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Charles Herbert Christie (April 13, 1882 – October 1, 1955) and Alfred Ernest Christie (November 23, 1886 – April 14, 1951) were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs.

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159-550: Charles Herbert Christie was born between April 13, 1880 and April 13, 1882. Alfred Ernest Christie was born between October 23, 1881 and November 23, 1886; both were born in London, Ontario . Their father managed the Opera House in the city and their mother was its box-office manager and accountant. Charles graduated from school when he was 14; he graduated from a four-year accountancy course in two years at age 16. At 23, Charles

318-475: A New York Film Critics Circle Award , and a Producers Guild of America Award , as well as earned his fifth and final Academy Award nomination for his performance. The FBI Story , in which Stewart portrayed a Depression-era FBI agent, was less well received by critics and was commercially unsuccessful. Despite its commercial failure, the film marked the close of the most commercially successful decade of Stewart's career. According to Quigley's annual poll, Stewart

477-573: A pulmonary embolism three years later. James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the eldest child and only son born to Elizabeth Ruth (née Jackson; 1875–1953) and Alexander Maitland Stewart (1872–1962). Stewart had two younger sisters, Mary (1912–1977) and Virginia (1914–1972). He was of Scottish and Ulster-Scots ancestry. The Stewart family had lived in Pennsylvania for many generations. Stewart's father ran

636-485: A July average of 21.0 °C (69.8 °F), and temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) occur on average 11 days per year. In 2016, however, temperatures rose above this temperature on more than 35 days, and in 2018, four heatwaves led to a peak humidex of 46 °C (115 °F). The city is affected by frequent thunderstorms due to hot, humid summer weather, as well as the convergence of breezes originating from Lake Huron and Lake Erie . The same convergence zone

795-408: A Murder (1959) and the crime film The FBI Story (1959). The former was a box office success despite its explicit dealing with subjects such as rape, and garnered good reviews. Stewart received critical acclaim for his role as a small-town lawyer involved in a difficult murder case; Bosley Crowther called it "one of the finest performances of his career". Stewart won his first BAFTA, a Volpi Cup ,

954-642: A Wonderful Life (1946), Harvey (1950) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Stewart played darker, more morally ambiguous characters in movies directed by Anthony Mann , including Winchester '73 (1950), The Glenn Miller Story (1954), and The Naked Spur (1953), and by Alfred Hitchcock in Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and Vertigo (1958). Stewart also starred in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), The Flight of

1113-487: A Wonderful Life (1946), the first postwar film for both of them. Stewart played George Bailey , an upstanding small-town man who becomes increasingly frustrated by his ordinary existence and financial troubles. Driven to suicide on Christmas Eve , he is led to reassess his life by Clarence Odbody , an "angel, second class", played by Henry Travers . During filming, Stewart experienced doubts about his abilities and continued to consider retiring from acting. Although It's

1272-425: A Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Stewart's third Best Actor nomination, it received mixed reviews and was only a moderate success at the box office, failing to cover its production costs. Several critics found the movie too sentimental, although Bosley Crowther wrote that Stewart did a "warmly appealing job, indicating that he has grown in spiritual stature as well as in talent during

1431-593: A bit that he handles with characteristically engaging skill". MGM did not see leading-man material in Stewart, described by biographer Michael D. Rinella as a "lanky young bumpkin with a hesitant manner of speech." During this time, his agent Leland Hayward decided that the best path for him would be through loan-outs to other studios. Stewart had only a small role in his second MGM film, the hit musical Rose Marie (1936), but it led to his casting in seven other films within one year, from Next Time We Love to After

1590-410: A box-office flop. Soured by this failure, Stewart avoided the genre and would not make another Western for four years. Stewart's collaboration with Hitchcock ended the following year with Vertigo (1958), in which he starred as an acrophobic former policeman who becomes obsessed with a woman (Kim Novak) he is shadowing. Although Vertigo has later become considered one of Hitchcock's key works and

1749-786: A career as a stage actor making his Broadway debut in the play Carry Nation (1932). He landed his first supporting role in The Murder Man (1935) and had his breakthrough in Frank Capra 's ensemble comedy You Can't Take It with You (1938). Stewart went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the George Cukor romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), It's

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1908-539: A centre of strong Tory support during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, notwithstanding a brief rebellion led by Charles Duncombe . Consequently, the British government located its Ontario peninsular garrison there in 1838, increasing its population with soldiers and their dependents, and the business support populations they required. London was incorporated as a town in 1840. On 13 April 1845,

2067-467: A college graduate and a licensed commercial pilot. Stewart received his commission as a second lieutenant on January 1, 1942. After enlisting, Stewart made no new commercial films, although he remained under contract to MGM. His public appearances were limited to engagements for the Army Air Forces. The Air Corps scheduled him on network radio with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy , and on

2226-473: A corporation, Patron Inc., to produce the film. Stewart portrayed a photographer, loosely based on Robert Capa , who projects his fantasies and fears onto the people he observes out his apartment window while on hiatus due to a broken leg and comes to believe that he has witnessed a murder. Limited by his wheelchair, Stewart had to react to what his character sees with mostly facial responses. Like Mann, Hitchcock uncovered new depths to Stewart's acting, showing

2385-442: A critical favorite over the ensuing decades. Stewart was billed above John Wayne in posters and the trailers, but Wayne received top billing in the film itself. Stewart, Wayne, and Ford also collaborated for a television play that same year, Flashing Spikes (1962), for ABC 's anthology series Alcoa Premiere , albeit featuring Wayne billed with a television pseudonym, "Michael Morris", (also used for Wayne's brief appearance in

2544-476: A decade earlier. He and co-star Simone Simon were miscast, and the film was a critical and commercial failure. William Boehnel of the New York World-Telegram called Stewart's performance emotionless, and Eileen Creelman of The New York Sun wrote that he made little attempt to look or sound French. Stewart's next film, The Last Gangster (1937) starring Edward G. Robinson , was also

2703-694: A director of the Motion Picture Relief Fund . He was a member of Robert M. Allan 's campaign committee in 1925, while Allan was seeking reelection to the Los Angeles City Council . Charles succeeded Joseph M. Schenck as president of the Association of Motion Pictures Producers, a subsidiary of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , in 1925. The Christie brothers purchased

