Jimmy lived a wonderful life

Considered by many to be the embodiment of America’s best characteristics, actor Jimmy Stewart, whose birthday is Friday, was best known for playing affable, idealistic, yet conflicted characters who always prevailed in classic films. We remember him as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a man who never managed to tour the world but found its center in home and community. Or as the reluctant senator whose famous filibuster in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” reminded audiences what politics should be, and shouldn’t.

The real James Maitland Stewart wasn’t far from his film persona. He was born May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pa., to Elizabeth (Johnson) and Maitland Stewart, who owned the local hardware store. Often described as kind, soft-spoken, and with an awkward sense of humor, the 6-foot-3-inch Jimmy was an active kid, participating in choir, football, and track. He was also in the literary club and yearbook editor. Nor was he idle at home, spending many childhood hours in the basement making model airplanes, and tinkering with mechanics and chemistry.

After graduation he wanted to be a Navy pilot, but dad insisted on college. So Jimmy went to Princeton, where in 1932 he earned a degree in architecture which he never used professionally.

He acted in college. When the Depression hit he worked for the same theater troupe as Henry Fonda, who became an off-and-on roommate and lifelong friend as both pursued acting careers. Stewart did more than 80 films, including four with Alfred Hitchcock. His last was Disney’s “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West,” in which he played Wylie.

During World War II Stewart was drafted, but initially rejected due to insufficient weight. So he put on some pounds and volunteered. Just days after winning an Oscar for “Philadelphia Story,” Stewart entered the Army and soon after, flight training (he’d logged hundreds of hours as a civilian pilot). In 1943 he was a flight instructor at Gowan Field in Boise. With the rank of captain he flew a B-24 in 20 bombing missions over Europe. Victory didn’t end his military career; he flew a B-52 in Vietnam before retiring from service with the rank of brigadier general and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, among numerous medals.

Jimmy loved to fly. He often flew his own plane home to visit his parents, navigating by ded reckoning along railroad tracks. His childhood hero was Charles Lindbergh, whom he played in “Spirit of St. Louis.”

Stewart’s loyalty extended to family. At age 41 he married model Gloria MacLean, adopting her two sons. The couple later had twin daughters. Their marriage lasted until Gloria’s death of cancer in 1994. Stewart died of a pulmonary embolism in 1997.

One of Jimmy’s lesser-known talents was poetry. When he read “Beau” on The Tonight Show, Carson was moved to tears. It’s a long one, but here’s an excerpt:

“He never came to me when I would call

Unless I had a tennis ball,

Or he felt like it,

But mostly he didn’t come at all…

He bit lots of folks from day to day,

The delivery boy was his favorite prey.

The gas man wouldn’t read our meter,

He said we owned a real man-eater…

He would wake up at night

And he would have this fear

Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,

And he’d be glad to have me near…

And there are nights when I think I feel that stare

And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,

But he’s not there.

Oh, how I wish that wasn’t so,

I’ll always love a dog named Beau.” — Jimmy Stewart

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Sholeh Patrick is a Jimmy Stewart fan and columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.