jimmy stewart military

Jimmy Stewart Military - Jimmy Stewart, in uniform, sets the date of going fishing, 1945, while his father chats with a customer at a hardware store.

When James Maitland Stewart, the oldest child and only son of Alexander and Elizabeth Stewart of Indiana, entered the United States Army in 1941, he was not like most enlisted men. First, he was already 30 years old. For another, he had already been rejected by the military for being too thin. (For the first time, he was five pounds under the weight limit for new Army recruits.) And finally, no World War II veteran had ever won a Best Actor Oscar, as Stewart did for his role as reporter Mike Connor in the 1940 classic. . , The Philadelphia Story.

Jimmy Stewart Military

Putting his Hollywood career on hold to join the Army Air Corps, the forerunner of today's Air Force, Stewart eventually attained the rank of colonel, making him one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years. He returned from the war after flying dozens of combat missions, some as command pilot, in the ranks deep in Nazi-occupied Europe.

It's A Wonderfully, Complicated Life: How Wwii Shaped James 'jimmy' Stewart

On the cover of the magazine's September 24, 1945 issue, photographer Peter Stackpole followed Hollywood star and war hero Stewart back to his hometown.

Jimmy Stewart and his father in front of a family store, Indiana, Pa., 1945. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Thirty-seven-year-old Jimmy Stewart sat at a table with his younger sister Mary (clockwise). his mother Elizabeth, his father Alexander and his other younger sister Virginia, 1945. Peter Stackpole/Pictures/Shutterstock Returning home from the war, Jimmy Stewart helps set the table at his parents' house, 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Pictures /Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart is his father's hardware store oldest employee talking to George Little, 1945. In addition to all the usual hardware, the store also featured Jimmy "The Story of Philadelphia" Oscar. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart in uniform sets a date to go fishing as his father chats with a customer in a hardware store, 1945. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart talks on the phone in his father's hardware store, 1945 Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart goes fishing with an old with friend Clyde “Woodie” Woodward, 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Pictures/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart and friend, Indiana, Pa., 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Pictures/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart50 grew up about a mile from Pittsburgh, Indiana. 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart autographs in Indiana, Pa., 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Images/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart, Peter Stackpole, 1945/. Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy joked with his father about old times. His sister Mary (center swing) was an artist and married to a Navy chaplain. His other sister Virginia (left) was a magazine writer and married to military artist Alexis Tyranoff. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart plays the piano with his sister Virginia, 1945. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock James Stewart looks out the window of his family's hardware store and sees a model airplane he built years ago, 1945. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock 1945 Jimmy Stewart looked at the stuffed squirrel he shot years ago. The creature was only "a little moldy," he said. Peter Stackpole/Images/Shutterstock While visiting his hometown in 1945, Colonel Jimmy Stewart plays with a pair of dolls he made when he was seven. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart entertains local children, Indiana, Pa., 1945. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart takes out his father's horse, 1945. Peter Stackpole/Photos/Shutterstock Magician Bill Neff was just. Stuart's friend; once they got Jimmy a summer job when they "walked like wizards". Peter Stackpole/ Pictures/Shutterstock Returning home after serving in World War II, James Stewart reads in bed at his parents' home in Indiana, 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Pictures/Shutterstock Jimmy Stewart, 1945. Peter Stackpole/ Pictures/ Shutterstock One of the most revered and beloved stars, screen legend Jimmy Stewart, returned from World War II a changed man who would switch Westerns.

For many of us of a certain age, James Stewart seemed most natural under a "happy" Stetson riding in a chestnut denim pie. Although not really a Western star, the lithe, laconic 3-foot-3 actor became one of the cowboy tetras, alongside Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper and Herzog, whom we grew up watching on Saturday matinees and still watch in reruns. possible.

