
This book provides details and insight into the life of Jimmy Stewart of which I was previously unaware. I recommend it highly. It is a quick and easy listen.

The only downside is the poor Stewart impression used by the narrator when quoting him.

[Glenn Franco Simmons]

Jimmy Stewart will live on as a wholesome, patriotic, good-natured, humble, smart, family oriented hero. Hero for his very brave service in WWII. If you've watched "It's A Wonderful Life," be sure to read this book. It is not too long, nor too short. Just enough.

[Ken Macfie]

Short but sweet

A biography without the padding and I liked it. No lengthy, partly true anecdotes just the raw facts of a man's life. And what a man.

[Sarah Salas]

He had a wonderful life

So nicely written. I learned so much I didn't know. I was so informative and easy to read. He was an amazing actor.

[Julie]

As I have said before about this series, the book is just facts. Lots of pictures...no heart. OK for reference I suppose....

[F]

Like all these biographies in this series this is an excellent short book. Packed with information, written in an interesting style and designed to inform.

[Katie Murphy]

Jimmy

Disappointing in the fact that nothing was mentioned of his stage play and subsequent movie role in 'Harvey', In my humble opinion his greatest role. The second half of his career seems nothing if not rushed reporting. Jimmy Stewart was not done justice in this pamphlet.

[Linda Hamill]

Great Information On Jimmy Stewart!

Interesting read from the childhood to stardom. I learned many new interesting facts about Mr. Stewart. I recommend Jimmy Stewart fans to read and enjoy this book.in