2862-461: A distinct sense of place . In 1897, London West was annexed to London. London's eastern suburb, London East, was (and remains) an industrial centre, which also incorporated in 1874. It was founded as Lilley's Corners by Charles Lilley in 1854. Oil was discovered in the Petrolia area and Lilley's Corners was chosen as the refining site because it was close to the railroad. The Ontario Car Works,

3021-543: A distinctive voice on the Lux Radio Theater , The Screen Guild Theater , and other shows. So well-known had his slow drawl become that comedians began impersonating him. Stewart and Sullavan reunited for two films in 1940. The Ernst Lubitsch romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner starred them as co-workers who cannot stand each other but unknowingly become romantic pen-pals. It received good reviews and

3180-633: A failure, but it was followed by a critically acclaimed performance in Navy Blue and Gold (1937) as a football player at the United States Naval Academy . The film was a box-office success and earned Stewart the best reviews of his career up to that point. The New York Times wrote "the ending leaves us with the conviction that James Stewart is a sincere and likable triple-threat man in the [MGM] backfield" and Variety called his performance "fine". Despite good reviews, Stewart

3339-645: A few comedy scripts and was paid $ 15 for both of the one-reel ideas. Al aided in establishing the Nestor Film Company in Los Angeles in 1911, and Universal Pictures began distributing all of their films in 1913. The Christie Film Company was formed on January 6, 1916, and Al purchased the Blondeau Tavern for $ 15,000. The company's films were distributed by Universal and Carl Laemmle gave it $ 5,000 to aid in its establishment. Al wanted

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3498-421: A fire destroyed much of London, which was then largely constructed of wooden buildings. One of the first casualties was the town's only fire engine. The fire burned nearly 30 acres (12 ha) of land, destroying 150 buildings, before it burned itself out later that day. One fifth of London was destroyed in the province's first million-dollar fire. John Carling , Tory MP for London, gave three events to explain

3657-486: A heart attack. He had an estate worth only $ 2,597 (equivalent to $ 30,485 in 2023), with $ 1,697 in cash and $ 900 in personal property, and it was inherited by Charles. Charles died in Beverly Hills, on October 1, 1955; he gave his housekeeper of thirty years over $ 250,000 (equivalent to $ 2,843,478 in 2023) along with his house. She died in a car accident three months later. London, Ontario London

3816-528: A man who knows violence first-hand and struggles to control it. The Stewart–Mann collaborations laid the foundation for many of the Westerns of the 1950s and remain popular today for their grittier, more realistic depiction of the classic movie genre. In addition, Stewart starred in the Western radio show The Six Shooter for its one-season run from 1953 to 1954. He and Mann also collaborated on films outside

3975-770: A mixed use complex that blends retail, office, businesses, and education providers. Alongside Citi Cards Canada's offices, in November 2016, CBC announced plans to move its expanded operations into the building. There are many large Real Estate Development firms based in London which are active across Southwestern Ontario . These include Sifton Properties, Drewlo Holdings, Old Oak Properties, Tricar Developments, York Developments, Farhi Holdings and Westdell Developments. Combined, they own or operate over 300 million square feet of commercial and residential real estate . On 11 December 2009, Minister of State Gary Goodyear announced

4134-493: A new $ 11-million cargo terminal at the London International Airport . James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor, military aviator, and poet. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality he portrayed both on and off the screen, he epitomized

4293-464: A new hotel (Delta London Armouries, 1996) in its place, preserving the shell of the historic building. In the 1950s, two reserve battalions amalgamated and became London and Oxford Rifles (3rd Battalion), The Royal Canadian Regiment . This unit continues to serve today as 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment . The Regimental Headquarters of The Royal Canadian Regiment remains in London at Wolseley Barracks on Oxford Street. The barracks are home to

4452-406: A number of gardens and conservatories. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , London had a population of 422,324 living in 174,657 of its 186,409 total private dwellings, a change of 10% from its 2016 population of 383,822 . With a land area of 420.5 km (162.4 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,004.3/km (2,601.2/sq mi) in 2021. At

4611-475: A pacifist lawman alongside Marlene Dietrich , a saloon girl who falls in love with him. It was critically and commercially successful. TIME magazine wrote, "James Stewart, who had just turned in the top performance of his cinematurity as Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , turns in as good a performance or better as Thomas Jefferson Destry." Between films, Stewart had begun a radio career and had become

4770-411: A percentage of the profits. Stewart was also granted authority to collaborate with the studio on casting and hiring decisions. Stewart ended up earning about $ 600,000 for Winchester '73 , significantly more than his usual fee, and other stars quickly capitalized on this new way of doing business, which further undermined the decaying studio system . Stewart chose Mann to direct, and the film gave him

4929-951: A pilot when his father steered him towards Princeton. Stewart enrolled at Princeton in 1928 as a member of the class of 1932, majoring in architecture and becoming a member of the Princeton Charter Club . He excelled academically but also became attracted to the school's drama and music clubs, including the Princeton Triangle Club . Upon his graduation in 1932, he was awarded a scholarship for graduate studies in architecture for his thesis on an airport terminal design, but chose instead to join University Players , an intercollegiate summer stock company performing in West Falmouth, Massachusetts , on Cape Cod . Stewart performed in bit parts in

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5088-496: A platform to advertise and sell their services to those looking for voiceover work. Other tech companies located in London include AutoData, Carfax Canada , HRDownloads, Mobials, Northern Commerce and Paystone which recently raised $ 100M. The London Life Insurance Company was founded there, as was Canada Trust (in 1864), Imperial Oil , GoodLife Fitness , and both the Labatt and Carling breweries. The Libro Financial Group

5247-505: A protagonist confronting his fears and repressed desires. Although most of the initial acclaim for Rear Window was directed towards Hitchcock, critic Vincent Canby later described Stewart's performance in it as "grand" and stated that "[his] longtime star status in Hollywood has always obscured recognition of his talent." 1954 was a landmark year in Stewart's career in terms of audience success, and he topped Look magazine's list of

5406-735: A scientist in Koster's British production No Highway in the Sky , which was one of the first airplane disaster films ever made. Filmed in England, it became a box office success in the United Kingdom, but failed to attract audiences in the United States. Stewart took a small supporting role as a troubled clown in Cecil B. DeMille 's The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which went on to win