Even excluding his westerns, Stewart's list of major films (two of which are holiday films) is impressive. In fact, the American Film Institute has included five of his films on its list of the 100 Greatest American Movies - "Vertigo," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life," "Rear Window" and "The Philadelphia Story." Add in the movies where he rides a horse and wears a hat, and this legacy takes on even more character and charm.

How Jimmy Stewart Became George Bailey

Although often saddled and uncharacteristically "cowboy" in demeanor and speech, Jimmy Stewart was an Oriental by birth and upbringing. James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, of Scottish descent. His pious Presbyterian father owned a local hardware store and hoped Stewart would one day take over the family business; his mother was a pianist and music lover. Volumes have been written about his early years—his education at Princeton (a family tradition), his participation in various theater companies, his early stardom, and his rise to fame in Hollywood.

But his wartime service as a B-24 commander and fighter pilot informed his later, more mature roles. Starring Tom Destry Jr. in 1939, Stewart's beloved "white exploits" would be overshadowed by the more sophisticated star of post-WWII America's dark "adult" westerns. While both eras gave us the "real" Jimmy Stewart and had much to recommend them, the post-war Hunters reflected the pain and trauma of his wartime experience.

Jimmy Stewart was drafted in late March 1941 — "about nine months before the attack on Pearl Harbor" — and shortly thereafter applied for enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Corps. An avid pilot, he had logged over 400 flight hours in his plane and felt he was best suited to serve what would soon become America's war with the bombers.

Stewart demonstrated his ability to fly military aircraft. Although he was promoted to second lieutenant in early 1942, trained at various military airfields, and served as a flight instructor in B-17 Flying Fortresses, neither the US government nor Stewart's powerful studio, MGM, agreed to watch American films. it was not said. Favorite movie star filmed over Europe. He was kept stateside until 1943, traveling on war affairs, lecturing and making films until, with the help of a disillusioned Stuart agent, he managed to get a posting abroad.

Rare 1954 Hollywood/military Bob Hope/jimmy Stewart Amazing Story Items

Finally, on November 11, Capt. James Stewart — commander of the 445th Bomb Group's 703rd Squadron — piloted twenty B-24H Liberators to England. From that point on, there would be no promotional tours. Jimmy Stewart would play an active role in the struggle to liberate Europe.

The missions assigned to Stewart involved flying in bitter cold and often unescorted over enemy targets (including Berlin, Brunswick, Bremen, Frankfurt and Schweinfurt) in front of heavy wings and fighter squadrons of the German Luftwaffe. "Cut!" There was no script or director to shout about. Every time he went up, he risked his life and the lives of his men.

On one occasion, Stewart's B-24 took a direct hit behind the nose rudder, but managed to stay together throughout the flight. The plane literally split in two on the wing upon landing. As Stewart watched his bomber disintegrate, he succinctly commented, "We're sure somebody could get hurt in one of those damned things."

Stewart proved to be an able commander who was loved and respected by his men. During his service, he was promoted to colonel and chief of staff of the 2nd Airborne Division and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, seven battle stars and – in French – the Croix. de Guerre with Palm. He was one of five soldiers to be promoted from private to colonel in less than five years.

Ginger Rogers With James Stewart In Us Army Air Corps Uniform At The 1942 Oscars Awards Dinner Stock Photo

When Jimmy Stewart returned home in September 1945, he was a changed man. The matinee idols of childhood who arrived in Hollywood in the late 1930s are gone forever. Physically, he had aged noticeably. His hair was gray, his hearing permanently impaired—probably from the constant roar of B-24 engines—and his face reflected a hard-earned gravitas.

But the biggest change was in his psyche. In addition to overseeing bombing missions as an operations officer, Stewart personally led 20 raids over the gravel-filled skies of France and Germany, regularly investigating aerial fatalities. During these missions, he lost planes and men, and as commander it was his job to write letters home informing families of the deaths of sons and husbands, many of whom he knew well. For the rest of his life, Stewart refused to discuss his war experience.

After returning to Hollywood, Stewart tried to restore his film