The Hindu Business Line : Tribute to an actor

James Stewart lived to be 89 and acted in 80 films besides making a mark in theatre and TV shows. Did he ever `act'? The problem was that he was so natural that he hardly gave the impression of acting. Romantic hero, cowboy, light-hearted playboy, war hero, conscientious Senator, policeman with a problem... Stewart handled all these with ease, aplomb and amazing versatility.

During the 1950s, he was the highest-paid star; his films grossed more than anyone else's and it was he, not Clark Gable, who was the `Hollywood King'. Stewart was not as `tough' on screen like John Wayne, not as intellectual as Henry Fonda, lacked the looks of Cary Grant, and still emerged as the most complete American screen actor of his generation.

As the obituary in The New York Times observed, "The Stewart way of speaking — laconic, with a nasal drawl — is instantly recognizable by virtually every American. His early screen image, like his personal life, epitomised a Middle American ideal in a confusing, sophisticated world." Perhaps this explained his success in films like Mr Smith Goes to Washington and his unforgettable final speech on the floor of the Senate, exposing high-level corruption and demanding justice. It was the Voice of America speaking!

As John `Scottie' Ferguson, the honest police officer in Vertigo who suffers from a fear of heights, one remembers Stewart's agonised eyes when he realises how he has been taken for a ride by the girl he loved, while actually witnessing a diabolically planned murder. Vertigo, one of the most complex thrillers, had a spectacular revival grossing several millions 25 years after its release and has become a cult film. Perhaps it was this ability to portray the helplessness of the ordinary man that prompted director Alfred Hitchcock to make Stewart the hero in four of his films.

As pointed out by writer Marc Eliot in this massive but readable biography, Stewart's association with brilliant directors like Frank Capra, Anthony Mann, John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock resulted in some of the best-ever films from Hollywood. Capra was the first to fully tap the talent of this gangling actor, whose first eight years under an MGM contract resulted in several average films. In fact, MGM did not know what to do with Stewart who lacked the charismatic good looks, so popular in those days.

But this son of a hardware store owner from Western Pennsylvania had a special talent that he had nurtured during his Princeton days, working with theatre people like Joshua Logan and Henry Fonda. The long, hard struggle for fame and money on the New York stage finally ended with a movie contract. Stardom arrived with the Capra movies, You Can't Take It With You and Mr Smith Goes to Washington.

Director George Cukor tapped Stewart's comic potential to the fullest in Philadelphia Story, which fetched him his first and only Oscar for Best Actor. Like many stars, Stewart was in World War II and keeping up with his average American image, fought for and succeeded in getting into bombing missions over Germany and leaving the war as a full USAF Colonel with a DFC and the French Croix de Guerre.

Back in Hollywood, Stewart withstood the challenge from the new school of `method' actors and did great films such as Broken Arrow, Winchester 73 and Naked Spur with director Anthony Mann, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance with John Ford. Then came the Hitchcock films and his place in the movie hall of fame was secured.

Perhaps it was Stewart's conservative upbringing, the rigid discipline of a father who never understood his son's passion for acting and war experiences, which pushed him into supporting staunch Republican right-wing politicians like Ronald Reagan. He supported the Vietnam War and could not understand why one of his sons turned against it.

Stewart's was a full life, recounted in detail in the book. It could have been better if the author had not devoted so many pages to Hollywood gossip.

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