5565-680: A seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), orchestrated by talent scout Bill Grady, who had been tracking Stewart's career since seeing him perform in Princeton. His first Hollywood role was a minor appearance in the Spencer Tracy vehicle The Murder Man (1935). His performance was largely ignored by critics, although the New York Herald Tribune , remembering him in Yellow Jack , called him "wasted in

5724-502: A shattering emotional climax rendered by Stewart. Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News wrote that he "has one grand scene in which he demonstrates most effectively that he is something more than a musical comedy juvenile". For his next film, the romantic drama Seventh Heaven (1937), Stewart was loaned to 20th Century-Fox to play a Parisian sewer worker in a remake of Frank Borzage 's silent classic released

5883-473: A starring role in the Western Night Passage (1957), which had originally been slated as his ninth collaboration with Mann. During the pre-production, a rift developed between Mann and writer Borden Chase over the script, which Mann considered weak. Mann decided to leave the film and never collaborated with Stewart again. James Neilson replaced Mann, and the film opened in 1957 to become

6042-593: Is a city in southwestern Ontario , Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor . The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census . London is at the confluence of the Thames River and North Thames River, approximately 200 km (120 mi) from both Toronto and Detroit ; and about 230 km (140 mi) from Buffalo, New York . The city of London is politically separate from Middlesex County , though it remains

6201-655: Is also the site of the Flame of Hope, which is intended to burn until a cure for diabetes is discovered. London's role as a military centre continued into the 20th century during the two World Wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. In 1905, the London Armoury was built and housed the First Hussars until 1975. A private investor purchased the historic site and built

6360-468: Is centered on education , medical research , manufacturing , financial services , and information technology . London's university and hospitals are among its top ten employers. London lies at the junction of Highways 401 and 402 , connecting it to Toronto , Windsor , and Sarnia . These highways also make the Detroit-Windsor , Port Huron-Sarnia , and Niagara Falls border crossings with

6519-584: Is currently the eleventh-largest urban area in Canada , eleventh-largest census metropolitan area in Canada , and the sixth-largest city in Ontario. On Victoria Day , 24 May 1881, the stern-wheeler ferry SS Victoria capsized in the Thames River close to Cove Bridge in West London. Approximately 200 passengers drowned in the shallow river, making it one of the worst disasters in London's history, and

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6678-637: Is dominated by medical research , financial services , manufacturing , and information technology . Much of the life sciences and biotechnology related research is conducted or supported by the University of Western Ontario (partly through the Robarts Research Institute ), which adds about C$ 1.5 billion to the London economy annually. Private companies in the industry like PolyAnalytik , Alimentiv , KGK Sciences and Sernova are also based in London. The largest employer in London

6837-634: Is in a hosiery factory, and Arcane Digital moved into a 1930s industrial building in 2015. The Historic London Roundhouse, a steam locomotive repair shop built in 1887, is now home to Royal LePage Triland Realty, rTraction and more. Its redesign, which opened in 2015, won the 2015 Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Re-Use from the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. London is also home to StarTech.com , Diply , video game companies like Digital Extremes , Big Blue Bubble and Big Viking Games, and Voices.com , which provides voiceover artists

6996-513: Is now dubbed " The Victoria Day Disaster ". At the time, London's population was relatively low; therefore it was hard to find a person in the city who did not have a family member affected by the tragedy. Two years later, on 12 July 1883, the first of the two most devastating floods in London's history killed 17 people. The second major flood, on 26 April 1937, destroyed more than a thousand houses across London, and caused over $ 50 million in damages, particularly in West London. On 3 January 1898,

7155-455: Is responsible for spawning funnel clouds and the occasional tornado. Spring and autumn in between are not long, and winters are cold but with frequent thaws. Annual precipitation averages 1,011.5 mm (39.82 in). Its winter snowfall totals are heavy, averaging about 194 cm (76 in) per year, although the localized nature of snow squalls means the total can vary widely from year to year as do accumulations over different areas of

7314-665: Is the London Health Sciences Centre , which employs 10,555 people. Since the economic crisis of 2009, the city has transitioned to become a technology hub with a focus on the Digital Creative sector. As of 2016, London is home to 300 technology companies that employ 3% of the city's labour force. Many of these companies have moved into former factories and industrial spaces in and around the downtown core, and have renovated them as modern offices. For example, Info-Tech Research Group 's London office

7473-605: The New York Daily Mirror compared him to Stan Laurel in this melodramatic film, and Variety called his performance unfocused. Stewart became a major star when he was loaned out to Columbia Pictures to play the lead role in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938) opposite Jean Arthur . Stewart played the son of a banker who falls in love with a woman from a poor and eccentric family. Capra had recently completed several well-received films and

7632-490: The Air Force Reserve , and held various command positions until his retirement in 1968 as a brigadier general . Stewart remained unmarried until his 40s and was dubbed "The Great American Bachelor" by the press. In 1949, he married former model Gloria Hatrick McLean . They had twin daughters, and he adopted her two sons from her previous marriage. The marriage lasted until Gloria's death in 1994, and Stewart died of

7791-525: The Apache . Stewart's third film release of 1950 was the comedy The Jackpot ; it received critical acclaim and was commercially successful, but was a minor film in his repertoire and has largely been forgotten by contemporary critics and fans. In December 1950, the screen adaptation of Harvey was released, directed by Henry Koster and with Stewart reprising his stage role. With critics comparing his performance with Fay's, Stewart's performance as well as

7950-561: The Blackfriars Street Bridge , was constructed. It replaced a succession of flood-failed wooden structures that had provided the city's only northern road crossing of the river. A rare example of a wrought iron bowstring arch through truss bridge , the Blackfriars remains open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, though it was temporarily closed indefinitely to vehicular traffic due to various structural problems and

8109-736: The Civil War , and his father had served during both the Spanish–American War and World War I. After first being rejected for low weight in November 1940, he enlisted in February 1941. As an experienced pilot, he reported for induction as a private in the Air Corps on March 22, 1941. Soon to be 33 years old, he was over the age limit for Aviation Cadet training—the normal path of commissioning for pilots, navigators and bombardiers—and therefore applied for an Air Corps commission as both

