July 7, 2023 • 27 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, despite all his Hollywood fame and acting acclaim, Jimmy Stewart always said his greatest honor of his life was serving his country in WWII. Dr. Roger McGrath is here to tell the story.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories,
and we tell stories about everything here on this show.
And this next story combines military history and cultural history
and tells the story of an actor we all know,
Jimmy Stewart. In nineteen forty six, by the way, he
starred in It's a Wonderful Life, But only a year before,
and years before, he was serving in World War Two
(00:33):
and in a dangerous job, a pilot running missions over Europe,
bombing the heck out of the place. Here to tell
the story of how Jimmy Stewart got there, about his
life his historian and regular contributor here at Our American Stories,
Roger McGrath, himself a former marine. Here's McGrath.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Jimmy Stewart was one of the most beloved actors in
the history of Hollywood. Early in his career he had
the look of the boy next door, guileless and innocent,
honest and sincere. He matured into an everyman character, a
regular guy dealing with daily life and the love and
heartbreak of romantic relationships. Ultimately, he was the heroic figure,
(01:21):
often standing alone against great odds and demonstrating courage and wisdom.
Whether portraying a young man, a struggling husband, or the
Western hero. Jimmy Stewart always seemed like simply one of us,
the quintessential American guy. In real life, that's exactly what
(01:43):
he was. James Stewart is born in May nineteen eight
in Indiana, not the state, but a small town of
six thousand people in western Pennsylvania, some sixty miles east
of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
The town of.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Indiana is surrounded by farms and coal mines. Stuart's father
is a Spanish American war veteran who runs a family
hardware store established by a Civil War veteran father. Stuart's
mother is a talented pianist who fills the Stuart household
with music. Jimmy learns to play an accordion, which a
(02:21):
customer leaves at the hardware store in payment for a bill.
Both sides of the family have a long record of
military service since immigrating to the American colonies from Scotland
and Ireland. Stuart becomes fascinated with the aviation at a
young age and loves building model airplanes instead of doing homework.
(02:45):
His father decides he must buckle down and get into
Mercersburg Academy, a prep school in south central Pennsylvania. Mercersburg
is dedicated to preparing young men for college, especially the
Ivy League schools. Stuart studies hard at Mercersburg, but also
(03:07):
competes as a high jumper on the track team, is
a member of several school clubs, and appears in school plays.
He thrives at the school despite coming down with scarlet
fever and suffering a kidney infection, making the tall, skinny
teenager even skinnier and causing a delay in his graduation.
(03:30):
When Charles Lindberg makes his solo flight across the Atlantic
Ocean in late May nineteen twenty seven, Jimmy Stewart is
home from school and listening to reports of the flight
on the radio. Stuart tracks Lindenberg's progress on a map
over the Atlantic, over Ireland in Britain, and right into
(03:53):
Lindberg's landing in Paris. Charles Lindberg is Stuart's hero. Stewart
wants to become a pilot upon graduation from Mercusburg, but
his father insists on college. Stuart is accepted for admission
to Princeton and begins classes at the prestigious Ivy League
(04:15):
school in the fall of nineteen twenty eight, Stuart switches
major several times before settling on architecture. However, he's most
passionate about appearing in school plays.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
He acts, he sings. He plays the.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Accordion, led by Josh Logan, who is destined to become
a Hollywood screenwriter and director, The Princeton Boys dick their
plays on the road during the summer. Although of very
different temperaments and personalities, Logan and Stuart become fast friends.
(04:54):
After graduation from Princeton, Stewart devotes himself to the stage,
appearing in of her bigger roles and usually receiving critical acclaim.
He shares an apartment in New York City with another
young actor, Henry Fonda. Despite contrasting personalities and different political
views Stuart a staunch Republican and Fonda a devoted Democrat,
(05:20):
they become lifelong friends. Hollywood talent scout Bill Grady, who
first sees Stuart act with the Princeton Troop, gets MGM
to sign Stuart to a contract in nineteen thirty five.
Stewart appears in his first Hollywood movie that year, murder Man,
starring Spencer Tracy. In nineteen thirty six, Stuart is in
(05:46):
nine movies, including as the male lead opposite Margaret Sullivan
in Next Time We Love.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Sullivan is at the.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Peak of her career and she had insisted that Stuart
be her male lead. They have known each other for years,
going back to her brief marriage to Henry Fonda. Sullivan
recognizes Stuart's natural charm in quaint mannerisms and helps him
use those characteristics effectively on the screen. Audiences love the
(06:20):
Jimmy Stewart persona. Stuart's last film in nineteen thirty six,
after The Thin Man has him in an uncharacteristic role.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
He plays a murderer.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
The husband wife team of William Powell and Myrna Lley
track him down. The role demonstrates Stuart can play more
than lovable, homespun types. Stewart appears in only three movies
nineteen thirty seven, but one of them is a block office.
