Post by vegalyra on Jul 15, 2017 21:09:08 GMT
My favorite actor of all time. You had me struggling to really pick my "favorites" as I truly love them all.
Outside of Vertigo and Rear Window, my more unconventional picks of his were
The Spirit of St. Louis
FBI Story
Strategic Air Command
Flight of the Phoenix
3 of those films are his aviation related ones, and it makes it that much better that he was a real pilot who saw plenty of action in WW2. He also rode along in the B58 Hustler (to this day one of the USA's fastest bombers), and went on at least a few missions in a B52 over North Vietnam.
I'm a real sucker for his Anthony Mann Westerns as well, especially the Man From Laramie. What a great film.
My grandfather (who started out in the FBI after being in the Air Force) met Jimmy Stewart on at least one occasion (my grandfather was head of protocol at NASA from the late 1960's until his retirement in 1980) and directed tours for "important" folks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Stewart was one of those "important" people. My grandfather could imitate Stewart's voice and mannerisms to a tee. He was one of his favorite actors as well.
I know FBI story is derided even by a lot of Stewart fans, but it really gives a good impression of the early days of the Bureau (lack of funding, etc.). It does make it seem like the Hoover era Bureau could do no wrong, and it whitewashes the Klan's real mission in life (attacking a Jewish newspaper man instead of African Americans), but especially the last portion of the film appears to be quite accurate.
Strategic Air Command may be dull to some, but for an aviation buff, it's pure gold. The B-36 Peacemakers and B-47 Stratojets are never seen elsewhere in such grandeur. The aerial photography and soundtrack to the film is just superb.
Outside of Vertigo and Rear Window, my more unconventional picks of his were
The Spirit of St. Louis
FBI Story
Strategic Air Command
Flight of the Phoenix
3 of those films are his aviation related ones, and it makes it that much better that he was a real pilot who saw plenty of action in WW2. He also rode along in the B58 Hustler (to this day one of the USA's fastest bombers), and went on at least a few missions in a B52 over North Vietnam.
I'm a real sucker for his Anthony Mann Westerns as well, especially the Man From Laramie. What a great film.
My grandfather (who started out in the FBI after being in the Air Force) met Jimmy Stewart on at least one occasion (my grandfather was head of protocol at NASA from the late 1960's until his retirement in 1980) and directed tours for "important" folks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Stewart was one of those "important" people. My grandfather could imitate Stewart's voice and mannerisms to a tee. He was one of his favorite actors as well.
I know FBI story is derided even by a lot of Stewart fans, but it really gives a good impression of the early days of the Bureau (lack of funding, etc.). It does make it seem like the Hoover era Bureau could do no wrong, and it whitewashes the Klan's real mission in life (attacking a Jewish newspaper man instead of African Americans), but especially the last portion of the film appears to be quite accurate.
Strategic Air Command may be dull to some, but for an aviation buff, it's pure gold. The B-36 Peacemakers and B-47 Stratojets are never seen elsewhere in such grandeur. The aerial photography and soundtrack to the film is just superb.