Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend

by Michael Munn

In this definitive biography of one of Hollywood's most beloved stars, Michael Munn reveals the truth behind the diffident, earnest and kindly persona of Jimmy Stewart. Drawn from the author's formal interviews and informal meetings with the star and his friendship with Stewart's wife, Gloria, is this portrait of a man who came from the Presbyterian traditions of Pennsylvania to become one of the silver screen's enduring legends. An openly right-wing Conservative and super-patriot, Stewart worked for the FBI at the behest of J Edgar Hoover, directing his undercover sleuthing to crack organised crime in Hollywood. But he was unscrupulously manipulated by the president into flushing out Communists from the film industry. Among these revelations, there are also tales of heady love affairs, hookers and hoodlums, and of Stewart's run-in with the most dangerous of all gangsters, Benjamin 'Bugsy' Sigal. Accusations of racism are explored, as is Stewart's notoriously volatile temper. There is a comprehensive account of his experiences as a colonel in the US Air Force in World War Two - and, of course, there are the 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'The Greatest Show on Earth', 'Rear Window', the westerns and his Academy Awards.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Audiobook, History, Adult, Biography Memoir

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3 stars. I belong to a library book club called Readers Roundtable and this was the group leader's pick for September, 2018 to kick off the new fall season of reading. I felt a little reluctant to read this biography of Jimmy Stewart, one of my favorite actors from that era, because I was a little afraid of what I might learn about the man. And there were a few things that were disturbing: such as, that Stewart was asked to watch for communists among his fellow actors by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI--and he agreed.

This book was chockfull of quotes and a bit repetitive but I did learn a lot about the movie industry of that era as well as details of Stewart's life and some of my favorite movies that he made. Stewart thought acting was a craft, not an art; that you might have talent but you needed to develop the skill through practice.

Recommended for those who enjoy books about the Hollywood scene. This contains lots of star gossip.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well done book for a biography. I have always been a fan of Jimmy Stewart. My favorite movie is "It's a Wonderful Life" Michael Munn keeps this biography of the star nice. There is not mud slinging or trying to dig up dirt. I get the feeling there would be not dirt on Mr. Stewart anyway. like most biographies, it takes the book from James Stewart's birth in Indiana Pennsylvania and his growing up. College. I liked reading about all the movies he was in some more described than others.
There is some talk about his famous friends especially Henry Fonda. the Truth behind the legend kind of leads one the believe there is some real "dirt' but not really. Things are revealed that Jimmy Stewart was a ladies man until he married Gloria and raised his step sons, and twin daughters. he had his share of tragedy. no huge surprises though and that was fine with me. I like a lot of Jimmy Stewart's movies, like Harvey, Rear Window. so it was nice to read a biography dedicated to him.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the pleasures of reading a biography is that someone else has fleshed out the story through their research. In this book, however, the research is spelled out for you, quote by quote by quote. So there is redundancy reading about an event multiple times through different eyes. I would just rather have the author do the research and tell what he believes happened with an occasional note to explain other possibilities. I couldn't get more that 25% through the book as reading page-long quotes over and over again was just too tedious for me.

[Corinne Driscoll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointing. You've got to suspect the veracity of an author who refers to Stewart's Harvey character as "Edward P. Dowd" once, and then as "Howard P. Dowd" the next time. ( It's Elwood). The author spends most of his time inserting lengthy "quotes" from people, most of whom are dead and can't protest. A real waste.

[tiasreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

The material was interesting and I enjoyed 'getting to know' a favorite actor. But while I liked having the author's viewpoint as a personal friend of Mr. Stewart's, the writing was somewhat ponderous and over-detailed. All things considered, the book is worth a read to fans who have time to spare, but is absolutely not the definitive biography of James Stewart. If you are on a schedule, look elsewhere.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are few—if any—actors in the annals of American film like Jimmy Stewart. In films like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Harvey,”--even his darker films, like Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” and “Rear Window,”—audiences felt like they knew the man, like he stood for something good.

