Uncover the Real Story of Hollywood Icon Jimmy Stewart with This Collection of Stunning Photos

Hair Ball: He was a real man even though he was an actor. He played himself most of the time and that is what we liked about him.

United States on Sep 17, 2023

FoodieWithAClue: I was really looking forward to reading this, based on the reviews and being a huge Jimmy Stewart fan. This book is certainly readable, as it has a fascinating subject, but it could have been much better written and edited. The Kindle edition has obviously just had a substandard OCR program run through the text, and subsequently has tons of errors in spelling ("barn" becomes "bam", etc.) which are glaringly repetitive. In addition, I have come to find out that Michael Munn has, shall we say, a loose relationship with the truth. Several of the stories in his bio about Frank Sinatra were patently false, and that unfortunate trend continues here. Most egregious, however, are the inexplicable choices of what movies to spend 10-20 pages discussing, (many of these minor films with not much of interest to discuss) and barely mentioning films like Rear Window, which was arguably Stewart's finest film (along with Vertigo, which also gets short shrift). I enjoyed it enough to read it though to the end without divorcing it, but overall I was not impressed.

United States on Jul 19, 2022

SKaye: I suspect that most people have heard of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. It comes on every Christmas and many of us watch it just as often, but how many of you knew that it was considered a flop when it came out. It’s one of many movies that James Stewart made during his life.
Jimmy didn’t start out to become a Hollywood star, but he became one of the greatest and produced a plethora of fine movies. In “ Shenandoah” he plays a father who wants nothing to do with the Civil War. In “The Cheyenne Social Club” he plays a cowboy who finds he’s inherited a brothel”. And in “Harvey” he has a giant invisible rabbit as a friend. And these are just three of the magnificent works Jimmy did.
This book goes into the man behind the movies. Who he loved, his principles; and who his best friends were, while telling the story of all those fabulous movies that are still out there waiting to be seen. I’m going to try to see a large number of them. What about you?

United States on Jun 19, 2022

cliff445: I have been a fan of The late, Great Jimmy Stewart.
Christmas is never complete without a visit to “It’s a Wonderful Life” and I have watched so many of his other amazing films, so often, that I’ve lost count.

This book takes us on an intriguing journey through his life, his career and his many startling exploits.
There’s a lot more to this man than an outsider’s perspective can possibly render.

If you’re a fan, like me, or even if you’re not, I think you will find this a rewarding journey.

Canada on Jun 22, 2021

Henri Gregoire: I liked the detail and the related stories of Jimmy's contemporaries.
I was not enamoured by the authors' many references to himself personally.
Altogether, I enjoyed the read.

Canada on Mar 30, 2021

garymq: Everyone knows James Stewart. He was one of the true classic actors of America's golden age. Few actors are more recognisable and idiosyncratic than Jimmy Stewart, who came to represent an American every-man during the 20th century.
This book follows his life more or less in chronological order, starting with stage work, and gradually becoming a megastar.
Stewart had already achieved a certain level of fame when the war broke out. Being extremely patriotic, he felt compelled to sign up. He could have used his star status to avoid seeing action . In fact the studios, as well as the US government didn't want him to come to any harm, aware that the effect on public moral would be devastating if anything happened to him. But he insisted on doing his part. This tells you something about the nature of the man.
After the war and during the 50’s and 60’s he teamed up with some great directors and made very memorable films. His had many friendships with other actors of the day, chiefly Henry Fonda, but also including John Wayne, Clark Gable, Fred MacMurray and other famous actors. Single until his forties, he had a wild love life until he finally married.
A less admirable...

Australia on Sep 20, 2019

Dr mcvean: Mr. Stewart had an interesting life, and in every aspect he was true to his personal 'credo' and behaviours. He was a quiet, hard working and very gifted actor, and as a person he was loyal and true. He might have had some 'wild oats' in his youth, but was a loving and devoted husband. He was also noted for his war record. He was a man to be admired.

Canada on Oct 10, 2018

WilloughbyReads: I found this book to be interesting, but not inspirational. In some respects, I wish I'd never read it because it tarnished what turned out to be an unfair image that I had projected onto Jimmy Stewart. He was my granddad's favorite actor, and so I wanted his true life story to mirror that of my granddad's, but it didn't. It turns out that Jimmy Stewart was a human being, complete with faults and shortcomings, just like the rest of us.

"The Truth Behind the Legend" might be a fair title, and Stewart was not a bad guy, especially by Hollywood standards. However, once he got to Hollywood, he is not portrayed to have lived a life consistent with his Presbyterian upbringing. I am glad that the author was able to talk with Stewart directly to get much of his story, but the voice and perspective of his wife Gloria overshadows all other perspectives in the book, including that of Jimmy Stewart himself. There were a couple of times where the author mentioned that Gloria told him something and then advised him not to bring it up when he talked with Jimmy. I'd be interested in reading another take on Stewart's life from a different author without the direction or influence of his...

United States on Jan 12, 2018

TR Johnson: This was an enjoyable book, if a bit of a breezy one, by an author and fan who knew the Stewarts from the 70s on--and often included those personal anecdotes in his writings. It was full of Hollywood insider info and very much succeeded in portraying Stewart as a basically decent guy, who had a few flaws (uncomfortable with blacks, believed in J. Edgar Hoover's view of the world and possessed an incredible temper that he largely controlled). I appreciated the insights into Stewart's youth and his family in Indiana, PA.

The author also did a good job of capturing the challenges the aging star encountered 1) leaving Hollywood for service in WWII and not realizing just how difficult it would be to pick up where he left off as audiences and movies had greatly changed after the war; 2) accepting Western roles when no other roles were available and then getting pigeon-holed into the genre after his success in creating the hero motivated by revenge and 3) the lack of appropriate scripts and directors talented enough to get the best out of Stewart as he grew older.

Like any book on Hollywood, sometimes you learn things about Stewart that you would have preferred not to have...

United States on Jul 26, 2016

Robert Hillier: I have always been a Jimmy Stewart fan and I really enjoyed this account of his life. I have read other novels about Stewart and have watched most of his films and his slow drawl can be a bit hard to take, but the genuine nature of the man and his patriotic and conscientious approach to most challenges he faced in life and playing characters in his movies was very appealing. He lived an admirable life- apart from his years of womanising in the thirties and his tendency to adopt a very conservative approach to the Red Scare in the late forties. The novel tells how Stewart was a spy for Edgar Hoover and how he refused to be intimidated by the Mafia who were trying to dominate Hollywood in the forties and fifties. This was all a revelation to me. I thoroughly enjoyed Munn's book and thoroughly recommend it to others who may be Jimmy Stewart fans

Australia on Dec 10, 2014