Similar record to my great uncle Norman. He flew as radio operator or gunner in the sterling bombers. 20 successful sorties over Germany, shot down on his 21st sortie, at 21 years old returning from a large raid over Berlin, going down just south of Bremen.
What makes it particularly sad is it was meant to be his final sortie, under much better circumstances.
He didn’t survive? I’m sorry for your loss.
Didn't survive no. Shot down on the last sortie he had to do.
What is amazing in this post is 20 sorties was a huge amount. The risk of being shot down was extremely high so to do that successfully 20 times took balls.
No kidding, three distinguished flying crosses in only 20 sorties? Yikes! This man was probably seconds from death dozens of times.
So many sad stories from the war to end all wars.
The war to end all ward was actually The Great War, aka WW1
and a shit ton of luck.
How much of this is conjecture?
Walter Matthau (yes, that Walter Matthau) was in the same bombardment group as Stewart. I would pay real money to get to see those two bouncing off each other.
He's so good in Charade! That's one of the best suspense/action/comedies of all time.
Yeah, no idea who either of the guys are. Good title OP.
My HS AZ history teacher was his step-son. He would tell us stories about him. He sounded like a lovely man.
I don’t want this to get sorted to the bottom. He seemed like such a wonderful man. Do you have any stories you could share with us?
He just said he was a wonderful husband to his mother & a great step-father to him. Honestly I was 16 & I’m in my 50’s now.
My great uncle was in the same squadron. He was a tail(?) gunner. Did all his missions and then volunteered for one last one. Never made it back.
That's the most dangerous job in WWII. Your great uncle was a great man. We all owe him one.
Besides the obvious it always seems to be that last one they went on. Very sad.
kinda like how you always find lost things in the last place you look
Kinda how every birthday I am always getting older
entropy sucks
I adore Jimmy Stewart. He's my favorite classic old hollywood actor.
Me too.
You were a very apt pupil! Well, why did you pick on me? Why me?
Vertigo. Great movie
I love it, too, but I don't even want to hear how it would be reviewed by modern audiences.
Nor what a modern remake would look like.
Yet his brother Harry got all the medals!
Slacker George would’ve gotten two of those medals if he had fought Mr Potter!
r/lotrmemes Are you you seeing this shit?
He stayed in the Air Force Reserve after the war and made the rank of one star general. I think he's the only movie star, who left Hollywood and went to the front lines. There was a period where NO ONE survived the 20 missions that the aircrew were required to fly before rotating to other duties. Jimmy really fought the Nazi's from the front and it's a great credit to him and his legacy.
Most name movie actors were too old to be on the front lines, probably. Jackie Coogan saw some serious action. Clark Gable saw combat as an Army Air Force photographer.
It appears Coogan flew commandos into a raid in India. I didn't know that before, thanks! I went and double checked Jimmy's info and I was off a bit, kinda. He made one star normally, after a 27 year career. Reagan promoted him to two stars on the retired lists, in 85.
It's notable that both Coogan and Stewart were civilian pilots and so were easily accepted into duties as a pilot in the services.
There were plenty of other actors who were younger than Jimmy and didn't serve like he did. Some continued to act, others served honorably, but didn't have such a difficult and risky job like Jimmy did.
The case of Lew Ayres is interesting. He had been in an anti-war film, "All Quiet on the Western Front" and declared as a conscientious objector. He volunteered as a medic and eventually served in some dicy areas.
I can't even think of a Hollywood actor who was killed in actual World War service. Leslie Howard's civilian plane was shot down, of course. There was a French former child actor Robert Lynen who was executed by the Nazis, and a German former child actor, Rolf Wenkhaus, who was killed in World War II, as were two other former boy actors from "Emil and the Detectives."
Stewart wasn't accepted when he first applied to armed forces because he was underweight.
Ed McMahon was a Marine Corps pilot in both WWII and Korea. No combat missions in WWII but a bunch in Korea and retired at the rank of Colonel in the reserves.
Gene Autry was a cargo pilot in the Army Air Corps in WWII which is how Roy Rogers was able to supplant him as the “main” singing cowboy.
And of course Glenn Miller.
On a Google search:
Clark Gable flew in five combat missions in WWII on bombing runs from the UK.
WWII was like insanely popular, everybody and their mother tried joined the armed forces. Look at JFK, dude was medically disqualified because of his bad back so he used his father's connections to get IN the military and served on the front lines in the Navy. Dude was actually a bit of a war hero.
My favorite aside from Mr. Smith is probably Shenandoah.
Bell, Book, and Candle. Makes my list of Halloween movies every year.
I have it on dvd. I love it. He and Kim Novak are some of my old time favorites.
Check out the Chayenne Social Club, James Stewart and Henry Fonda duo. Hilarious.