In Critical Smash Success Navy Blue and Gold, Stewart is
(06:56):
in the role of a football player at the Naval Academy.
He has arrived dad Annapolis through the enlisted ranks. He's
in Everyman Striving to improve himself and rise in life,
playing off the football theme. The New York Times declares
Stuart's performance makes him a triple threat man in the
MGM Backfield.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
And you're listening to historian Roger McGrath. The life of
Jimmy Stewart continues here on our American story. Folks, if
you love the stories we tell about this great country,
and especially the stories of America's rich past, know that
all of our stories about American history, from war to politics,
(07:40):
to innovation, culture, and faith, are brought to us by
the great folks at Hillsdale College, a place where students
study all the things that are beautiful in life and
all the things that are good in life. And if
you can't get to Hillsdale, Hillsdale will come to you
with their free and terrific online courses. Go to Hillsdale
dot edu to learn more. This is our American Stories,
(08:11):
and we continue with the story of Jimmy Stewart. The
year is nineteen thirty seven. After graduating from Princeton, Stewart
devotes himself to acting, where he becomes soon a triple
threat man in the MGM Backfield. Hears McGrath with more
of Jimmy Stewart's story.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
The Triple Threat Man appears in ten movies in nineteen
thirty eight and thirty nine, mostly as the male lead.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
In movie after movie.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
He delivers performances to receive critical acclaim.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
He's called one of the most knowing.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
And engaging young actors appearing on the screen, and one
of the finest actors of the screen's young roster. Stewart
plays the male lead and Frank Keppers You Can't Take
It With You, which wins the Academy Award for Best
Picture of nineteen thirty eight. He receives his first nomination
(09:09):
for Best Actor with his performance in another Capper directed film,
Mister Smith Goes to Washington. Stewart follows that with another
smash success, Destry Rides Again. By nineteen forty, Jimmy Stewart
is well established as one of Hollywood's major stars.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
It appears in four movies.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
That year, including two Hollywood classics, The Shop Around the
Corner and The Philadelphia Story. For his performance in the latter,
he receives the Academy Award for Best Actor. Stuart's at
the top of Hollywood now Fame, Money Women and the
Best Roles are his. He makes two more movies that
(09:52):
are released early in nineteen forty one, and then walks
away from Hollywood and into an Army recruiting office. He
has a pilot's license and a degree from Princeton University,
and tells the recruiter he wants to join the Army
Air Corps. However, Stuart fails his physical.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
He seems to be in great shape. What can be wrong?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Standing six foot three and weighing only one thirty eight,
he's underweight. The thirty three year old movie star goes
into hard training. For him, it means eating high chloric
foods and drinking vanilla maltz. In March nineteen forty one,
shortly after receiving his oscar for Best Actor, Stuart reports
(10:39):
for a second physical. I was ready to take him
in a studio car, says Bill Grady, now a casting director,
but he refused to let me take him in the limousine.
He went by bus instead. I tailed after him. I waited,
and when a medical officer came out, I asked him
if Jimmy had made it. The officer told me I'd
(11:02):
made it by one ounce. What the officer didn't know
was that jim was so determined to make the weight
that he hadn't been to the bathroom for thirty six hours.
It had been torture, but.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
It had put him over.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Stewart soon emerges gleefully shouting to Grady, I'm in, I'm in.
By the end of March, the Oscar winning movie star
is Private James Stewart and has sent for a week
of processing Fort MacArthur in San Pedro. Already a civilian pilot,
he has shipped to Moffatt Field at the southern end
(11:39):
of San Francisco Bay for training with the Army Air Corps.
He excels in basic training and has made a squad leader.
After a month, he learns that when he finishes basic training,
he will be assigned to a film unit at Right
Field in Ohio. Stuart also learns that Louis Mayor MGM.
Mogul At pulled strings in Washington to have Stuart assigned
(12:03):
to a motion picture unit. Mayor wants his star safe
and sound. Stuart is outraged and meets with the commanding officer,
Colonel E. B.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Lyon.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Stuart hands his pilot's license in his log book to
the colonel and tells him he wants to fly and
fly in combat if it comes to that. Colonel Lyon
says he will intercede in Stuart's behalf. However, Lyon tells
Stuart the problem is not only overcoming Louis Mayer's influence
in Washington, but Stuart's age. Stuart is turning thirty three,
(12:40):
which is normally too old for an ericadet. Lyon's strong
appeal wins the day, and Stuart is soon in pilot training.
Stuart excels in all phases of flight training and passes
his final check rite. By the middle of November nineteen
forty one, Start is now a certified Army Air Corps pilot.
