first love

jimmy stewart is without a doubt the first man i ever fell in love with. the first movie i saw him in was it's a wonderful life, of course. i watch it every year between thanksgiving and christmas. i was too young when i first saw it, however, to realize who jimmy stewart was and even that he was an actor. the next movie i saw with him in it was the man who knew too much, which also happened to be one of my first hitchcocks (after to catch a thief and north by northwest). then i saw vertigo, and i think that's when i fell in love for good. i didn't realize it at the time, but looking back i know it was that movie that did it. when i saw the philadelphia story for the first time all i wanted was for katharine hepburn and jimmy to get together. rear window and anatomy of a murder remain favorites as well.

once someone told me they didn't really like jimmy stewart all that much. i was at an age where i didn't argue with anyone, or present my opinion if it was contrary to another's. but i remember feeling defensive of jimmy stewart when i found out there were people who didn't like him, for whatever reason. i loved his voice, his slouch, his walk, his mischevious smile, his innocent smile, his gaze when he was in love...everything.
"He was the first movie star to enter the service for World War II, joining a year before Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was initially refused entry into the Air Force because he weighed 5 pounds less than the required 148 pounds, but he talked the recruitment officer into ignoring the test. He eventually became a Colonel, and earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and 7 battle stars. In 1959, he served in the Air Force Reserve, before retiring as a brigadier general." (imdb.com)
"I have my own rules and adhere to them. The rule is simple but inflexible. A James Stewart picture must have two vital ingredients: it will be clean and it will involve the triumph of the underdog over the bully."