I grew up just south of the Shenandoah Valley. I loved that film, but why did they have to shoot it in California? It just looked cheap.
Badly paraphrasing: Mister, you run a bad sort of train. Burn it! Burn the train!
"You take people someplace they don't wanna go and when they get there you won't bring them back."
Mine too. He's the only classical Hollywood actor whose movies I watched just because he was in it.
I used to, till I learned that he cuddled up with the religious right and Ronald Reagan. Screw him...he's best forgotten about.
Only to have to return in Strategic Air Command…
[deleted]
My stepmother 's father was a test pilot on a lot of Boeing bombers, 17, 29, 47, 52 and finally the stratotanker and 707. He passed away many years ago, one of the highlights of my life was sitting him down on my PC to fly a B-17 simulator, he really enjoyed that! Marvin Michael was his name.
As his actual rank … General Stewart (ret)
Brigadier General, I believe.
He also stayed in the service until the 70s, I think. If I remember correctly he even flew some missions during Vietnam.
Not to mention, he was awesome in something like 4,000 movies. I lost count.
I just read on his wiki that he flew as a non-combat observer in Vietnam. Really cool service record for sure. I had no idea he reached the rank of Brigadier General.
He would show up on Johnny Carson in uniform for years.
Brgadier General while still in active duty. Highest rank achieved by an actor. He was promoted to major general in the 80's, well after he retired. I'm just old enough to remember when that happened.
Was he the very model of a modern Major General?
Jimmy was in about 90 movies.
He was still a Colonel in the Reserves when the movie was filmed. He played a Lt. Col promoted to Colonel in the film. He was promoted in real life to Brigadier General two years after filming.
This is the dude to which one refers when the phrase, "The Greatest Generation" is mentioned.
Agree, along with many other greats.
Are "Man's Man".
He had a dog named Beau. Watch the clip from Johnny Carson if you want a good solid cry
I saw his read that poem thanks to Reddit a couple of years ago. Oh my lord, that broke me.
probably one of the best, yet saddest (so far) reads someone has ever spoken on tv. if i could be a dog, i would want to be owned by someone like Jimmy.
It was beautifully written, and when read in that aging Jimmy Stewart voice...man, oh man.
i still get weepy thinking about that segment. I never knew James Stewart had achieved all he did in WWII, and I'm not trying to deviate from the OP's meaning, but yea, James was such a stand up guy and to hear him recite that poem....
Does anyone have a YouTube link to that? I never saw it
[removed]
Holy moly that was just more than I was expecting. What a guy.
Just put link on original post that brought this up above
I search from the top and I can’t find it.
if you go on utube
enter : jimmy stewart reads a touching poem about his dog named Beau on johnny carsons tonight show
I want to look for this clip so putting this here....
[removed]
He always came across as such a gentleman too.
My favorite movie of his is Harvey
He has so many good ones. But Harvey is woefully overlooked.
His on screen sister won best supporting actress for it.
Huh I didn't know! Must watch again.
Concur!
He was a national treasure for sure.
Cool I live in the town jimmy is from. Lots of the intersections have a voice actor trying his voice. We have a small museum for him here
I went to school there!
Jimmy Stewart was a bad ass; flying bombers over Europe was incredibly dangerous.
Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams did very much the same thing; he interrupted his baseball career when he was in his prime to fly combat missions in Korea as a Marine Corps carrier-based fighter pilot.
The epitome of class. I miss him.
Yeah I don’t read about Jimmy Stewart because it makes me feel bad about my life. He’s incredible.
maybe he just really hated fascists. i mean, i do too. at least he got to kill fascists legally.
Sounds like he may have been antifa(scist)
The entire allied forces of WW2 are original Antifa
You dont shhhaayyy
After Jimmy Stewart returned, he flat out refused to let any studio tout his service record. In his eyes, there were many other servicemen who did even more than he did, plus all those who lost their lives. He would not accept any accolades when so many others never did or never could.
Audie Murphy gets a pass. Medal of Honor is a hell of a credential.
Concur.
prior to WWII he was a cotton picker: Hollywood glamour wouldn't come to him until after the war. Yeah, he spun his war service into a career that he, otherwise, would have never dreamed of.
I guess he understands how awkward "thank you for your service" feels.
He worried he was no longer relevant after returning from the war. Wonderful Life actually received mixed reviews, as did Hitchcock’s Rope. By the early ‘50s, he got into westerns, which is where he started to shine again. Also, around that time, he worked for no salary- instead for a piece of the profits. That worked out so well, other actors started asking for the same deal.
For any who were wondering, the Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal for valor that ranks between a Bronze Star and a Silver Star in medal hierarchy. The two oak leaf clusters means he was awarded the medal three times, in total. Pretty impressive stuff!