(13:04):
In December, he's commissioned a second lieutenant. It's also in
December if the Japanese launched their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
The United States is now in the war, and Stuart
is ready to do his duty where his Army Air
Corps uniform. Stewart serves as a presenter at the Academy
(13:27):
Awards in February nineteen forty two and hands the Oscar
for Best Actor to Gary Cooper for his role in
Sergeant York. During the spring of nineteen forty two, Stewart
has to resist several attempts to make him a public
affairs officer. Many in the Air Corps feel he would
be of greater value of making public appearances than flying
(13:50):
in combat. After repeated requests, he has assigned a bomber training,
qualifying as a B seventeen flying Fortress pilot by February
nineteen forty three. Against his wishes, He's kept state side
as a flight instructor, flying both the B seventeen and
(14:10):
the B twenty four Liberator until November nineteen forty three, when,
as Captain James Stewart his ships overseas as the CEO
of a squadron of Liberators in the four forty fifth
Bomb Group. They are based at Tibbenham, one hundred miles
northeast of London. Navigator Steve Kirkpatrick describes Stuart as damn
(14:36):
good commanding officer. I always had a feeling he would
never ask you to do something he wouldn't do himself.
Stuart's first mission comes on December thirteenth, nineteen forty three.
He's part of a flight of several hundred P twenty
fours that bomb submarine pans at the German port of Kiel.
(14:56):
Stuart's B twenty four suffers more than a dozen hits
from but no one is wounded in the plane, though
full of holes, flies well enough to drop her bombs
and turn for home. Stuart's second mission is on December twentieth.
The target for the day is the German industrial city
of Bremen. Stuart's squadron is to hit in the oil
(15:20):
refinery in a shipbuilding facility. This time, on the way
to the target, Stuart's plane is not only flying through flack,
but is also attacked by German fighters.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Them one oh nine in the Emmy won ten.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
It looks dire until American P forty seven thunderbolts chase
off the measure schmidts, but not before one may to
pass so close that Stuart says he can count the
rivets in her belly. The squadron's missions continue and the
losses begin stacking up. B twenty fours are shot down
(15:58):
by German fighters out of the sky by flak, ditching
the English channel.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
When limping home, crash into each other and.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Explode when fumes from leaking gas tanks ignite. Leaking gas
in the B twenty fours is such a problem that
bomb bay doors are frequently opened to allow fumes to escape.
On Stuart's tenth mission, late in February nineteen forty four,
he nearly escapes death. The target for the day is
(16:29):
a measure smith factory deep inside Germany near Nuremberg, and
an aircraft fire is especially concentrated and accurate.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Stuart's liberator is.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Taking hits, rocking, rolling and shaking when a tremendous explosion
lifts the plane and fills the cockpit with smoke. A
blast of icy air hits Stuart. He looks down and
sees a jagged hole that a basketball could pass through
inches from his left foot. He has a perfect view
(17:03):
of the German landscape twenty thousand feet below. Suddenly, then
any aircraft fire stops and German fighters a fock Wolf.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
One ninety appear.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
A B twenty four on Stuart's right is riddled with
bullets and has a wing blown off. It flips over
and nos down.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Plummets toward the ground.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Only one parachute is seen. Then on Stewart's left, a
second B twenty four is hit and it too begins
a death dive.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
To the earth.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
The fighters disappear and the anti aircraft fire returns.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
And you're listening to Roger McGrath. When we come back
more of the remarkable story of Jimmy Stewart. Here on
our American stories, and we continue with our American stories.
(18:12):
When we last left off, we were in the middle
of Jimmy Stewart's tenth mission. In February of nineteen forty four.
Stuart is witnessing his unit of B twenty four Liberators
getting picked off in the sky by Nazi fighters. Here
again is Roger McGrath.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
A Liberator flown by Mac Williams, one of Stuart's oldest,
most reliable pilots, takes a direct hit near the cockpit.
Stuart thinks Williams must be dead and expects to see
the plane nose over and plummet downward. To Stuart's astonishment,
After rocking and shaking, B twenty four resturants to straight
(18:51):
and level flight, Williams or his co pilot must be alive.
Despite all the damage Stuart's plane has suffered, the engines
continue to hum, and Stuart feels blessed relief when he
finally reaches the English Channel. Landing at Tippinum will not
be easy, though the plane's hydraulic system has been shot
(19:14):
away as Stewart approaches the field, the landing gear has
to be hand cranked down in control surfaces and brakes
muscled by cables. Without any hydraulic assist. Stewart takes Tibbenham's
longest runway and needs every inch of it before the
(19:34):
liberator screeches to a halt. John Robinson, a crewman and
Stuart's squadron, describes what the plane looks like. The tail
of the ship was sticking up in the air and
the nose was sticking up in front, just in front
of the wing. At the flight deck, the airplane had
cracked open like an egg. The runway had aluminum scars
(19:58):
where the plane had been dragged.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
Jimmy Stuart stood.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
By the end of the airplane's left wingtip. As I
walked up to him, he looked up at me and said, Sergeant,
somebody sure could get hurt and one of those damn things.
