Years before George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey or Tom Hanks, it was James “Jimmy” Stewart who was Hollywood’s suave and sophisticated all-American actor.
The diversity of his roles will be featured this month as part of the UCLA Film and Television Archive’s series “The Picture Starts in Heaven: James Stewart’s Centennial,” corresponding to honor what would have been his hundredth birthday.
The series starts tonight with a showing of “Vivacious Lady” followed by “Born to Dance” at the Billy Wilder Theater. Saturday will feature “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Shop Around the Corner,” and the program will continue until the June 8 screening of “Harvey” and “The Glen Miller Story.”
Stewart is best known to students for his role as an innocent and stubborn lawyer in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” a film that has been shown in many political science classes. His comedic timing and versatility in a wide range of captivating portrayals made him one of the great stars of classic American cinema.
“One of the reasons why he became an icon is the way he was able to embody, through his own personality and his own talent, various different aspects of the American experience,” said Paul Malcolm, the Archive programmer who helped organized the series. “The series is to celebrate his centennial and capture the evolution of his screen persona through out his career.”
A shy kid from the town of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Stewart maintained a humble personality in his Hollywood years as well.
“He was soft spoken, modest and easy going,” said Stewart’s biographer, Gerard Molyneaux,
His acting career ignited with a similarly modest role as a chauffeur in the Broadway comedy called “Goodbye Again.” After some time in New York, he joined his close friend, actor Henry Fonda, in Hollywood. In Los Angeles, studios hired him for what became his trademark boy next door, aw-shucks image.
“He was a classic American superstar with mild-mannered personality, and that had a lot to do in terms of his public appeal,” said Jonathan Kuntz, an associate professor in the School of Theater, Film and Television.
His modesty carried over into his family and public life as well.
“During the ’40s he possessed all the fame and glory of Hollywood (and) despite all of it, he proudly joined the Air Corps during World War II,” said Molyneux.
For his post-war career, Stewart joined with Lew Wasserman at the Music Corporation of America agency and attained a never-before-seen independence as an artist.
“He became one of the leaders in the post-studio era, showing how actors can shape their own careers and modify their images through the roles they select,” Kuntz said.
With more independence in his own career, he was able to achieve a higher level of artistic expression.
“For private actors like Dad, acting becomes a venue of expression of emotions,” said one of his twin daughters, Kelly Stewart Harcourt. “Dad had an air of integrity and intelligence combined with humor and great talent … and, he never behaved badly in public.”
Over the course of his career, Stewart received five Academy Award nominations for his roles in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Harvey” and “Anatomy of a Murderer” and won an Oscar for his portrayal of Mike Connors in “The Philadelphia Story.”
Stewart’s success went beyond his professional career, extending over to his family life as well.
“I remember that when my twin sister and I were going away to college, Dad called us into the living room, saying he “˜wanted to talk to us’ and the tone of things made us dread the possibility that he was going to tell us about the birds and the bees. So he sat us down, and he said, “˜Always remember, be nice to people.’ That was his advice to us as we went off to college. It will always stick with me,” Harcourt said.
His daughters Kelly and Judy Stewart Merrill will speak at “A Centennial Tribute” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on June 12.