Goes without saying, but I will anyway.
Bomber crews were brave as fuck.
Cant confirm but I read the that 8th airforce took more causality's the the entire USMC during WWII
I can expand on that some. Half of the U.S. Army Air Forces' casualties in WWII were suffered by Eighth Air Force: 26,000 dead 47,000 wounded. USMC total: 24,511 dead, 68,207 wounded.
Huge difference in total personnel numbers. USMC never exceeded 500,000 active duty in WWII. 8th Air Force at its peak had 200,000 active duty. I don't have numbers on how many individuals served in the 8th across all years, as personnel came and went. Total of all Army personnel was just over 8 million, Navy just over 3 million, Coast Guard just under 100k. To put in perspective how small the USMC was and how large the 8th was.
Merchant Marines had a higher fatality and casualty rate than any other service (US) in WWII.
Thank you for that info - my dad also received the Flying Cross with two clusters flying on a B-24 out of southern Italy during the Ploesti raids. 52 missions, three awards, he never spoke of it.
He was extensively interviewed about being on bomber crews for the documentary "The World at War".
He also insisted that he was identified simply as James Stewart, squadron commander. If you didn't hear that distinctive voice, you wouldn't know he was a famous actor.
Also narrated by Sir Lawrence Oliver
Not knocking his service at all, but: It is not for valor. It can be for valor, or like a bronze star can be for extraordinary achievement not related to valor.
Most bronze stars and flying crosses are for achievement, not valor. In his time a v device for valor was not authorized, so it wouldn't be known, except to read the citations if it were for valor or achievement. The exception is that the Marines are far less likely to award a bronze star for achievement than for valor.
The oak leaf cluster indicates three awards (1 + each bronze oak leaf)
What was John Wayne doing while this was happening?
Stayed home and made movies.
And ragged on people that were not American enough for him.
I went to college in his hometown (which he left as soon as possible and never returned to). They have a voice mimic narate the crosswalks on the main drag. For four years I stumbled through there hearing "This is Jimmy Shtewart, the walk sign is now on"
oak grove
Me too. Old mascot was waaay better.
I heard that when they switched to new one, the web domain was occupied by porno comic strip. Whoever ran it graciously gave it up though
Wahr Hall my first two years
That was before my time, but I did my first year in Delaney, which is where Wahr used to be. I think.
Yeah it was a very long time ago. Honestly was glad to get out of there and go off campus.
My granny LOVED Jimmy Stewart. She said he was a normal looking man, not some fairy tale hollywood creation. Him and Audie Murphy were her movie idols. I kind of feel like she had pretty good taste.
His first film back was a wonderful life, in the parts where it looks like he’s loosing his mind he is actually suffering from PTSD in realm life.
I fly model aircraft from the airbase Jimmy Stewart was based at in the UK during WW2. Tibenham, England.
Not all hero’s wear capes.
Google his last B52 ride. Aweaome story. Man is a legend....
My father in law flew in his squadron.
I have always loved Jimmy Stewart, growing up without a father the characters he played always seemed like good father figures, then I read about his real life and realized he was even better than the characters he played.
I cant even count the times I have used his line form Harvey:
"can I help you?"
Elwood P. Dowd: "Sure what did you have in mind?"
In business meetings or for new clients I still say this:
"Here, let me give you one of my cards. Now if you should want to call me, use this number. That - that's the old one. If you happen to lose the card, don't worry - I - have plenty more. " - Elwood P. Dowd"
I also loved this tidbit.
"...nobody ever brings anything small into a bar..."
He also had it in his contract that studios weren’t allowed to use his military record to promote his films, hence why so few people know he was actually a general.
Had no idea he was in the military
When I think of the ideal American male, it's Jimmy Stewart
During the movie, 'The man who shot Liberty Valance', the director John Ford, who hated John Wayne, made his life horrible, by telling Wayne "Look...there's a real hero...", because Wayne didn't actually fight in the war, or join up.
Ford hated John Wayne because he was a poser as a war hero. Ford older than Wayne enlisted, served, and won a purple heart. He hated seeing Wayne prance around with his fake uniform on
And big, tough John Wayne donned a major's uniform so he could hide in plain site selling war bonds in front of a studio camera.
What I find interesting is that movie tough guy, who was all about America, John Wayne didnt have the balls to serve. He apparently applied to join military intelligence but they didnt want him and he never followed through to sign up for any kind of service that might have put him in any danger. Jimmy Stewart is a legend for what he did though, especially when you consider that he didnt have to sign up for such a dangerous duty.