As Squadron Coe, Stuart also has to write letters to
parents and wives of those in his command who die
(20:24):
or are missing in action. It takes a great toll
on Stuart, although he has tried not to. These are
many has grown close to There's hope for some of them. Missing.
When an airplane is shot down, everyone in the formation
looks to see if men bail out and shoots open.
Unlike the Japanese in the Pacific theater of the war,
(20:46):
German fighter pilots allow their enemy airmen in parachutes to
float to the earth. Those floating down even report German
pilots flying by and saluting them. This gives Stuart some
measure of comfort dur In March nineteen forty four, Jimmy Stewart,
now Major Stuart, begins flying an especially equipped B twenty
(21:10):
four liberator called a bathfinder. A bathfinder is equipped with
radar and all the latest electronics, and theoretically can conduct
precision bombing even when the target is obscured by clouds.
Late in March, flying a Bathfinder, Stuart leads two hundred
bombers to an aircraft manufacturing plant north of Berlin. However,
(21:32):
the undercast is pea soup thick, and the bomberdier tells Stuart,
even with the plane's special equipment, hitting the plant will
be unlikely. Rather than waste the bombs of two hundred liberators,
Stuart orders the flight to follow him to the day's
secondary target, Berlin. This will be the first time any
(21:53):
of Stuart's boys get to hit Big b as they
call Berlin. Despite heavy flack, they drop six thousand incendiaries
and six hundred bombs on the.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
German capitol during April.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Stewart's made operations officer of the four to fifty third
bomb Group, which is stationed at Old Buckingham, only six
miles from the four forty fifth at Tibbenham, and now
he has responsibility for organizing and briefing four squadrons for
their missions. Although he continues to fly, he now sweats
(22:30):
out most missions at Old Buckingham base.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
He may not be facing.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
German fighters in flack, but watching the flight crews take
off and fearing some will not return, gnaws at him
every waking moment. He says, all my efforts, all my prayers,
couldn't stand between them and their fates, and aggrieved over
them mechanical and electrical problems and fuelly playing the B
(23:01):
twenty four Liberator throughout the war. After repairs, it's always
good to take a plane up for a check ride.
Stewart takes one particularly troublesome B twenty four up for
a check rde himself with Captain Andy Lowe in the
co pilot's seat with a clipboard, enlists of systems to test.
(23:21):
Major Stuart takes off from Old Buckingham and turns south
towards Tibbenham. As Stuart approaches his old base, Lowe says,
a wry smile comes upon the Major's face. Again and again.
Stuart buzzes the tower at Tibbenham. Men pour out a
(23:41):
base buildings to watch the wild man, who is soon
identify as Major James Stuart. The four fifty third is
busy in May as preparations begin for the Normandy invasion.
Stuart climbs into the cockpit and leads two missions himself.
In June, he promoted to lieutenant colonel, and in July
(24:03):
it becomes the operational officer for the second Combat Wing.
He's now coordinating the missions of several bomb groups. Nonetheless,
he still flies missions himself. In December, he becomes chief
of Staff of the second Combat Wing. In March nineteen
forty five, he's promoted to colonel and becomes commanding Officer
(24:27):
of the second Combat Wing. By then, he has flown
twenty combat missions and twice been decorated with the Distinguished
Flying Cross and four times with the Air Medal. He
also receives the Quadagher with Palm from the French Air Force.
By the end of August nineteen forty five, Colonel James
(24:49):
Stewart is back in the United States. Friends say he
is aged ten years and has developed a hard edge.
He remains in the reserves and is promoted to brigadier
general in nineteen fifty nine, making him the highest ranking
actor in American history. He flies as an observer in
(25:10):
a B fifty two during a bombing mission in Vietnam
in nineteen sixty six. Two years later, he retires after
twenty seven years of service. Most Americans today know nothing
about James Stewart, decorated World War II pilot, he is
only Jimmy Stewart, movie star and movie star he continues
(25:34):
to be after the war, starting with It's a Wonderful
Life in nineteen forty six and later such classics as
Winchester seventy.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Three, Rear Window, Vertigo.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
A Spirit of Saint Louis, and Anatomy of a Murder.
The American Film Institute names him the third greatest male
star of all time. Despite all this Hollywood fame, acting
acclaim Stuart always said his greatest honor of his life
(26:09):
was serving his country in World War Two, where he said,
I met the most wonderful assortment of guys you did
ever want to know during those four years in the service.
I came to know what went on in their minds
and hearts. I shared their hopes and fears and privations
(26:30):
as an enlisted man, and I tried with all my
might to lead and protect them when I became an officer.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
And what a story. And a special thanks to Greg
Hangler for all the great work he does bringing this
story to you. And a special thanks also to Roger McGrath,
author of Gunfighters, Highlomen and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier,
a US marine and former history professor at UCLA, and
a regular here on our show, The Life of Jimmy Stewart,
(27:03):
his story and his greatest starring role ever as a
war hero here on our American Story. Thank you
This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories,
and we tell stories about everything here on this show.
