Trivia of James Stewart

Trivia of James Stewart

*His best friend was probably Henry Fonda, whom he met while at acting camp. Early on they got into a fistfight over politics (Stewart was a very conservative Republican, Fonda a very liberal Democrat) that was won by Fonda, but they apparently never discussed politics again. When Fonda moved to Hollywood he lived with Stewart and the two gained a reputation as Hollywood's biggest playboys. However, after each married and settled down, their children noted that their favorite activity when not working seemed to be silently painting model airplanes together.

*He was the first movie star to enter the service in World War II, joining a year before Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was initially refused entry into the Air Force because he weighed five pounds less than the required 148 pounds, but he talked the recruitment officer into ignoring the test. He eventually became a colonel (active duty) and then brigadier general in the US Air Force Reserve, and earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre (from France) and seven battle stars. In 1959 he served in the Air Force Reserve, before retiring as a brigadier general (Walter Matthau was a sergeant in his unit).Despite having been a decorated war hero in World War II, he declined to talk about this, in part because of the traumatic experiences he had in killing others and watching friends die. The roles he chose after returning from the war were generally darker, some say because he was hardened by combat.

*Had a dislike of Hollywood war movies, explaining that they were hardly ever accurate. During his career he only starred in two: Strategic Air Command (1955) and The Mountain Road (1960).

*Of all his films, he has said that It's a Wonderful Life (1946) was his favorite.James Stewart plays George Bailey from the age of 21 to 38, from the night of the school dance in 1928 to Christmas 1945. Stewart was 37/38 years old during the April to July 1946 filming.

*Very much wanted the role of Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959) and he was the original choice for it, but after the financial failure of Vertigo (1958), director Alfred Hitchcock blamed the film's box office woes on Stewart, claiming Stewart looked too old to still attract audiences and cast Cary Grant instead, even though Grant was actually four years older than Stewart. Previously one of the director's favorite collaborators, he and Stewart never worked together again.

*While always gracious with his fans, he was always very protective of his privacy. A notable example of this occurred when a nervy family of tourists set up a picnic on his front lawn. Stewart came out of his house and, without uttering a word, turned on the sprinklers.

*A true "regular guy", he genuinely disliked the glamour often basked in by Hollywood stars, avoiding expensive clothes and fancy cars.