In the movie Trumbo, John Wayne gets called out by other actors who did serve. Good movie, stars Bryan Cranston. Trumbo was an American writer (Exodus, Spartacus, Roman Holiday) and a member of the communist party. He got blacklisted for it.
Yeah, I've seen a documentary about the part that Wayne played in the communist witch hunts back then. Apparently he was some sort of gatekeeper, people would have to go to him and basically sell out their friends if they wanted to continue to work in the american film industry. John Wayne seems like a real shitty person when you start to look into his life.
He also threw a fucking fit about Sacheen Littlefeather going on stage in place of Marlon Brando to accept his best actor award for Godfather in the wake of the standoff at Wounded Knee. He was a total asshole.
I'm a Cherokee tribal member. My favorite rap song is "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy.
"Elvis was a hero to most, but he Never meant shit to me, you see, straight out Racist—that sucker was simple and plain Motherfuck him and John Wayne!"
Chuck D learned more about Elvis when he got older and backpedalled on those lyrics. One of the most humble and polite dudes in rock and roll..... definitely not racist.
I wondered about that John Wayne reference. Thanks
[removed]
Wtf are you talking about? Of course it was a witch hunt, dumbass. The US govt has even admitted it was all bullshit. What country are you from?
It was a witch hunt but at the same the soviets actually did have a lot of spies infiltrating the US government and military which is something that only came to light more recently as a lot of information has been declassified. However, people like Joe McCarthy didn't actually give a shit whether or not the people they made accusations against were really compromised, it was just political grandstanding and they were happy to destroy people's lives based on the flimsiest evidence or none at all. It was all about pressuring someone to name other names to get themselves off the hook.
I hope you choke on that boot
Communist sympathizers? Since when is communism political? It's an economic system and it always has been. Just because you tie politics to it doesn't mean it's political
Or should we start making "capitalism sympathizers" a thing too?
[removed]
I'm not even communist. I'm just not stupid enough to pretend it's political. Or to resort to insults when I don't know what I'm talking about
[removed]
Dude you're actually so weird...
The Soviet Union is gone and the cold war is over. Can't honestly imagine who you'd be referring to anymore. You still waking up in cold sweats about the Vietnamese?
So uh, the cold war has been over for a while now. Regardless, maybe it's time for your nap?
You found an informed person. I’m sure you don’t know what to make of that.
Haha, I don’t actually support communism or any kind of totalitarian government, but the best argument I could think of in favor of a real communist takeover would be that we’d get to put people like you in gulags.
My memory is that John Ford loved to torment Wayne about this.
To quote the Drive By Truckers song “ I never saw John Wayne on the Sands of Iwo Jima”
Yes. And during the Vietnam War, Sylvester Stallone was a teacher in a girls school in Switzerland. That is of course he came back and won the war all by himself as Rambo.
Something, something, ahem Ted Nugent.
Ted was, I have it on reliable sources, absolutely aching to serve in Vietnam. Dying to. Why, he went to great lengths to avoid being classified 5G... but could only get upgraded to 4F. Poor guy.
If only he didn't shit his pants so much...
Shithead Ted
Teaching is at least an honorable profession. More teachers, less soldiers.
[deleted]
Both are correct.
Don’t let internet pedants lead you astray.
John Wayne was a fraud. There, I said it. Many decent, patriotic Americans deserved more than he and that other shill Reagan got in life.
I dont even know how he could play a hero type soldier in those WW2 and vietnam films without feeling ashamed of himself. The man was a piece of shit. And that's before you take into account his apparent white supremacist leanings.
Yeah, apparently his movie 'Green Berets' landed with a dull thud during the Vietnam Era. His massive ego carried him through with his jingoism intact... He truly was a piece of shit, along with a great many conservatives and white supremacists nationally and internationally.
He was drafted. Not sure if they give you much choice what you’re going to do but he didn’t sign up.
Story I heard was that the military basically begged him to just do propaganda but he demanded a real job. Dont take that as gospel.
When Jimmy Stewart took the physical after being drafted for the Army, he didn't weigh enough. He then trained to gain weight and enlisted in the Army Air Corp, but still came up short for a man his height. Reportedly his response to the doctor giving the physical was: "Well put down the right weight and let's get this show on the road".
Ted Nugent was even worse. He dodged the draft in Vietnam by shitting his pants to get crazy status. Now he’s seen a “patriot” by conservatives because he’s such a gun nut. He “hunts” but is so scared of the big bad animals that he hunts behind a fence. Nugent also claimed he would liked to have taken on ISIS. Yeah sure, draft dodger
Reagan had a punctured eardrum from being too close to a canon when shooting a film and was found by the draft board to not be fit for service. Instead he served in the 1st Motion Picture Unit of the Army Signal Corps making trading films. One was a film that saved the life of a young Navy pilot named George HW Bush.