And James Stewart was a legitimate American hero. In addition to bringing so much entertainment to us over the years, he fought valiantly in World War 2. He didn’t wait to get drafted, then go on a cushy, safe, morale-boosting tour. Stewart volunteered even before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He knew the United States would soon be entering the war, and he intended to serve his country, just as men in his family always had.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force as a Private. By the end of the European war, he’d earned his way up to Colonel, flying dozens of bombing missions over Germany. He was decorated for his valor, and ultimately promoted to Brigadier General as a Reserve Officer.

Stewart was definitely a ladies man when he was young, but once he got back from the war, parties and serial dating lost its appeal for him. He found and married Gloria, and the couple would remain faithful and loving till she passed away at 75. Stewart died soon after.

Michael Mann’s excellent biography, “Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend,” doesn’t dwell much on the sad end of Stewart’s life, but the whole great, magnificent ride of this true American hero.

We follow Jim from his idyllic childhood in Indiana, Pennsylvania, through Princeton, and how he stumbled into a stage career—he’d been planning to be an architect. In his New York and Hollywood years, he was best friends with Henry Fonda. They were roommates on a few occasions, and after the war, Stewart lived in a small play house Fonda had built for his children. Stewart played Santa Claus one year, and nearly fell off the roof.

Mann also takes us behind the scenes of some classic James Stewart films…and a few absolute bombs.

What makes this biography such a wonderful tool to understanding James Stewart—the man and the actor—is that Mann has interviewed hundreds of film stars and directors during his career, and he actually became friends with Jimmy and Gloria Stewart (especially Gloria). It’s one thing to read that Stewart is a generous, kind person. However, it elicits a stronger reaction when you’re hearing it from Fonda, Burgess Meredith, George C. Scott, or any number of Stewart’s other friends and co-stars, in their words, with their anecdotes.

To be honest, I was reticent to read “Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend.” I’m always a little leery starting a biography of somebody I really like. I’m afraid they’ll turn out to have been heroin addicts who were mean as hell and absolute terrors when the camera was off.

Michael Mann’s biography reinforced my view of James Stewart as being a genuinely decent human being.

My favorite image from “Jimmy Stewart” is of Stewart and Henry Fonda. Early in their friendship, they realized that they were complete opposites, politically. Thus, they forged a pact not to discuss politics. What they did was build model airplanes. For hours, they’d sit quietly, not talking, other than for one to ask the other for a specific model part or more glue.

That’s the kind of man James Stewart really was. When he was a young star, he dated around and attended his fair share of Hollywood parties. But there was always some part of him that was happiest just sitting by himself, daydreaming, thinking, keeping his own counsel. “That’s just the way he was.” It seems like every friend or costar he ever had used some variation of that quote.

Michael Mann has written a wonderfully readable, informative, and entertaining biography. Drawing on his various interviews with other stars shows just how beloved James Stewart truly was among his peers.

By the end of “Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend,” I was relieved. Michael Mann, through his research and interviews, confirmed my beliefs about James Stewart. He was a good and kind man, a true American hero who left us with some timeless film classics, and he was the rare nice guy in a business filled with egomaniacs.

Oh, yeah. He was also one hell of an actor.

Most Highly Recommended
(nb: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss)

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Jimmy that I didn't realize (like his occasional bouts of temper, which makes it much more understandable how he could make his eyes blaze on camera) but the author seemed rather too preoccupied with speculating about how much of a womanizer Jimmy was when he was young without much collaborating evidence other than the boasting of his horn-dog friends. I would have liked more anecdotes about filming his movies, but I did feel an even stronger fondness for Jimmy by the end.

[Anne Schell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed

This book seems to simply be a list of his movies with little comments about each. The ending is wrong. This book claims Mr. Stewart died at 90 in his sleep. He was 89 and he passed of a blood clot. His last words were I'm going to be with Gloria. Not possible if he was sleeping.