And this next story combines military history and cultural history
and tells the story of an actor we all know,
Jimmy Stewart. In nineteen forty six, by the way, he
starred in It's a Wonderful Life, But only a year before,
and years before, he was serving in World War Two
(00:33):
and in a dangerous job, a pilot running missions over Europe,
bombing the heck out of the place. Here to tell
the story of how Jimmy Stewart got there, about his
life his historian and regular contributor here at Our American Stories,
Roger McGrath, himself a former marine. Here's McGrath.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Jimmy Stewart was one of the most beloved actors in
the history of Hollywood. Early in his career he had
the look of the boy next door, guileless and innocent,
honest and sincere. He matured into an everyman character, a
regular guy dealing with daily life and the love and
heartbreak of romantic relationships. Ultimately, he was the heroic figure,
(01:21):
often standing alone against great odds and demonstrating courage and wisdom.
Whether portraying a young man, a struggling husband, or the
Western hero. Jimmy Stewart always seemed like simply one of us,
the quintessential American guy. In real life, that's exactly what
(01:43):
he was. James Stewart is born in May nineteen eight
in Indiana, not the state, but a small town of
six thousand people in western Pennsylvania, some sixty miles east
of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
The town of.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Indiana is surrounded by farms and coal mines. Stuart's father
is a Spanish American war veteran who runs a family
hardware store established by a Civil War veteran father. Stuart's
mother is a talented pianist who fills the Stuart household
with music. Jimmy learns to play an accordion, which a
(02:21):
customer leaves at the hardware store in payment for a bill.
Both sides of the family have a long record of
military service since immigrating to the American colonies from Scotland
and Ireland. Stuart becomes fascinated with the aviation at a
young age and loves building model airplanes instead of doing homework.
(02:45):
His father decides he must buckle down and get into
Mercersburg Academy, a prep school in south central Pennsylvania. Mercersburg
is dedicated to preparing young men for college, especially the
Ivy League schools. Stuart studies hard at Mercersburg, but also
(03:07):
competes as a high jumper on the track team, is
a member of several school clubs, and appears in school plays.
He thrives at the school despite coming down with scarlet
fever and suffering a kidney infection, making the tall, skinny
teenager even skinnier and causing a delay in his graduation.
(03:30):
When Charles Lindberg makes his solo flight across the Atlantic
Ocean in late May nineteen twenty seven, Jimmy Stewart is
home from school and listening to reports of the flight
on the radio. Stuart tracks Lindenberg's progress on a map
over the Atlantic, over Ireland in Britain, and right into
(03:53):
Lindberg's landing in Paris. Charles Lindberg is Stuart's hero. Stewart
wants to become a pilot upon graduation from Mercusburg, but
his father insists on college. Stuart is accepted for admission
to Princeton and begins classes at the prestigious Ivy League
(04:15):
school in the fall of nineteen twenty eight, Stuart switches
major several times before settling on architecture. However, he's most
passionate about appearing in school plays.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
He acts, he sings. He plays the.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Accordion, led by Josh Logan, who is destined to become
a Hollywood screenwriter and director, The Princeton Boys dick their
plays on the road during the summer. Although of very
different temperaments and personalities, Logan and Stuart become fast friends.
(04:54):
After graduation from Princeton, Stewart devotes himself to the stage,
appearing in of her bigger roles and usually receiving critical acclaim.
He shares an apartment in New York City with another
young actor, Henry Fonda. Despite contrasting personalities and different political
views Stuart a staunch Republican and Fonda a devoted Democrat,
(05:20):
they become lifelong friends. Hollywood talent scout Bill Grady, who
first sees Stuart act with the Princeton Troop, gets MGM
to sign Stuart to a contract in nineteen thirty five.
Stewart appears in his first Hollywood movie that year, murder Man,
starring Spencer Tracy. In nineteen thirty six, Stuart is in
(05:46):
nine movies, including as the male lead opposite Margaret Sullivan
in Next Time We Love.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Sullivan is at the.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Peak of her career and she had insisted that Stuart
be her male lead. They have known each other for years,
going back to her brief marriage to Henry Fonda. Sullivan
recognizes Stuart's natural charm in quaint mannerisms and helps him
use those characteristics effectively on the screen. Audiences love the
(06:20):
Jimmy Stewart persona. Stuart's last film in nineteen thirty six,
after The Thin Man has him in an uncharacteristic role.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
He plays a murderer.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
The husband wife team of William Powell and Myrna Lley
track him down. The role demonstrates Stuart can play more
than lovable, homespun types. Stewart appears in only three movies
nineteen thirty seven, but one of them is a block office.
In Critical Smash Success Navy Blue and Gold, Stewart is
(06:56):
in the role of a football player at the Naval Academy.