I believe poor eyesight was the issue but Reagan was already a reserve officer in the Army before the war broke out. He signed up in 1937.
No it was his ear. He used it to avoid answering Sam Donaldson’s questions when they were in the south lawn on his way to marine one. (I worked in his administration)
Wait, really? What did you do?
Reagan may not have been in a combat or "boots on the ground" role, but he did serve his country.
Even W was in the National Guard. A pilot, I think. Got him out of having to serve in Nam.
While he was in the Guard, Oklahoma did not invade Texas. So there's that.
Trump went to military school but got five deferments. He talks about his military school as if he really served.
There was a waiting list to join the guard at that time, and it was incredibly difficult to get a pilot slot.
His father bypassed this process.
He was in fact awol for a period of time and never really served in a normal capacity. Dan Rather did a terrible job of covering this story and it truth of it got buried in the conspiracy.
You're right, I forgot that part.
He wasn’t awol. His service was almost up and he did not want to spend 18 months doing more training when the war was almost over. So he was given permission to leave base to work on his fathers campaign for congress.
Regan was found unfit for full service due to his poor eyesight, which was discovered when he was called up to active duty in 1942. He was never drafted, as he was already in the Army Reserve, having enlisted in 1937. The eardrum injury is very plausible, but it wasn't the reason he was classified for limited service.
Ronald Reagan served as a reserve officer in the Army starting in 1937 before he was famous and before WWII had even broken out. You can criticize him for many things but he was not a draft dodger, he volunteered before the war and was called back up to serve in the Motion Picture Unit when the war broke out.
He was already minorly famous in the 30's. He became more famous later, but he wasn't a no name actor in 37.
1937 was literally his first year working in movies. IMDB shows him with three parts and two of them were "Man in Crowd" and "Radio Announcer (Uncredited)". He had a starring role in "Love is in the Air" which was released in October. I don't know when he signed up for the Army but it's unlikely he was at all known as an actor at the time unless it was at the every end of the year and I'm not sure his first starring role was actually that big of a movie.
ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE
I cry every time I watch his fevered portrayal of a father/husband about to lose everything.
They say his PTSD from the war had a direct impact on his acting in that movie.
Well thats a positive spin on it.
He told Frank Capra that he wasn't sure he could make the movie because he hadn't truly recovered from the war
I love the scene where he stands up to Mr. Potter.
Ah Mary, kids….I bombed some Nazis!
You left out his biggest accomplishment, he got Clarence his wings.
Clark Gable was his waist gunner.
Seriously?
nah, just kidding But, Clark Gable was a door gunner on B-17s over the European theater. Google it.
He also flew in Vietnam 25 years later.
Always my favorite actor. My husband tried to make him out to be a bad guy, saying a bunch of stuff..he was just jealous. 😂
the night before his qualifying physical he allegedly ate something like three plates of spaghetti because he was too under-weight for his height. supposedly that did the trick and hit his minimum weight requirement almost exactly.
You were born older George
Whenever I see photos even as recent as the 1980s and 90s, it always strikes me how slender virtually everyone was.
It's only since the rise of shit processed foods that nation's have had the ever expanding waist line. I was teenager in the Eighties and didn't know anybody seriously overweight. Where I live now there is an inordinate amount of fast food outlets for the area. Take that into account and with all the processed crap in supermarkets and you've got a health issue looming hard.
I lost 5 stone to reach a more suitable weight for my frame as I was becoming Michelin man. Happy that I lost the weight, could still shed a bit more.
Congrats on your weight loss, that's a huge achievement. Hope you reach whatever next goal you have in mind--clearly you're capable of doing it.
Thank you, I don't want to look like I did again. Movement was awkward at best, now it's still difficult but bearable. I became a large person due to my reliance on fast food due to my work pattern,it didn't help being sat in a chair for 10-12 hours. That changed, eating changed and with the support from my wife and daughters made a change. I couldn't of done it on my own as I have little willpower. Anyone else reading this and want/need to lose weight, don't give up. The end result is worth all the grief. Good luck.
I bet James Stewart had no issues with his weight, as far as I know he was always Slim Jim
Interesting to me is the fact that while everyone in Hollywood was joining up to fight in WW2, Mr. “Toughguy” John Wayne didn’t want to take time away from his career. He played a war hero plenty of times on screen but never in real life.
And by all accounts a real piece of shit of a person.
It's also worth noting that the B-24 was anything but forgiving to fly. Temperamental, slow, and prone to enemy AA fire. There were LOTS of B-24 pilots and crew who never came home.