[Rick Colburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written

I have read a lot of biographies and autobiographies but this is one of the best not just because it is Jimmy Stewarts but because of the man and person that he was GOD BLESS AND BE WITH YOU Mr Stewart

[Ben Roper · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a book that mentioned Jimmy Stewart a whole lot.

It was a good read. Learnt a lot of things I found interesting to know and a bunch of stuff I wish I didn't. All up, just a good, laughable lark about one of Hollywood's genuine nice-guys.

[Lupine Smile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but poorly written.

[Andi Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love Jimmy Stewart and I loved getting to know more about him. There were things about him that I didn’t know, but my impression of him was right. I admire the fact that he had passionate beliefs and remained true to those throughout his life. I am glad to learn that he was flawed, that we would not have agreed about certain things, and that his character was such that I can still see him as a role model of how to live and love and stand up for what you believe in. The two movies I know of his, and the movies I consider inspiring and full of hope, are It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. I’m really looking forward to seeing some of his other films!

[William (Bill) Fluke · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the recent Ron Howard biography, I found myself wanting to learn/read more about Jimmy Stewart as he was mentioned as an influence on Ron’s dad. The timing for reading this bio was right also given this is the time of year we admire Jimmy and the Christmas classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” (I did not know it was a box office flop). My exposure to Stewart in film was all positive from limited exposure to him but in classics like - “Rear Window”, “Vertigo” and “Mr Smith Goes to Washington”. I did not realize the depth of his filmography and that he had appeared in so many westerns. I like learning about his service as an air flight bomber in WWII and how J Edgar Hoover used him to “spy” and inform on “un-American” as Hoover himself was used as a pawn by the mob. Fascinating stuff. I was however not impressed with much else in this biography. It seems there are two ways of doing a biography-(1) cover every aspect of the person’s years ( in this case his films) with equal attention and detail on all ( that is to mean not much detail) , or (2) not hit on everything and allow to give more depth and attention to some real benchmark moments in a persons life. Michael Munn chose option (1). I prefer option (2). I would have loved to learn more about details of the filming and impact of “It’s A Wonderful Life”, and Stewart’s work with Hitchcock. This book gives those films about the same coverage as lesser known and revered films like “The Flight of the Phoenix”. Perhaps the 291 page length was too limiting to the author. A biographer like Walter Isaccson would have done Stewart’s life and legacy more fittingly.

[Helen Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. I am a huge Jimmy Stewart fan but found this book to ve very difficult to read. In fact, I gave up halfway through it as I felt I was wasting time on something I did not enjoy. The book could have done with a good proofread. There were numerous spelling mistakes and also errors in dates and names.

The whole book is essentially a number of quotations from others strung together with dialogue. I found it difficult to follow some of the stories as the quotations seemed to get in the way.

I have read other biographies of Jimmy Stewart that were far more engaging and had their facts straight.

[Anne E. Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

I did not intentionally mean to play on the word "wonderful" but it aptly describes how great the book is. It feels like all the people in it are alive once again ( I really wish I could have met his wife because of her jest for life!) The author does a great job of showing Jimmy Stewart's foibles and humanity without apology or excuses. He leaves the reader to decide how they're going to like the man or not.

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like Jimmy Stewart as an actor fortunately for me I had no illusions about him as a man outside of the acting world. He was a descendent guy, but he had a lot of flaws too. It's worth a read for those readers who like Jimmy Stewart as an actor and know the difference between the actor and the man in private.

[Michele Maxson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book because I always admired Jimmy Stewart. It was slow reading & I had a hard time staying with it. It had many interesting tidbits of info but some parts were just long, drawn out & boring.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read about the life of Jimmy Stewart, not a perfect man by any means, but a great actor and seemingly a genuinely nice man who did engage in some questionable behaviour because of his political beliefs and apparently some glaring naivety.

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Munn has some interesting facts about his life, he's not the best writer and story teller. I found myself perking up everytime he had a direct quote from Stewart so I could get away from his writing.