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8268-769: The Metropolitan Studio in the 1920s and spent over $ 500,000 to soundproof it. Dangerous Females was the Christie's first sound film and they produced over fifty feature-length sound films in 1929. The Christie brothers opened the Christie Hotel , the first skyscraper and also the first luxury hotel in Hollywood, California in 1922. They owned the Christie Realty Building as well. The Christie brothers were financially ruined after

8427-821: The Shemp Howard comedy short Art Trouble (1934), filmed in Brooklyn , and acted in summer stock productions of We Die Exquisitely and All Paris Knows at the Red Barn Theater on Long Island . In the fall, he again received excellent reviews for his role in Divided by Three at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre , which he followed with the modestly successful Page Miss Glory and the critical failure A Journey By Night in spring 1935. Soon after A Journey By Night ended, Stewart signed

8586-610: The Sifton Bog , as well as some of the most agriculturally productive areas of farmland in Ontario. The Thames River dominates London's geography. The North and South branches of the Thames River meet at the centre of the city, a location known as "The Forks" or "The Fork of the Thames". The North Thames runs through the man-made Fanshawe Lake in northeast London. Fanshawe Lake was created by Fanshawe Dam, constructed to protect

8745-544: The Wall Street Crash of 1929 . The brothers used bank loans for real estate purchases and had $ 2.5 million in debts by 1932. They liquidated their assets, but were $ 70,000 short of the amount owed. The Horsley brothers paid the remainder of their debts. Charles started selling real estate and Al went to live in New York . Al established another film studio in 1932, with the backing of Atlas Corporation Studios and

8904-741: The census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the London CMA had a population of 543,551 living in 222,239 of its 235,522 total private dwellings, a change of 10% from its 2016 population of 494,069 . With a land area of 2,661.48 km (1,027.60 sq mi), it had a population density of 204.2/km (529.0/sq mi) in 2021. As per the 2021 census, the most common ethnic or cultural origins in London are English (21.9%), Scottish (17.4%), Irish (16.8%), Canadian (12.1%), German (9.3%), French (6.6%), Dutch (5.0%), Italian (4.5%), British Isles (4.3%), Indian (3.7%), Polish (3.6%), and Chinese (3.0%). Indigenous people made up 2.6% of

9063-660: The reserves of the United States Air Force after the Army Air Forces split from the Army in 1947. During active-duty periods, he served with the Strategic Air Command and completed transition training as a pilot on the B-47 and B-52 . Stewart was first nominated for promotion to brigadier general in February 1957; however, his promotion was initially opposed by Senator Margaret Chase Smith . At

9222-856: The " American ideal " in the mid-twentieth century. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the greatest American male actors . He received numerous honors including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1980, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1983, as well as the Academy Honorary Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom , both in 1985. Born and raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania , Stewart started acting while at Princeton University . After graduating, he began

9381-488: The 1900–1930 era. The London Technical and Commercial High School came under heavy attack from the city's social and business elite, which saw the school as a threat to the budget of the city's only academic high school, London Collegiate Institute. The Banting House , a National Historic Site of Canada, is where Frederick Banting developed the ideas that led to the discovery of insulin . Banting lived and practiced in London for ten months, from July 1920 to May 1921. London

9540-480: The 1950s, Stewart experienced a career renewal as the star of Westerns and collaborated on several films with director Anthony Mann . The first of these was the Universal production Winchester '73 (1950), which Stewart agreed to do in exchange for being cast in a screen adaptation of Harvey . It also marked a turning point in Hollywood, as Stewart's agent, Lew Wasserman , brokered an innovative deal with Universal, in which Stewart would receive no fee in exchange for

9699-399: The Academy Award for Best Picture. Critics were curious why Stewart had taken such a small, out-of-character role; he responded that he was inspired by Lon Chaney 's ability to disguise himself while letting his character emerge. In the same year, Stewart starred in a critically and commercially failed biopic, Carbine Williams (1952), and continued his collaboration with Mann in Bend of

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9858-434: The Air Force on May 31, 1968, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 60. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal . Stewart rarely spoke about his wartime service but did appear in an episode of the British television documentary series The World at War (1974), commenting on the disastrous 1943 mission against Schweinfurt , Germany. After his experiences in

10017-453: The First Hussars militia regiment as well. London annexed many of the surrounding communities in 1961, including Byron and Masonville, adding 60,000 people and more than doubling its area. After this amalgamation, suburban growth accelerated as London grew outward in all directions, creating expansive new subdivisions such as Westmount, Oakridge, Whitehills, Pond Mills, White Oaks and Stoneybrook. On 1 January 1993, London annexed nearly

10176-420: The Great Western Gasworks and the London Street Railroad all had their headquarters in Lilley's Corners. In 1872, Lilley's Corners became a village. It was annexed to London in 1885. Attaining the status of town in 1881, it continued as a separate municipality until concerns over expensive waterworks and other fiscal problems led to amalgamation in 1885. The southern suburb of London, including Wortley Village,

10335-402: The Guaranty Trust Company. He produced thirty-two films until he decided to leave the film industry in 1941. The brothers reunited and Al managed entertainment at the Douglas Aircraft Company 's factory in Santa Monica which featured Lucille Ball , Milton Berle , Bing Crosby , Duke Ellington , Gracie Fields , Bob Hope , Betty Hutton , Glenn Miller , and James Stewart during the time Al

10494-505: The Ojibwa. An Anishinaabeg community site was described as located near the forks of Thames River (Anishinaabe language: Eshkani-ziibi, "Antler River") in c.  1690 and was referred to as Pahkatequayang ("Baketigweyaang":"At the River Fork" (lit: at where the by-stream is)). Later, in the early 19th century, the Munsee-Delaware Nation (the Munsee are a subtribe of the Lenape or Delaware people), expelled from their homeland in Modern New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania after

10653-439: The Phoenix (1965) as well as the Western films How the West Was Won (1962), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). With his private pilot's skills, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II seeking combat duty and rose to be deputy commanding officer of the 2nd Bombardment Wing and commanding the 703d Bombardment Squadron from 1941 to 1947. He later transferred to

10812-460: The River (1952), which was a commercial and critical success. Stewart followed Bend of the River with four more collaborations with Mann in the next two years. The Naked Spur (1953) and The Far Country (1954) were successful with audiences and developed Stewart's screen persona into a more mature, ambiguous, and edgier presence. The films featured him as troubled cowboys seeking redemption while facing corrupt cattlemen, ranchers, and outlaws;

