It’s a Wonderful Birthday – Jimmy Stewart

An American original was born today in 1908.  In honor, here’s a career retrospective – in pictures – Jimmy Stewart.  The measure of a Man – a wonderful Actor.

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His words:

There ought to be a law against any man who doesn’t want to marry Myrna Loy.

If I had my career over again? Maybe I’d say to myself, “Speed it up a little”.

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.

[asked how he wanted to be remembered] As someone who believed in hard work and love of country, love of family and love of community.

John Wayne was the greatest cowboy. Henry Fonda was the better actor but John Wayne, well, he was a champ.

[on Joan Crawford] My first impression of Joan Crawford was of glamor.

[on Jean Arthur] Jean was the finest actress I ever worked with. No one had her humor, her timing.

[on Margaret Sullavan] She could do maybe a look, or a line or two, but they would hit like flashes or earthquakes.

I suppose people can relate to being me, while they dream about being John Wayne.

When it came to kissing, Harlow was the best.

For and by Turner Classic Movies (TCM), narrated by his friend, George Kennedy, a tribute.


  “The likes of him you won’t see often in this life.”

The Great Gatsby classics

In celebration of the Warner Bros. release of Baz Luhrmann’s, The Great Gatsby this week I thought it would be fun to share images and clips of the classic versions of the film.  A post dedicated to my own indulgence.

“Although a lost film, the trailer survived and is one of the 50 films in the 3-disk boxed DVD set called “More Treasures from American Film Archives, 1894-1931” (2004), compiled by the National Film Preservation Foundation from 5 American film archives. It is preserved by the Library of Congress (AFI/Jack Tillmany collection) and has a running time of 1 minute.” (IMDB)

Full cast and crew listing can be viewed here.

Images:
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The Broadway production of “The Great Gatsby” by Owen Davis based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald opened at the Ambassador Theater on February 2, 1926, ran for 112 performances and directed by future movie director George Cukor. (IMDB)

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Dancing on air…Fred Astaire

“I have no desire to prove anything by dancing. I have never used it as an outlet or a means of expressing myself. I just dance. I just put my feet in the air and move them around.” – Fred Astaire

An image collage followed by a special rendition of “Lovely to Look At” to honor a legend on what would have been his birthday.