[Deborah Cleaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

A myriad of typos or does this author have a poor grasp of the facts? If you can’t proofread your own book for factual consistency, can the reader be assured you have a grasp of factual accuracy? Infuriating.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting because I was interested in the subject but the author needs an editor to help him get his facts straight -- like the birthdate...

[William Barron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much film to film andedotes

Not much meat in the book.... Mostly a simple and kinda boring recap of the plot of every film he made

[Mike Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. Easy read. A bit hagiogrophy. Jimmy Stewart slept with everyone until he got married.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Audible recommended several books to me from the Hollywood set, including this book on Jimmy Stewart. It was free with my Audible Plus membership, so I took a chance.

I remember working in the newsroom when Jimmy Stewart died in 1997. I immediately knew which film clip I wanted to use in the newscast I was producing. It was from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. From the age of 17, when I saw that movie for the first time, I was a huge Jimmy Stewart fan.

There are some revelations in this book that were surprising, and some that weren’t. Michael Munn says that Jimmy Stewart was a racist, which I believe just giving the fact of the era in which he grew up, and where he grew up (rural Indiana). But he also says that he treated his fellow black actors equally, so it was more of a casual racism brought about by upbringing. He wasn’t running around saying the N-word, but he still had beliefs that wouldn’t fly today.

One of the other revelations in the book was how Jimmy Stewart worked with J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI as sort of a secret agent to ferret out Communist sympathizers and other undesirables in the Hollywood community. On one hand, it was surprising, but on the other, it wasn’t because I knew Stewart was a lifelong Republican, and at the time, they were firmly on the side of law and order.

There’s a lot of time spent discussing Stewart’s film work, including some of my favorite movies of all time: The Hitchcock trio, Rope, Rear Window and Vertigo, as mentioned earlier, Mr. Smith, The Philadelphia Story, Anatomy of a Murder (filmed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula–one summer my mother, aunt and I visited several spots where they filmed the movie). I wasn’t a big fan of Stewart’s westerns, but they proved him a viable actor post-World War II when the business of film making changed.

Much time is also spent on Stewart’s military career, especially during World War II. He was a skilled pilot who went on dozens of bombing missions over Germany. By the end of the war, he was ranked as a Colonel. Eventually, he became a Brigidier General as a reserve officer. I’d always admired those stars who interrupted their careers and served their country during war; they were taking a huge chance because of a fickle public moving on to the next up and coming stars, but Stewart’s star remained bright following his European tour.

I’m glad I had a chance to listen to this audiobook, although the narrator attempts a Jimmy Stewart impersonation throughout and doesn’t do that great of a job, and that got kind of annoying. However, the content of the book made that minor inconvenience worth it to find out more about one of my favorite film actors.

[Thomas Radigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover sounded good. A biography of actor Jimmy Stewart from an author who was friends with him. What could be better than that?

Waaalll...

The first part was interesting, talking about his ancestry and how his family grew up, and his strict but not abusive parents, as well as his sisters. An irritating part, however, were all the long quotes from the various people Stewart had known, mainly Henry Fonda and Gloria, Jimmy's wife. Interesting but overdone. And it did cover his war years as an Air Force bomber squadron commander and how he had to keep his men's spirits and discipline up, and how he volunteered when he didn't have to, but he was a patriot.

Unfortunately, when it got to the part with J. Edgar Hoover, the book started to fall apart, especially since it made claims about Hoover's supposed homosexuality and how the Mafia had control over him because of that supposed knowledge, and Stewart had been unaware of this. Never mind that no evidence of Hoover being homosexual has ever emerged, even after all this time. Furthermore, Hoover DID go after the Mafia publicly when its existence became public knowledge.