10971-482: The School of Military Instruction in London. Established by Militia General Order in 1865, the school enabled Officers of Militia or Candidates for Commission or promotion in the Militia to learn Military duties, drill and discipline, to command a Company at Battalion Drill, to Drill a Company at Company Drill, the internal economy of a Company and the duties of a Company's Officer. The school was not retained at Confederation, in 1867. In 1875, London's first iron bridge,

11130-410: The Thin Man . He also received crucial help from his University Players friend Margaret Sullavan , who campaigned for him to be her leading man in the Universal romantic comedy Next Time We Love (1936), filmed right after Rose Marie . Sullavan rehearsed extensively with him, boosting his confidence and helping him incorporate his mannerisms and boyishness into his screen persona. Next Time We Love

11289-413: The United States easily accessible. The city also has railway stations and bus stations and is home to the London International Airport . A series of archaeological sites throughout southwestern Ontario , named for the Parkhill Complex excavated near Parkhill , indicate the presence of Paleo-Indians in the area dating back approximately 11,000 years. Just prior to European settlement, the London area

11448-610: The University Players' productions in Cape Cod during the summer of 1932. The company's directors included Joshua Logan , Bretaigne Windust , and Charles Leatherbee, and amongst its other actors were married couple Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan , who became Stewart's close friends. At the end of the season, Stewart moved to New York with his Players friends Logan, Myron McCormick , and newly single Henry Fonda. Along with McCormick, Stewart debuted on Broadway in

11607-540: The Western Two Rode Together (1961), which had thematic echoes of Ford's The Searchers . The same year, he also narrated the film X-15 for the USAF. Stewart was considered for the role of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film adaptation of Harper Lee 's novel To Kill a Mockingbird , but he turned it down, concerned that the story was too controversial. Stewart and Ford's next collaboration

11766-425: The Western genre such as Thunder Bay (1953) and The Glenn Miller Story (1954), the latter a critically acclaimed biopic in which he starred opposite June Allyson. It earned Stewart a BAFTA nomination and continued his portrayals of 'American heroes'. Stewart's second collaboration with Hitchcock, the thriller Rear Window , became the eighth highest-grossing film of 1954. Hitchcock and Stewart also formed

11925-496: The Wilson Model School for primary school and junior high school. He was not a gifted student and received average to low grades. According to his teachers, this was not from a lack of intelligence, but due to being creative and having a tendency to daydream. Stewart began attending Mercersburg Academy prep school in the fall of 1923, because his father did not believe he would be accepted into Princeton (his father

12084-543: The academy was recompensing for not giving him the award the year prior. Moreover, Stewart's character was a supporting role, not the male lead. He gave the Oscar to his father, who displayed it at his hardware store alongside other family awards and military medals. Stewart next appeared in two comedies— Come Live with Me (1941), which paired him with Hedy Lamarr , and Pot o' Gold (1941), featuring Paulette Goddard —that were both box-office failures. Stewart considered

12243-543: The beginning of June 1945, Stewart was the presiding officer of the court martial of a pilot and navigator who accidentally bombed Zurich , Switzerland . Stewart returned to the United States in early fall 1945. He continued to play a role in reserve of the Army Air Forces after the war and was also one of the 12 founders of the Air Force Association in October 1945. Stewart eventually transferred to

12402-460: The betrayed boyfriend of the leading lady, portrayed by Jean Harlow and Janet Gaynor , respectively. Both films garnered him some good reviews. After an appearance in the short subject Important News (1936), Stewart had his first top-billed role in the low-budget "B" movie Speed (1936), in which he played a mechanic and speed driver competing in the Indianapolis 500 . The film

12561-468: The brief run of Carry Nation and a few weeks later – again with McCormick – appeared as a chauffeur in the comedy Goodbye Again , in which he had a walk-on line. The New Yorker commented, "Mr. James Stewart's chauffeur... comes on for three minutes and walks off to a round of spontaneous applause." Following the seven-month run of Goodbye Again , Stewart took a stage manager position in Boston , but

12720-431: The building's construction were fined $ 400,000, with The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development declaring the companies had failed to "provide proper information, instruction and supervision, specifically on the use of proper concrete measuring techniques on the project." The area was formed during the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age , which produced areas of marshland , notably

12879-523: The casualties of the economic crisis in 2011, the site will soon be home to a major Amazon distribution center employing 2,000 workers by 2023. London's city centre mall was first opened in 1960 as Wellington Square with 400,000 sq ft (37,000 m ) of leasable area, with Eaton's and Woolworths as anchors. From 1986 to 1989, Campeau expanded Wellington Square into Galleria London with 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m ) of leasable area and 200 stores including The Bay and Eaton's. However,

13038-449: The chief administrator of the area, who oversaw the land surveying and built the first government buildings for the administration of the western Ontario peninsular region. Together with the rest of southwestern Ontario, the village benefited from Talbot's provisions not only for building and maintaining roads but also for assignment of access priorities to main routes to productive land. Crown and clergy reserves then received preference in

13197-623: The city. GDLS has a 14-year $ 15-billion deal to supply light armored vehicles and employs over 2,400 people. McCormick Canada , formerly Club House Foods, was founded in 1883 and currently employs more than 600 Londoners. A portion of the city's population work in factories outside of the city limits, including the General Motors automotive plant CAMI , and a Toyota plant in Woodstock . A Ford plant in Talbotville became one of

13356-439: The city. Some of the snow accumulation comes from lake effect snow and snow squalls originating from Lake Huron, some 60 km (37 mi) to the northwest, which occurs when strong, cold winds blow from that direction. From 5 December 2010, to 9 December 2010, London experienced record snowfall when up to 2 m (79 in) of snow fell in parts of the city. Schools and businesses were closed for three days and bus service

13515-468: The comedy to the show...In addition, he contributes some of the most irresistible romantic moments." His performance earned him his only Academy Award in a competitive category for Best Actor, beating out Henry Fonda, for whom he had voted and with whom he had once roomed, both almost broke, in the early 1930s in New York. Stewart himself assessed his performance in Mr. Smith to be superior and believed

