Getting To Know James Stewart
My personal picks for viewers looking to acquaint themselves with Hollywood legend James Stewart.
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- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartJean ArthurClaude RainsA naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.Stewart's powerful performance as a likable country bumpkin who becomes a puppet congressman was surely worthy of an Oscar (he was nominated). Stewart is naive when he comes to Washington hoping to make a difference. He finds out that politicians are corrupt and that nobody takes him seriously. Fighting for American ideals, he takes a stand in this wonderful Frank Capra fable about the triumph of the "little guy".
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.Probably Stewart's most loved performance, as a desperate banker forced to reflect on the value of his life in this Christmastime classic. A very uplifting film. Powerful and emotional. Stewart was nominated for an Oscar for the third time.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsJames StewartLee RemickBen GazzaraAn upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?Stewart is superb as an ace small-town lawyer who uses every trick he can think of in his defense of a (maybe) murderer. The film is gripping and gritty, and old man Stewart is masterful, convincing as both a humble, small-time attorney and a shrewd legal mind. He earned his fifth and final Oscar nomination for the role.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsCary GrantKatharine HepburnJames StewartWhen a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.James Stewart won his Oscar for this comedy, playing a cynical reporter who infiltrates a society wedding and falls for the bride-to-be. Stewart shares the screen with big-time stars Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. His performance during a drunk scene is particularly impressive. The movie is very witty and is a top-shelf comedy classic.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed mystery/thriller has Stewart play a retired detective who takes a job trailing an old friend's wife, becoming infatuated and eventually obsessed with the girl, with tragic results. The story is full of twists and an almost perverse sexual tension. The ending is a classic.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsJames StewartWallace FordWilliam H. LynnDue to his insistence that he has an invisible six foot-tall rabbit for a best friend, a whimsical middle-aged man is thought by his family to be insane - but he may be wiser than anyone knows.Bachelor Elwood P. Dowd (Stewart) claims to be friends with a giant rabbit and it shames his family. Is he just a drunk, or can his invisible friend be real? This crazy comedy is a hoot, with Dowd's family trying to send him to an institution and all sorts of wacky hijinks ensuing along the way. A great comedy with an Oscar-nominated turn by Stewart (his fourth nod).
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJames StewartJohn WayneVera MilesA senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.Scholarly Stewart rivals tough guy John Wayne for Vera Miles's affections. Stewart seeks to bring education out West, but is bullied by local cowboys. Stewart and Wayne team up as diametric opposites, with Stewart as a peace-minded intellectual. Stewart becomes a celebrated politician, but remembers the great man that Wayne was, helping him get there. This John Ford western is notable for the cast, but has a moving story as well.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMargaret SullavanJames StewartFrank MorganTwo employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.In this charming romantic comedy, rival co-workers at a shop are unknowingly romantic pen-pals. The cast and story are great, with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in the leads. Desperate Sullavan pushes her way into a job as a saleswoman, with Stewart the head salesman looking for a promotion. Stewart catches on to the secret first and sees Sullavan in a new light. It's a nice holiday romance with fun characters.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartArthur KennedyDonald CrispNewcomer Will Lockhart defies the local cattle baron and his sadistic son by working for one of his oldest rivals.Jimmy Stewart made several westerns in the 1950s. This is one of them. He plays a mysterious stranger who becomes involved in a local feud, stirring the pot and maybe bringing about some justice. Stewart is tough and smart. A man to be reckoned with, though he bleeds like any other. Stewart wasn't an unbeatable western superhero in these films, but he was crafty and led by strong principles.