He has arrived dad Annapolis through the enlisted ranks. He's
in Everyman Striving to improve himself and rise in life,
playing off the football theme. The New York Times declares
Stuart's performance makes him a triple threat man in the
MGM Backfield.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
And you're listening to historian Roger McGrath. The life of
Jimmy Stewart continues here on our American story. Folks, if
you love the stories we tell about this great country,
and especially the stories of America's rich past, know that
all of our stories about American history, from war to politics,
(07:40):
to innovation, culture, and faith, are brought to us by
the great folks at Hillsdale College, a place where students
study all the things that are beautiful in life and
all the things that are good in life. And if
you can't get to Hillsdale, Hillsdale will come to you
with their free and terrific online courses. Go to Hillsdale
dot edu to learn more. This is our American Stories,
(08:11):
and we continue with the story of Jimmy Stewart. The
year is nineteen thirty seven. After graduating from Princeton, Stewart
devotes himself to acting, where he becomes soon a triple
threat man in the MGM Backfield. Hears McGrath with more
of Jimmy Stewart's story.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
The Triple Threat Man appears in ten movies in nineteen
thirty eight and thirty nine, mostly as the male lead.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
In movie after movie.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
He delivers performances to receive critical acclaim.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
He's called one of the most knowing.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
And engaging young actors appearing on the screen, and one
of the finest actors of the screen's young roster. Stewart
plays the male lead and Frank Keppers You Can't Take
It With You, which wins the Academy Award for Best
Picture of nineteen thirty eight. He receives his first nomination
(09:09):
for Best Actor with his performance in another Capper directed film,
Mister Smith Goes to Washington. Stewart follows that with another
smash success, Destry Rides Again. By nineteen forty, Jimmy Stewart
is well established as one of Hollywood's major stars.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
It appears in four movies.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
That year, including two Hollywood classics, The Shop Around the
Corner and The Philadelphia Story. For his performance in the latter,
he receives the Academy Award for Best Actor. Stuart's at
the top of Hollywood now Fame, Money Women and the
Best Roles are his. He makes two more movies that
(09:52):
are released early in nineteen forty one, and then walks
away from Hollywood and into an Army recruiting office. He
has a pilot's license and a degree from Princeton University,
and tells the recruiter he wants to join the Army
Air Corps. However, Stuart fails his physical.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
He seems to be in great shape. What can be wrong?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Standing six foot three and weighing only one thirty eight,
he's underweight. The thirty three year old movie star goes
into hard training. For him, it means eating high chloric
foods and drinking vanilla maltz. In March nineteen forty one,
shortly after receiving his oscar for Best Actor, Stuart reports
(10:39):
for a second physical. I was ready to take him
in a studio car, says Bill Grady, now a casting director,
but he refused to let me take him in the limousine.
He went by bus instead. I tailed after him. I waited,
and when a medical officer came out, I asked him
if Jimmy had made it. The officer told me I'd
(11:02):
made it by one ounce. What the officer didn't know
was that jim was so determined to make the weight
that he hadn't been to the bathroom for thirty six hours.
It had been torture, but.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
It had put him over.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Stewart soon emerges gleefully shouting to Grady, I'm in, I'm in.
By the end of March, the Oscar winning movie star
is Private James Stewart and has sent for a week
of processing Fort MacArthur in San Pedro. Already a civilian pilot,
he has shipped to Moffatt Field at the southern end
(11:39):
of San Francisco Bay for training with the Army Air Corps.
He excels in basic training and has made a squad leader.
After a month, he learns that when he finishes basic training,
he will be assigned to a film unit at Right
Field in Ohio. Stuart also learns that Louis Mayor MGM.
Mogul At pulled strings in Washington to have Stuart assigned
(12:03):
to a motion picture unit. Mayor wants his star safe
and sound. Stuart is outraged and meets with the commanding officer,
Colonel E. B.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Lyon.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Stuart hands his pilot's license in his log book to
the colonel and tells him he wants to fly and
fly in combat if it comes to that. Colonel Lyon
says he will intercede in Stuart's behalf. However, Lyon tells
Stuart the problem is not only overcoming Louis Mayer's influence
in Washington, but Stuart's age. Stuart is turning thirty three,
(12:40):
which is normally too old for an ericadet. Lyon's strong
appeal wins the day, and Stuart is soon in pilot training.
Stuart excels in all phases of flight training and passes
his final check rite. By the middle of November nineteen
forty one, Start is now a certified Army Air Corps pilot.