This made me put the brakes on this book after the halfway point. As other sources pointed out, Hoover did make deals with certain mobsters to go after others, as every other law enforcement agency in the world does, including the FBI after Hoover's death. Also, the book fails to note the fear of Communism was the result of the Soviet Union taking over Eastern Europe and exploding its own nuclear weapons, and real spies being found in the USA and elsewhere. But the book maintains that Stweart was a naive bumpkin who didn't really know what was going on. That killed my desire to read an more of this volume.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love Jimmy Stewart films--he's such a grounded character, and for all of the general belief that he played "nice aw-shucks" kinds of guys, he had some great, challenging characters, especially when he came home from the war (from It's a Wonderful Life on, including all of his Anthony Mann Westerns and his Hitchcocks). Jimmy plays a barely restrained DARKNESS really well, and like Cary, I think he was an unappreciated actor for his many talents. People loved him, but his acting is better than you remember (just watch him in The Philadelphia Story). He plays a wonderful a**hole.

This was really charming because so much of it was first person interviews. Due to that, Mann probably couldn't have it be overly objective (it's obvious how much he admires Stewart and his feisty wife Gloria), but the intimacy of the stories and the way Mann tells them worked for me. He did his homework. Loved reading all of the Henry Fonda interviews/anecdotes as well.

Stewart was a remarkable, humble character, completely out of step with his Hollywood colleagues most of the time (although during his swinging single days he was an absolute chad--and if you read this you can completely understand why!) Bona fide war hero, strong moral center, strong work ethic, and a great family man. This was a pleasure to read.

[Leah Reick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not without flaws, but I enjoyed it none-the-less. Munn's biography is a well-rounded portrait of a complex man--a flawed man, but a good man. Even though I learned a few things about Jimmy Stewart that disappointed, for example: 1) that he became an informant for the FBI and the HUAC committee during the Red Scare, and 2) that his friendship J. Edgar Hoover and FBI blinded him to the fact that his own agenda would never be served, because the corruption started at the top, 3) he may have been a bit of a racist. On the last note, the author makes a point to say that he was "uncomfortable around Black Americans." He was a product of his time. However, regardless of whether I agree with his politics, I believe he was a great actor, a good friend, and a loving husband and father. I hope his legacy will stand the test of time.

This book tends to be somewhat repetitive--making the same points again and again, but is well researched with many quotes and interviews from Stewart's peers. There is a 2006 biography that I am curious to read since this book had so much value from interviews with Stewart's friends who are long dead.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend to anyone interested in "Old Hollywood". I remember The Jimmy Stewart show from 1972-73 on TV when I was 10 years old. I of course also remember him in the favorites Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life and The Man who Shot Liberty Valance (with John Wayne). I was surprised at how many movies, both good and bad he was in. I want to re-watch some older ones like Rear Window and Vertigo now that I know what was going on in his life at the time. The biographer does an excellent job describing a complex man. At times I think the biographer could have been more honest about Jimmy's not-so-perfect qualities. He mentions Jimmy's seldom seen temper and womanizing many times, but does not expand. I get the idea Jimmy Stewart was painted as a day-dreamer and just all around nice guy, but the biographer does us a dis-service by not digging into his history warts and all. The FBI connection to J Edgar Hoover was fascinating. I gave it 3 stars since it was enjoyable, interesting and well written. I reserve my 4 and 5 star rating for books I cannot put down and ones I cannot stop thinking about.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was not the man I thought him to be before reading this book. In some ways he was less the man I thought him, and in others more. I enjoyed the stories, I enjoyed learning about who is was before I was introduced to him through movies like It's A Wonderful Life, and enjoyed being introduced to things he had done that I didn't know about. I didn't realize he was such a big western star for example. I saw several movies of his that they mentioned while I was reading the book and quite enjoyed them. I saw Rear Window and Vertigo for the first time even though I have seen scenes from them over the years. I found myself caught up and standing grabbing my daughter when the bad guy comes for him. It was surprising an "old time" movie could make me feel that way. It was thoroughly entertaining to watch and hear the stories from the production while reading this. Slower movies for a slower time. They had lots of time to get to know characters and less special effects. Definitely recommend this book for any Jimmy Stewart fan!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Greats

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?