13674-570: The company to produce an equal amount of westerns and comedies, but Charles convinced him to focus on comedies. Charles was the vice-president and general manager of the company. They ended their distribution agreement with Universal moving to Educational Pictures in 1919. From 1927 to 1928, the company's films were distributed by Paramount Pictures and then by Columbia Pictures after Paramount canceled its contract. Their films starred Betty Compson , Dorothy Devore , Lloyd Hamilton , Al St. John , Fay Tincher , and other actors. Charles served as

13833-578: The county seat. London and the Thames were named after the English city and river in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe , who proposed the site for the capital city of Upper Canada . The first European settlement was between 1801 and 1804 by Peter Hagerman. The village was founded in 1826 and incorporated in 1855. Since then, London has grown to be the largest southwestern Ontario municipality and Canada's 11th largest metropolitan area , having annexed many of

13992-612: The creation of the United States . The Oneida Nation of the Thames , Chippewas of the Thames First Nation , and Munsee-Delaware Nation reserves are located south-west of the city. The current location of London was selected as the site of the future capital of Upper Canada in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe , who also named the village which was founded in 1826. Originally, Simcoe had proposed to call it Georgiana , in honour of George III ,

14151-489: The critics. The New York Times noted, " The Stratton Story was the best thing that has yet happened to Mr. Stewart in his post-war film career...he gives such a winning performance that it is almost impossible to imagine any one else playing the role." Stewart's other 1949 release saw him reunited with Spencer Tracy in the World War II film Malaya (1949). It was a commercial failure and received mixed reviews. In

14310-533: The development of London in a 1901 speech: the location of the court and administration in London in 1826, the arrival of the military garrison in 1838, and the arrival of the railway in 1853. The population in 1846 was 3,500. Brick buildings included a jail and court house, and large barracks. London had a fire company, a theatre, a large Gothic church, nine other churches or chapels, and two market buildings. The buildings that were destroyed by fire in 1845 were mostly rebuilt by 1846. Connection with other communities

14469-526: The downriver areas from the catastrophic flooding which affected the city in 1883 and 1937. London has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ), with modestly warm summers, and cold and cloudy winters with frequent snow. Because of its location in the continent, London experiences large seasonal contrast, tempered to a point by the surrounding Great Lakes . The proximity of the lakes also ensure abundant cloud cover, particularly in late Fall and Winter. The summers are usually warm to hot and humid, with

14628-542: The downstream rivers. Financing for this project came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Other natural disasters include a 1984 tornado that led to damage on several streets in the White Oaks area of South London. On 11 December 2020, a partially-constructed apartment building just off of Wonderland Road in southwest London collapsed, killing two people and injuring at least four others. In January 2024, both Oxford County companies involved in

14787-457: The early 1990s recession, following by the bankruptcy of Eaton's in 1999 and then the departure of The Bay in 2000 resulted in only 20 stores left by 2001. Galleria London then began seeking non-retail tenants, becoming the home for London's central library branch, and satellite campuses for both Fanshawe College and Western University . The complex was purchased and renamed to Citi Plaza by Citigroup in 2009. Citi Plaza has been redeveloped as

14946-491: The entire township of Westminster , a large, primarily rural municipality directly south of the city, including the police village of Lambeth . With this massive annexation, which also included part of London township , London almost doubled in area again, adding several thousand more residents. In the present day, London stretches south to the boundary with Elgin County , north and east to Fanshawe Lake , north and west to

15105-408: The family business, the J. M. Stewart and Company Hardware Store, which he hoped Stewart would take over as an adult after attending Princeton University, as was the family tradition. Raised a Presbyterian by his deeply religious father, Stewart was a devout churchgoer for much of his life. Stewart's mother was a pianist, and music was an important part of family life. When a customer at the store

15264-525: The film itself received mixed reviews. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "so darling is the acting of James Stewart [...] and all the rest that a virtually brand-new experience is still in store for even those who saw the play", while Variety called him "perfect" in the role. John McCarten of the New Yorker stated that although he "doesn't bring his part to the battered authority of Frank Fay...he nevertheless succeeds in making plausible

15423-488: The first films about the new science of public opinion polling . It was poorly received both commercially and critically. Stewart appeared in four new film releases in 1948. Call Northside 777 was a critically acclaimed film noir , while the musical comedy On Our Merry Way , in which Stewart and Henry Fonda played jazz musicians in an ensemble cast, was a critical and commercial failure. The comedy You Gotta Stay Happy , which paired Stewart with Joan Fontaine ,

15582-399: The first version, Hitchcock himself considered his remake superior. Stewart's next film, Billy Wilder 's The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), saw him star as his young adulthood hero, Charles Lindbergh . It was a big-budget production with elaborate special effects for the flying sequences, but received only mixed reviews and did not earn back its production costs. Stewart ended the year with

15741-570: The floor of the assembly hall at London City Hall collapsed, killing 23 people and leaving more than 70 injured. Testimony at a coroner's inquest described the wooden beam under the floor as unsound, with knots and other defects reducing its strength by one fifth to one third. After repeated floods, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority in 1953 built Fanshawe Dam on the North Thames to control

15900-517: The idea of redefining his screen persona through the Western genre. In the film, Stewart is a tough, vengeful sharpshooter, the winner of a prized rifle that is stolen and passes through many hands, until the showdown between him and his brother. Winchester '73 became a box-office success upon its summer release and earned Stewart rave reviews. He also starred in another successful Western that summer, Broken Arrow (1950), which featured him as an ex-soldier and Native American agent making peace with

16059-544: The latter to be the worst film of his career. His last film before military service was the musical Ziegfeld Girl (1941), which co-starred Judy Garland , Hedy Lamarr , and Lana Turner . It was a critical failure, but also one of the best box-office performers of the year. Stewart became the first major American movie star to enlist in the United States Army to fight in World War II. His family had deep military roots: both of his grandfathers had fought in

16218-473: The latter was not well-received: The New York Times stated that his "singing and dancing will (fortunately) never win him a song-and-dance-man classification", and Variety called "his singing and dancing [...] rather painful on their own", although it otherwise found Stewart aptly cast in an "assignment [that] calls for a shy youth". Stewart's last film to be released in 1936, After the Thin Man , features

