A toast to Jimmy, the richest man in town
The American Film Institute (AFI) named James Stewart the third greatest male screen legend. His fans would disagree. (Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant were first and second respectively.) Stewart's down-to-earth persona would represent America of yesteryear. It was far from superficiality, even devoid of cynicism. The lanky actor may be too good to be true, but his fans saw a perfect leading man. In this regard, Stewart and Frank Capra would make a perfect team.
If Frank Capra's films resonated up to now, then the final scene could be the reason. It was optimistic, beaming with hope, after his characters struggled with a crisis. Some would call it the Capra myth, but they may have been pessimists. Jefferson Smith was Stewart's most memorable character, the head of the Boys Rangers who replaced a deceased American senator. Jeff was full of naïveté, the kind of individual that seasoned politicians could manipulate in a short time. And his wholesome image was scrutinized when he was accused for graft. It could be the controversial ending for "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", where the mastermind, a secretly cooked senator, confessed to his devious scheme.
The current moviegoers would look at the final scene of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" as a climax of a fairy tale, unable to imagine Donald Trump standing along Jefferson Smith. But this was Capra's talent as a filmmaker. He needed an actor who would be believable (in that role). Bogart had starred in too many film noir features, while Grant's background would make Capra hesitant (in casting him). Jeff Smith launched Stewart into stardom, where some believed that he should have won the Academy Award for Best Actor. (The Academy voters noticed Mr. Chipping, another gentleman with a good heart.) Stewart and Capra collaborated in "It's a Wonderful Life", a variation of "The Christmas Carol". Indeed, the film would be shown during the Christmas holiday. It was hard to tell if Stewart was the reason, but everyone agreed that there was no other actor who could make George Bailey more memorable.
Stewart, who was born on May 20, 1908, had a prolific career. He was one of the big MGM stars, even got a chance to work with different filmmakers. And it was an exciting time to be in Hollywood. Let's have a look at his filmography:
The Philadelphia Story (1940) by George Cukor. One bottle of liquor would be enough to bring out the life off a character. Stewart did it in one (inebriated) scene to nab the Oscar.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) by Ernst Lubitsch. Those who love penpals would fall in love with Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. They were looking for the perfect correspondence. It wasn't hard to figure out the rest of the scenes.
Harvey (1950) by Henry Koster. Elwood P. Dowd may be a loonie at the outside, but some saw an enlightened man. Playing this character was like walking on a tight rope, but Stewart made it seemed easy. It could be his wholesome image.
Vertigo (1958) by Alfred Hitchcock. It will be a Herculean task for an actor to stand out in an Alfred Hitchcock picture. (The British filmmaker could be manipulative, which some actors wouldn't like at all. Tippi Hedren was such a case.) Then again, it would take a special kind of actor to play Detective John Ferguson. Hitchcock didn't take long to pick his actor.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) by Otto Preminger. Stewart might be miscast in an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, but Preminger saw something in the actor. Sam Leavitt's black-and-white photography played a part.