I remember this from the Unbroken book about Louis Zamperini. Training bomber crews would hope and pray that they got B-17s as they were sturdier, easier to fly, withstood more damage, and very importantly usually held together in a controlled crash or water landing as they had smooth bottomed fuselages. The B-24’s bomb bay jutted put from the bottom, so when it caught the ground or water in controlled crash it would lurch the cockpit down and usually cause the plane to disintegrate. Louis and his crew got a B-24. The crews called them flying coffins.
Thing is the B-24 was longer range and carried more bombs. Yeah, it sucked to fly, but it was easy to make and the volume of explosives dropped was the most important metric during the strategic bombing campaign. Especially when all the airfields were still in Britain.
In the first 9 months of 1944 the B-24 did only 6% of the flying in the US but accounted for 24% of the fatalities . They flew 6% more than the B-17 but had 105% more fatalities than the B-17.
But the B-17 was great right? Not really. The concept of a Flying Fortress seemed great on paper but was an absolute failure. If you flew on a B-17 during the first few months of their deployment, each mission the odds were better than 1 in 4 you were gonna die. The 8th Air Force got ripped to shreds and by the numbers it was a MUCH safer job to be front line infantry in the marines.
He lost his son in the Vietnam war. That’s why Henry Fonda was so damned pissed at his daughter Jane and all her protests. His best friend lost his son and there is Jane going over there slamming our soldiers. (I’m not being political , but our returning vets were treated horribly.)
Jane also posed on a gun that was used to shoot at US aviators.
That’s an extremely high quality picture
Most military entrance and promotion pictures were like that.
Every time a Nazi's shot down, a pilot gets his wings!
You can follow his story at the WW2 museum in New Orleans.
omg now im just reminded of my favorite movie: vertigo
He retired as a Major General in 1968, making him the highest ranking actor.
Plus in greatest film ever made: Vertigo
Twenty missions in a bomber is a hell of an achievement considering the loss rate.
If you read about his service, you’ll find out that flying sorties really messed him up for a while. Eventually they had to ground him for several weeks and only flew a few more sorties until the end of the war. Look at army photos from when he enlisted and right after and it’s like he aged 20 years.
His son was killed in Vietnam
When James Stewart came to Spain in the 50's, during the Francoist regime, he booked a room at the Ritz hotel. When he arrived, the concierge had to tell him, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stewart, but it's hotel policy not to admit neither actors nor bullfighters". He calmly answered, "I didn't book a room as an actor, I did it as a U.S. military officer" and proceeded to show his credentials. The concierge quietly answered, "Welcome to the Ritz hotel, colonel".
B24s were real hard to fly. They were nicknamed flying coffins.
He retired from the AF Reserve as a Major General.
My husband does a hilarious Jimmy Stewart impression where he goes on and on a our how his favorite thing in life is killing Nazis. It brings me to tears.
Honey, if you're reading this thread, I guess you finally know my reddit name. Worth it.
I wanna meet your husband, he sounds awesome
How is mine the first comment saying he is FIIIINE. damn. That is one attractive man.
This was an old photo? Jeez! This picture looks so modern in terms of quality..!
Yet when he played Glenn Miller in The Glenn Miller story he was shot down after his first flight across the Atlantic. I call conspiracy!
He also stayed in the military working as a pilot for a loooong time.
So awesome. Love his movies.
Every man on that transport died!
He has an Airport named after him in Pennsylvania where he’s from. My mom is a huge Jimmy Stewart fan, I think she would’ve left my dad for him if he’d been about 25 or 30 years younger.
I've heard he was also a very apt pupil.
HE WAS A VERY APT PUPIL!
“Ah shucks, that — that weren’t nuthin’, really— now, ol’ Johnny down at the sawmill - - you know Johnny do ya? Johnny? Anyway, ol’ Johnny there, well he ran into a…..a………one a’ them machine gun nests over on Okinawa and was all fired up and ready to just…….just…….let ‘em have it, let ‘em have it but his buddies started yellin’ at him and it was a good thing too cuz……turned out it was one a ours! Anyway, bravest thing I ever saw, I’m tellin’ ya. Ol’ Johnny. Yessir.”
Brigadier General James Stewart.
A great actor and a great man.
What an absolute STUD
But…but…I thought he was 4F on account of his ear.
The Greatest Generation.
BADASS
“What is it you want Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”
I give that line to my gf when I’m in trouble, In my best George Bailey voice. Usually gets me out of trouble.
Always a hero and a great American! Rest In Peace Jimmy!! Our nation loves you 🥲
A black tie. Somehow that looks weird on an officers uniform.
The coolest part is how mad he'd get on talk shows when people assume he volunteered. "I was DRAFTED," he's snort.
All while being fine as hell.
I think he was a General in the National Guard as well. That came out on Carson in the 70’s.
Back in the early 2000s we were partying at IUP, Indiana university of Pennsylvania. Indiana, Pa is the birthplace of Jimmy Stewart.