16377-660: The major banks. Industries included several tanneries, oil refineries and foundries, four flour mills, the Labatt Brewing Company and the Carling brewery in addition to other manufacturing companies such as EMCO Wheaton . Both the Great Western and Grand Trunk railways had stops here. Several insurance companies also had offices in the city. The Crystal Palace Barracks , an octagonal brick building with eight doors and forty-eight windows built in 1861,

16536-493: The more inclusive "London West", it remained a separate municipality until ratepayers voted for amalgamation with London in 1897, largely due to repeated flooding. The most serious flood was in July 1883, which resulted in serious loss of life and property devaluation. This area retains much original and attractively maintained 19th-century tradespeople's and workers' housing, including Georgian cottages as well as larger houses, and

16695-532: The most knowing and engaging young actors appearing on the screen at present". Stewart's third film release of 1938, the First World War  drama The Shopworn Angel , saw him collaborate again with Margaret Sullavan. In his performance, Stewart drew upon his own feelings of unrequited love towards Sullavan, who was married to his agent, Leland Hayward . Although the film was otherwise well-received, critics were mixed about Stewart. Bland Johaneson of

16854-407: The most-popular movie stars, displacing rival Western star John Wayne . Stewart continued his successful box-office run with two collaborations with Mann in 1955. Strategic Air Command paired him again with June Allyson in a Cold War   Stewart took a central role in its development, using his experiences from the air force. Despite criticism for the dry, mechanistic storyline, it became

17013-526: The notion that Harvey, the rabbit, would accept him as a pal." Stewart later stated that he was dissatisfied with his performance, stating, "I played him a little too dreamily, a little too cute-cute." Despite the film's poor box office performance, Stewart received his fourth Academy Award nomination as well as his first Golden Globe nomination. Similar to It's a Wonderful Life , Harvey achieved popularity later, after frequent television showings. Stewart appeared in only one film released in 1951, playing

17172-561: The official languages, 98% of the population reported knowing English and 7.2% French. In 2021, 48.8% of the population identified as Christian , with Catholics (21.5%) making up the largest denomination, followed by United Church (4.7%), Anglican (4.4%), Orthodox (2.0%), Presbyterian (1.5%), Baptist (1.4%), and other denominations. 37.2% of the population reported no religious affiliation. Others identified as Muslim (8.4%), Hindu (2.1%), Sikh (1.0%), Buddhist (0.9%), Jewish (0.5%), and with other religions. London's economy

17331-637: The point of being neurotic, thoughtful to the point of being tongue-tied", describing him as "particularly gifted in expressing the emotional ambivalence of the action hero". Stewart won the New York Film Critics Circle award and received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Stewart's last screen appearance of 1939 came in the Western Destry Rides Again , in which he portrayed

17490-472: The political comedy-drama Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . Stewart played an idealist thrown into the political arena. It garnered critical praise and became the third-highest-grossing film of the year. The Nation stated "[Stewart] takes first place among Hollywood actors...Now he is mature and gives a difficult part, with many nuances, moments of tragic-comic impact." Later, critic Andrew Sarris qualified Stewart's performance as "lean, gangling, idealistic to

17649-655: The population, with most being First Nations (1.9%). Ethnocultural backgrounds in the city included European (68.7%), South Asian (6.5%), Arab (5.3%), Black (4.2%), Latin American (3.0%), Chinese (2.9%), Southeast Asian (1.4%), Filipino (1.4%), West Asian (1.3%), and Korean (1.0%). The 2021 census found English to be the mother tongue of 71.1% of the population. This was followed by Arabic (3.7%), Spanish (2.7%), Mandarin (1.6%), Portuguese (1.3%), French (1.1%), Polish (1.1%), Korean (0.8%), Punjabi (0.8%), Malayalam (0.8%), and Urdu (0.7%). Of

17808-523: The radio program We Hold These Truths , a celebration of the United States Bill of Rights , which was broadcast a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor . Stewart also appeared in a First Motion Picture Unit short film, Winning Your Wings , to help recruit airmen. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942, it appeared in movie theaters nationwide beginning in late May 1942 and resulted in 150,000 new recruits. Stewart

17967-617: The reigning monarch at that time. It did not become the capital Simcoe envisioned. Rather, it was an administrative seat for the area west of the actual capital, York (now Toronto). The London Township Treaty of 1796 with the Chippewa ceded the original town site on the north bank of the Thames (then known as the Escunnisepe ) to Upper Canada. London was part of the Talbot Settlement , named for Colonel Thomas Talbot ,

18126-602: The rest of Ontario. In 1814, the Battle of Longwoods took place during the War of 1812 in what is now Southwest Middlesex , near London. The retreating British Army were staying at Hungerford Hill when they were attacked by the Kentucky Mounted Riflemen. In 1827, a settlement was started Bryon when Cyrenius Hall built a gristmill. In 1832, the new settlement suffered an outbreak of cholera . London proved

18285-416: The role of a Nietzsche -loving philosophy professor. The film's screenwriter Arthur Laurents also stated that "the casting of [Stewart] was absolutely destructive. He's not sexual as an actor." Stewart found success again with The Stratton Story (1949), playing baseball champion Monty Stratton  opposite June Allyson . It became the sixth highest-grossing film of 1949 and was well received by

18444-444: The screen with Carole Lombard . Stewart blamed its directing and screenwriting for its poor box-office performance. Regardless, the film received favorable reviews, with Newsweek writing that Stewart and Lombard were "perfectly cast in the leading roles". The other two films, The Ice Follies of 1939 and It's a Wonderful World , were critical failures. In Stewart's fourth 1939 film, he worked with Capra and Arthur again in

18603-522: The show", yet the film was again not a box-office success. Stewart's final film to be released in 1940 was George Cukor 's romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story , in which he played an intrusive, fast-talking reporter sent to cover the wedding of a socialite ( Katharine Hepburn ) with the help of her ex-husband ( Cary Grant ). The film became one of the largest box-office successes of the year and received widespread critical acclaim. The New York Herald Tribune stated that "Stewart...contributes most of

18762-562: The sixth highest-grossing film of 1955. Stewart's final collaboration with Mann in the Western genre, The Man from Laramie , one of the first Westerns to be shot in CinemaScope , was well received by the critics and audiences alike. Following his work with Mann, Stewart starred opposite Doris Day in Hitchcock's remake of his earlier film The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). The film was another success. Even though critics preferred