(13:04):
In December, he's commissioned a second lieutenant. It's also in
December if the Japanese launched their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
The United States is now in the war, and Stuart
is ready to do his duty where his Army Air
Corps uniform. Stewart serves as a presenter at the Academy
(13:27):
Awards in February nineteen forty two and hands the Oscar
for Best Actor to Gary Cooper for his role in
Sergeant York. During the spring of nineteen forty two, Stewart
has to resist several attempts to make him a public
affairs officer. Many in the Air Corps feel he would
be of greater value of making public appearances than flying
(13:50):
in combat. After repeated requests, he has assigned a bomber training,
qualifying as a B seventeen flying Fortress pilot by February
nineteen forty three. Against his wishes, He's kept state side
as a flight instructor, flying both the B seventeen and
(14:10):
the B twenty four Liberator until November nineteen forty three, when,
as Captain James Stewart his ships overseas as the CEO
of a squadron of Liberators in the four forty fifth
Bomb Group. They are based at Tibbenham, one hundred miles
northeast of London. Navigator Steve Kirkpatrick describes Stuart as damn
(14:36):
good commanding officer. I always had a feeling he would
never ask you to do something he wouldn't do himself.
Stuart's first mission comes on December thirteenth, nineteen forty three.
He's part of a flight of several hundred P twenty
fours that bomb submarine pans at the German port of Kiel.
(14:56):
Stuart's B twenty four suffers more than a dozen hits
from but no one is wounded in the plane, though
full of holes, flies well enough to drop her bombs
and turn for home. Stuart's second mission is on December twentieth.
The target for the day is the German industrial city
of Bremen. Stuart's squadron is to hit in the oil
(15:20):
refinery in a shipbuilding facility. This time, on the way
to the target, Stuart's plane is not only flying through flack,
but is also attacked by German fighters.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Them one oh nine in the Emmy won ten.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
It looks dire until American P forty seven thunderbolts chase
off the measure schmidts, but not before one may to
pass so close that Stuart says he can count the
rivets in her belly. The squadron's missions continue and the
losses begin stacking up. B twenty fours are shot down
(15:58):
by German fighters out of the sky by flak, ditching
the English channel.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
When limping home, crash into each other and.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Explode when fumes from leaking gas tanks ignite. Leaking gas
in the B twenty fours is such a problem that
bomb bay doors are frequently opened to allow fumes to escape.
On Stuart's tenth mission, late in February nineteen forty four,
he nearly escapes death. The target for the day is
(16:29):
a measure smith factory deep inside Germany near Nuremberg, and
an aircraft fire is especially concentrated and accurate.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Stuart's liberator is.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Taking hits, rocking, rolling and shaking when a tremendous explosion
lifts the plane and fills the cockpit with smoke. A
blast of icy air hits Stuart. He looks down and
sees a jagged hole that a basketball could pass through
inches from his left foot. He has a perfect view
(17:03):
of the German landscape twenty thousand feet below. Suddenly, then
any aircraft fire stops and German fighters a fock Wolf.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
One ninety appear.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
A B twenty four on Stuart's right is riddled with
bullets and has a wing blown off. It flips over
and nos down.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Plummets toward the ground.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Only one parachute is seen. Then on Stewart's left, a
second B twenty four is hit and it too begins
a death dive.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
To the earth.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
The fighters disappear and the anti aircraft fire returns.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
And you're listening to Roger McGrath. When we come back
more of the remarkable story of Jimmy Stewart. Here on
our American stories, and we continue with our American stories.
(18:12):
When we last left off, we were in the middle
of Jimmy Stewart's tenth mission. In February of nineteen forty four.
Stuart is witnessing his unit of B twenty four Liberators
getting picked off in the sky by Nazi fighters. Here
again is Roger McGrath.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
A Liberator flown by Mac Williams, one of Stuart's oldest,
most reliable pilots, takes a direct hit near the cockpit.
Stuart thinks Williams must be dead and expects to see
the plane nose over and plummet downward. To Stuart's astonishment,
After rocking and shaking, B twenty four resturants to straight
(18:51):
and level flight, Williams or his co pilot must be alive.
Despite all the damage Stuart's plane has suffered, the engines
continue to hum, and Stuart feels blessed relief when he
finally reaches the English Channel. Landing at Tippinum will not
be easy, though the plane's hydraulic system has been shot
(19:14):
away as Stewart approaches the field, the landing gear has
to be hand cranked down in control surfaces and brakes
muscled by cables. Without any hydraulic assist. Stewart takes Tibbenham's
longest runway and needs every inch of it before the
(19:34):
liberator screeches to a halt. John Robinson, a crewman and
Stuart's squadron, describes what the plane looks like. The tail
of the ship was sticking up in the air and
the nose was sticking up in front, just in front
of the wing. At the flight deck, the airplane had
cracked open like an egg. The runway had aluminum scars
(19:58):
where the plane had been dragged.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
Jimmy Stuart stood.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
By the end of the airplane's left wingtip. As I
walked up to him, he looked up at me and said, Sergeant,
somebody sure could get hurt and one of those damn things.
As Squadron Coe, Stuart also has to write letters to
parents and wives of those in his command who die
(20:24):
or are missing in action. It takes a great toll
on Stuart, although he has tried not to. These are
many has grown close to There's hope for some of them. Missing.
