{"id":84234,"date":"2020-11-25T20:21:54","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T20:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=84234"},"modified":"2023-02-28T14:28:30","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T14:28:30","slug":"classic-video-showplace-james-stewart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/classic-video-showplace-james-stewart\/","title":{"rendered":"CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: James Stewart"},"content":{"rendered":"

The views expressed in this blog are<\/i> those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.<\/i><\/p>\n

One familiar face on television screens this time of year is that of Jimmy Stewart in the annual holiday traditional airing of “It\u2019s A Wonderful Life<\/a>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

But many people do not know that this 1946 film was a commercial failure upon release and there were many other Stewart-led movies that received much greater attention.\u00a0 The time period of the “Wonderful Life\u2019s” release marked a low-point in this legendary actor\u2019s career as he seriously considered retiring from film-making altogether, as Stewart found very few roles offered to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

James Maitland Stewart, the son of a hardware store owner, initially did not want to become a movie star when he left home to attend Princeton University and was planning on returning to his hometown of Indiana Pennsylvania to take over the family business.<\/span><\/p>\n

But future movie stars Margret Sullivan and Henry Fonda would play huge roles in his life and his decision to \u201cplay around\u201d in the theatre while on the East Coast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to his biography by Marc Eliot, Stewart had a crush on Sullivan and continued to pursue her from afar by continuing to act on stage with her in various theatrical productions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Slowly, Stewart began the foundations of his lasting \u201ceveryman approach\u201d to acting and started to get starring roles in the theatre.\u00a0 This eventually led to a casting call in Hollywood. where he once-again roomed with Fonda and the two became life-long best friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan was well-aware of Jimmy\u2019s shyness\/lack of ego and desire for the spotlight, and would ask directors to cast Stewart opposite her in leading roles, in films like \u201cThe Shopworm Angel<\/a>,\u201d The Mortal Storm<\/a>\u201d and \u201cThe Shop Around The Corner<\/a>\u201d (later remade in the more contemporary \u201cYou\u2019ve Got Mail<\/a>\u201d with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan).<\/span><\/p>\n

Other leading ladies like Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Deitrich and Ginger Rogers would also request the unassuming Stewart to play opposite of–guaranteeing them of top-billing.<\/span><\/p>\n

But soon it was Jimmy that was becoming the major star, with featured performances in \u201cMr. Smith Goes To Washington<\/a>,\u201d \u201cFrank Capra\u2019s You Can\u2019t Take It With You<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cDestry Rides Again<\/a>\u201d and \u201cThe Philadelphia Story<\/a>,\u201d in which he won the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stewart was well on his way to earning the title of the third greatest American Male Actor of all time as ranked by the American Film Institute.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s when World War II broke out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stewart enlisted in the Air Force as a pilot and led several successful bombing raids in defeating the Axis Powers.\u00a0 He eventually was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and was awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.<\/span><\/p>\n

After becoming a decorated war hero, Stewart was anxious for his triumphant return to Hollywood to resume his acting career…but Hollywood wasn\u2019t quite ready for him after the war.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have more on the life of James Stewart next week here at the Showplace.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the meantime, you can see Stewart\u2019s early work in films like “Made for Each Other<\/a>” and more on RCN TV.<\/span><\/p>\n

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classic-video-showplace"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: James Stewart - ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: James Stewart - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 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