We were shit faced and wondered off campus. We some how found ourselves Infront of the Jimmy Stewart museum, and one of my buddy's screamed "Fuck Jimmy Stewart" as loud as he could.
It was like he instantly went 6 stars from GTA. 4 police cars squealed up, with their light on. We all got arrested and given a huge speech about how great of a guy Jimmy Stewart was.
The cops let us all go except the buddy who screamed. He got charged with all kind sir stuff and is permanently banned from the Jimmy Stewart museum.
This was around the era he chatted up my grandma. She loved telling that story.
Too bad we can’t have a resurgence of true American Patriotism where everyone pulls together to take care of some shit. Victory gardens, Hollywood actors and directors joining the war effort, mobilization of industries to get through a crisis, CCC, selflessness for the greater good. They were the Greatest Generation.
Careful what you wish for. China is salivating over Taiwan right now and the US has committed to intervene.
I remember reading about one mission where is B24 took a direct hit from flack and was almost torn in two. Jimmy managed to fly it home almost breaking his arms holding it level. Once he parked up at the airfield the plane fell apart and “cracked open like an egg” behind the nose wheel and the wings.
The amount of "who is Jimmy Stewart" posts makes me realize, you can be a hardcore war hero, be a top movie star for decades, be a national icon, but a few generations later you're forgotten. We are teaching the wrong kind of history.
I was gonna say nice guys finish last, but I saw the same questions about a Charles Manson post recently.
back when you could listen to celebrities and hear wisdom.
That Brigadier General Stewart to you, OP. And us Army types still claim him because he was in the *Army* Air Corps, not that fancy-scmancy Air Force that came along in 47.
[deleted]
I hadn't read that, but it would not surprise me.
I thought his bad ear kept him out of the service when he caught that ear infection after he saved his little brother from drowning
I thought that was uncle Chael
[removed]
Whenever he bombs, an angel gets its wings
I swear to god this photo looks like as if it were taken yesterday.
And struggled with ptsd the rest of his life.
And hung like a .......
Why does this picture look like high quality CGI?
And..a staggering case of PTSD.
Gorgeous man.
He seemed like a sweet and kind person
Whoa
Ah, the B-24, for when the bombs absolutely have to get all the way to Germany, no matter the cost.
So when he was making those movies about flying mission and such, would it have been when he was still an active serviceman?!?? Sorry horrible at maths no clue..
r/Outoftheloop “that Jimmy Stewart.”
Who is it ?
My brain wouldn't stop thinking Jimmy Fallon until I opened the picture
I didn’t think he could server because of his ear.
A man's man.
i think he was more of an everybody's man. women seemed to appreciate his company as much as, if not more, than men.
He flew B-58 Hustlers too. The Hustler was the first supersonic bomber for the US, I believe, badass aircraft.
John Wayne avoided the draft, claiming he was too valuable to risk his life in war because he was a Hollywood actor. Jimmy Stewart did not. Which one of these guys is the brave manly man again?
John Wayne was fattening his bank balance in Hollywood while all the other big stars fought in the war...
He used his influence to not get drafted when he could have just worn the uniform and not seen combat...instead of pretending to be a soldier, when war really happened he did all he could to not join in
Amazing how many people think that he did serve , must be those war movies he made ..
It's also the image he made for himself in the subsequent years. He always portrayed himself as the biggest American patriot. I'm not sure if he explicitly said "I was in combat during WWII" but im pretty sure he implied it often
Let’s not forget John Wayne did some good stuff. He played a surprising role in bringing to light the terrible conditions and Geneva violations our POWs faces in Vietnam.
John Wayne did fail to join, but it doesn’t mean he didn’t care.
John Wayne used his clout to support President Jimmy Carter's efforts to give the Panama Canal back to Panama. The right-wingers weren't happy about this and John Wayne's opinion counted greatly.
Facts matter.
He didn’t use his influence not to get drafted. He was too old to be drafted.
Don’t lie.
What he didn’t do is try very hard to enlist despite not being eligible for the draft.
Not a lie. Wayne filled for 3A status as sole provider of his family so he wouldn't get drafted. Later in the war when more men where needed, the war department changed his status to 1A fit for duty but the studio he worked for intervened on his behalf and he was given a special 2A status which meant differed for special support
He was seen as a draft dodger to some and was booed on a USO stage overseas once because of it.
Where Jimmy Stewart was rejected because of his weight when he enlisted and had to gain some by drinking beer so he could serve, Wayne did everything he could to not.
yes, facts do matter
Who’s Jimmy Stewart his name sounds really familiar but I keep thinking of Jimmy Carter.