When an airplane is shot down, everyone in the formation
looks to see if men bail out and shoots open.
Unlike the Japanese in the Pacific theater of the war,
(20:46):
German fighter pilots allow their enemy airmen in parachutes to
float to the earth. Those floating down even report German
pilots flying by and saluting them. This gives Stuart some
measure of comfort dur In March nineteen forty four, Jimmy Stewart,
now Major Stuart, begins flying an especially equipped B twenty
(21:10):
four liberator called a bathfinder. A bathfinder is equipped with
radar and all the latest electronics, and theoretically can conduct
precision bombing even when the target is obscured by clouds.
Late in March, flying a Bathfinder, Stuart leads two hundred
bombers to an aircraft manufacturing plant north of Berlin. However,
(21:32):
the undercast is pea soup thick, and the bomberdier tells Stuart,
even with the plane's special equipment, hitting the plant will
be unlikely. Rather than waste the bombs of two hundred liberators,
Stuart orders the flight to follow him to the day's
secondary target, Berlin. This will be the first time any
(21:53):
of Stuart's boys get to hit Big b as they
call Berlin. Despite heavy flack, they drop six thousand incendiaries
and six hundred bombs on the.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
German capitol during April.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Stewart's made operations officer of the four to fifty third
bomb Group, which is stationed at Old Buckingham, only six
miles from the four forty fifth at Tibbenham, and now
he has responsibility for organizing and briefing four squadrons for
their missions. Although he continues to fly, he now sweats
(22:30):
out most missions at Old Buckingham base.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
He may not be facing.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
German fighters in flack, but watching the flight crews take
off and fearing some will not return, gnaws at him
every waking moment. He says, all my efforts, all my prayers,
couldn't stand between them and their fates, and aggrieved over
them mechanical and electrical problems and fuelly playing the B
(23:01):
twenty four Liberator throughout the war. After repairs, it's always
good to take a plane up for a check ride.
Stewart takes one particularly troublesome B twenty four up for
a check rde himself with Captain Andy Lowe in the
co pilot's seat with a clipboard, enlists of systems to test.
(23:21):
Major Stuart takes off from Old Buckingham and turns south
towards Tibbenham. As Stuart approaches his old base, Lowe says,
a wry smile comes upon the Major's face. Again and again.
Stuart buzzes the tower at Tibbenham. Men pour out a
(23:41):
base buildings to watch the wild man, who is soon
identify as Major James Stuart. The four fifty third is
busy in May as preparations begin for the Normandy invasion.
Stuart climbs into the cockpit and leads two missions himself.
In June, he promoted to lieutenant colonel, and in July
(24:03):
it becomes the operational officer for the second Combat Wing.
He's now coordinating the missions of several bomb groups. Nonetheless,
he still flies missions himself. In December, he becomes chief
of Staff of the second Combat Wing. In March nineteen
forty five, he's promoted to colonel and becomes commanding Officer
(24:27):
of the second Combat Wing. By then, he has flown
twenty combat missions and twice been decorated with the Distinguished
Flying Cross and four times with the Air Medal. He
also receives the Quadagher with Palm from the French Air Force.
By the end of August nineteen forty five, Colonel James
(24:49):
Stewart is back in the United States. Friends say he
is aged ten years and has developed a hard edge.
He remains in the reserves and is promoted to brigadier
general in nineteen fifty nine, making him the highest ranking
actor in American history. He flies as an observer in
(25:10):
a B fifty two during a bombing mission in Vietnam
in nineteen sixty six. Two years later, he retires after
twenty seven years of service. Most Americans today know nothing
about James Stewart, decorated World War II pilot, he is
only Jimmy Stewart, movie star and movie star he continues
(25:34):
to be after the war, starting with It's a Wonderful
Life in nineteen forty six and later such classics as
Winchester seventy.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Three, Rear Window, Vertigo.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
A Spirit of Saint Louis, and Anatomy of a Murder.
The American Film Institute names him the third greatest male
star of all time. Despite all this Hollywood fame, acting
acclaim Stuart always said his greatest honor of his life
(26:09):
was serving his country in World War Two, where he said,
I met the most wonderful assortment of guys you did
ever want to know during those four years in the service.
I came to know what went on in their minds
and hearts. I shared their hopes and fears and privations
(26:30):
as an enlisted man, and I tried with all my
might to lead and protect them when I became an officer.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
And what a story. And a special thanks to Greg
Hangler for all the great work he does bringing this
story to you. And a special thanks also to Roger McGrath,
author of Gunfighters, Highlomen and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier,
a US marine and former history professor at UCLA, and
a regular here on our show, The Life of Jimmy Stewart,
(27:03):
his story and his greatest starring role ever as a
war hero here on our American Story. Thank you
Host
Lee Habeeb
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