One of my favorite actors is the late Jimmy Stewart. For over 40 years, Stewart delighted audiences in movies where a moral, decent man was needed for the lead, and he never disappointed.
Stewart was born in a small town and always remembered his middle-American roots. He actively served in the armed forces during World War II, flew missions, and came home to resume his life, much like thousands of other soldiers did after the war.
He married late in life and remained married to Gloria until her death, 45 years after they said their vows. I didn’t know any of that until much later. It was through the movies I came to admire Mr. Stewart, and that admiration began with “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Jimmy Stewart is the only actor who could’ve played the main character, George Bailey. Stewart’s earnestness and down-to-earth manner was perfect for the part.
George Bailey was trapped in a small town when all he wanted to do was see the world. It’s not hard to understand that longing when watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and Stewart connects with anyone who feels trapped and then rescued when realizing the riches they have aren’t measured by a bank account.
I’d heard so much about “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” that I checked it out from the library. I spent a wonderful Saturday morning feeling rejuvenated by the idealistic words coming from the young Senator Smith, ideas and beliefs we’ve become too jaded to believe in any more.
Alfred Hitchcock saw a darker side to Stewart and signed him to two movies – “Vertigo” and “Rear Window.” I’ll watch “Rear Window” over and over again, as much to see the elegant and cool Grace Kelly as to watch Stewart solve a murder mystery from a wheelchair.
Recently I watched one of the movies most associated with Stewart, “Harvey.” A man, Elwood P. Dowd, believes he sees a “pookah,” a 6-foot-3-inch tall rabbit he names Harvey.
Elwood drinks a little too much, and a string of near misses occur when Elwood’s sister tries to have him committed to a mental institution. We never see the rabbit but, by the end of the movie, most of us come to believe there really is a Harvey.
The movie’s taken from a Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, but it’s Stewart’s patient and quiet portrayal of Elwood that rings true. Stewart never rushes his lines, and I felt myself physically relaxing when watching Stewart’s monologues in the movie.
When a psychologist tries to find out where Elwood strayed from reality, in a masterfully paced monologue, Elwood tells the doctor: “In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.”
There’s a lot of wisdom one can gain from George Bailey and Elwood P. Dowd. We might not always get what we want, but if we remember that we really have wonderful lives, despite where we live or how much money we have, then that’s a wonderful life.
We can also listen to people talk about their hopes and their dreams, just as Harvey and Elwood did, and it wouldn’t cost us a dime to show a little humanity. The payoff is what Elwood received – a quiet acceptance of others.
Nobody else could play those characters the way Jimmy Stewart did. Nobody except Jimmy Stewart could have us believe that angels get their wings every time a bell rings and remember how much our lives are enriched when we take the time to slow down and be “oh so pleasant.”
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.