Actor
What’s he in,
It's a wonderful life is the most known
Thanks
Who is THAT jimmy Stewart? I’m out of the loop here
It's a wonderful life movie
Oh no way! No he looks familiar
Also flew in a B-52 in the Vietnam War.
Am I the only one seeing Ryan Gosling?
I think he looks more like Steve Nash.
Who is that Jimmy Stuart ? (not from the US).
[deleted]
He was in live action movies from 1934 all the way to 1980!
He was one of the great stars of classic Hollywood, a time that will never be forgotten. Watch "It's a Wonderful Life," "Philadelphia Story," "Vertigo" or "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" for a taste, but there are at least a dozen great ones.
Auld Lang Syne !!
I did watch "It's a Wonderful Life" a long time ago. Did not know it was him.
Thanks man.
Seeing as though he died in 97 I would be surprised if enough people know who he is to say "Yes, that Jimmy Stewart".
He’s gotta be in the top 10 movie stars of all time.
Jimmy Stewart is a legend. Rope, Rear Window, Vertigo...if your a Hitchcock fan you know Jimmy. Also Its a Wonderful Life is my 9 yr olds favorite Christmad movie as it is mine too. Things like this help keep his memory alive ;)
Harvey.
Love rear window. Probably my personal favorite hitchcock movie.
Same! And The Birds. But Rear Window is kind of claustrophobic being just in that apartment and I really loved that.
Cmon now, Ghandi died in 48'. Ya heard of him?
To be fair, Ghandi is known to millions of gamers as that pacifist who nukes the whole world in that Civilization game.
It was a wonderful life
Just like the TikTok influencers of today!!
I thought they had to fly 50 missions before they were decommissioned. I could be wrong
I think it was 24. He fought pretty hard to stay in combat. The Army fought really hard to get him promoted up and out of combat.
I remember watching a documentary on bomber pilots some time ago. Highest casualty rates next to submarines. The government didn’t want these guys to be Kia, bad for morale. They did something of the same with Elvis I believe.
Elvis served in West Germany during peacetime. The biggest danger Elvis faced was a jeep accident.
He also met his wife. Maybe some danger there
Yes, to Priscilla as she was just 14 years old at the time.
That’s right I forgot about that. Yikes
Back before hollywood became full of divas and limp-wristed spoiled millionaires who never put anything or anyone above their own self interest.
antifa
I think you are getting downvoted because it is very hard to tell if you are calling out the right for coddling Neo-Nazis, or calling out a beloved actor for bombing the shit out of the original Nazis.
I'm calling out the right for claiming everyone who opposes fascism is a criminal and blaming all public disturbance on them. The right -- not just the alt-right, mainstream Republicans -- is calling antifa an enemy. If anti fascists are your enemy, what does that make you?
Upvoted the first comment after this clarification.
Another Classic OG antifa.
[deleted]
old american actor from my hometown in pennsylvania. grew up with a statue of him in front of the courthouse
Who is THE Jimmy Stewart?
He kinda looks like a goldeneye character here.
Who?
Who?
Yet America ended up with a military recruiter and propagandist, Ronald Reagan as a president...
I never thought of Jimmy as anything other than a great actor and a gentleman. Now that I know his history of service, I think he would have made a stellar President. He was fearless.
You say (Yes that Jimmy Stewart) as if people under 40 care who this dude is. No offense
We've (americans) ALL seen 'Its a Wonderful Life,' so no excuse for not knowing who he is.
I should probably watch that movie someday although I'm kinda over celebrating christmas
Christmas is such a tiny, tiny part of the movie. The movie itself is about a man finding his self-worth
I'm British and even I think he was the shit, how could you not care about your nation's history?
I do but old humor tends to not translate well. I like Abbot and Costello but that's about it. Jimmy is probably some dorky white shit
I thought it was the guy from billions. Or homeland
I lived and worked in Hollywood for years. I met dozens of actors, comedians, producers, singers and athletes. I only got “Starstruck” one time and that was when I bumped into Jimmy Stewart pumping his own gas at the local Shell station. All I could manage was a very weak, “Nice to meet you Mister Stewart”. He was very gracious and said “Thank you very much”. This was in 1990, so he would have been 82. Still driving his light blue Jaguar. He is a true American Icon in my book.
I can hear a gracious jimmy stewart “Thank you very much “
Thank you very muchhhhh.
Literally can hear him
My Grandfather met him at an officer's club in WWII. He watched as Jimmy Stewart asked out a waitress and she turned him down. My Grandfather let the waitress know who she just rejected and he said the look on her face was priceless.
If it is a true story, this is so great, because he is the awkward type of guy in lots of movies, so I can picture him and his stance while being rejected.
What a treasure of a moment.
And of course he would be pumping his own gas. A great American.