18921-509: The smaller communities that surround it. London is a regional centre of healthcare and education, being home to the University of Western Ontario (which brands itself "Western University"), Fanshawe College , and three major hospitals: Victoria Hospital , University Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital. The city hosts a number of musical and artistic exhibits and festivals, which contribute to its tourism industry, but its economic activity

19080-557: The story of Elwood P. Dowd, a wealthy eccentric, whose best friend is an invisible man-sized rabbit and whose relatives are trying to get him committed to a mental asylum. Stewart gained a following in the unconventional play, and although Fay returned to the role in August, they decided that Stewart would take his place again the next summer. Stewart's only film to be released in 1947 was the William A. Wellman comedy Magic Town , one of

19239-586: The third-tier football team due to his slender physique. Stewart also made his first onstage appearance at Mercersburg, as Buquet in the play The Wolves in 1928. During summer breaks, he returned to Indiana, working first as a brick loader and then as a magician's assistant. Due to scarlet fever that turned into a kidney infection, he had to take time out from school in 1927, which delayed his graduation until 1928. He remained passionate about aviation, with his interest enhanced by Charles Lindbergh 's first solo transatlantic flight, but abandoned visions of becoming

19398-642: The time of the nomination, the Washington Daily News noted: "He trains actively with the Reserve every year. He's had 18 hours as first pilot of a B-52." On July 23, 1959, Stewart was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the highest-ranking actor in American military history. During the Vietnam War , he flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission in February 1966. He served for 27 years, officially retiring from

19557-639: The township of Middlesex Centre (the nearest developed areas of it being Arva to the north and Komoka to the west) and east to Nilestown and Dorchester. The 1993 annexation, made London one of the largest urban municipalities in Ontario. Intense commercial and residential development is presently occurring in the southwest and northwest areas of the city. Opponents of this development cite urban sprawl , destruction of rare Carolinian zone forest and farm lands, replacement of distinctive regions by generic malls, and standard transportation and pollution concerns as major issues facing London. The City of London

19716-626: The university, and was not annexed until 1961. Broughdale was named after Reverend Charles C. Brough, the Anglican Archdeacon of London who settled there in 1854. Broughdale started to grow when it was connected to the London Street Railroad in 1901, leading to a real estate bubble. A post office was opened in Broughdale on 1 July 1904 with Charles Watlers as postmaster. Broughdale was initially named Brough, but

19875-477: The war, Stewart considered returning to Pennsylvania to run the family store. His former agent, Leland Hayward, had also left the talent business in 1944 after selling his roster of stars, including Stewart, to Music Corporation of America (MCA). Stewart decided not to renew his MGM contract and instead signed a deal with MCA. He later stated that he was given a new beginning by Frank Capra, who asked him to star in It's

20034-540: The years he was in the war", and President Harry S. Truman concluded that "If [my wife] and I had a son we'd want him to be just like Jimmy Stewart [in this film]." In the decades since its release, It's a Wonderful Life has grown to define Stewart's film persona and is widely considered a Christmas classic, and according to the American Film Institute, is one of the 100 best American movies ever made. Andrew Sarris stated that Stewart's performance

20193-402: Was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). A classic psychological Western, the picture was shot in black-and-white film noir style at Ford's insistence, with Stewart as an East Coast attorney who goes against his non-violent principles when he is forced to confront a psychopathic outlaw ( Lee Marvin ) in a small frontier town. The complex film initially garnered mixed reviews but became

20352-623: Was a box-office success and received mostly positive reviews, leading Stewart to be noticed by critics and MGM executives. Time stated that "the chief significance of [the film] in the progress of the cinema industry is likely to reside in the presence in its cast of James Stewart", and The New York Times called him "a welcome addition to the roster of Hollywood's leading men". Stewart followed Next Time We Love with supporting roles in two commercially successful romantic comedies, Wife vs. Secretary (1936) with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy and Small Town Girl (1936). In both, he played

20511-555: Was a box-office success in Europe, but failed to find an audience in the US, where less-gentle screwball comedies were more popular. Director Lubitsch assessed it to be the best film of his career, and it has been regarded highly by later critics, such as Pauline Kael and Richard Schickel . The drama The Mortal Storm , directed by Frank Borzage , featured Sullavan and Stewart as lovers caught in turmoil upon Hitler 's rise to power. It

20670-466: Was a critical and commercial failure, although Frank Nugent of The New York Times stated that "Mr. Stewart [and the rest of the cast] perform as pleasantly as possible." Stewart's last three film releases of 1936 were all box-office successes. He had only a bit part in The Gorgeous Hussy , but a starring role in the musical Born to Dance with Eleanor Powell . His performance in

20829-493: Was a member of the class of 1898) if he attended public high school. At Mercersburg, Stewart participated in a variety of extracurricular activities. He was a member of the track team (competing as a high jumper under coach Jimmy Curran ), the art editor of the school yearbook, a member of the glee club , and a member of the John Marshall Literary Society. To his disappointment, he was relegated to

20988-412: Was also critically successful, but while Variety wrote that the performances of Stewart and Arthur garnered "much of the laughs", most of the critical acclaim went to Lionel Barrymore and Edward Arnold . In contrast to the success of You Can't Take It With You , Stewart's first three film releases of 1939 were all commercial disappointments. In the melodrama Made for Each Other (1939), he shared

21147-429: Was by road, using mainly stagecoaches that ran daily. A weekly newspaper was published and mail was received daily by the post office. Two villages named Petersville and Kensington once stood where downtown London now is. Petersville was founded by Samuel Peters in 1853. Kensington was founded around about 1878. Petersville and Kensigton were amalgamated on 4 March 1881 to form London West. On 1 January 1855, London

21306-586: Was cancelled after the second day of snow. The highest temperature ever recorded in London was 41.1 °C (106 °F) on 6 August 1918. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −32.8 °C (−27 °F) on 9 February 1934. London has a number of parks. Victoria Park in downtown London is a major centre of community events, attracting an estimated 1 million visitors per year. Other major parks include Harris Park, Gibbons Park, Fanshawe Conservation Area ( Fanshawe Pioneer Village ), Springbank Park , White Oaks Park and Westminster Ponds. The city also maintains

21465-513: Was collectively known as "London South". Never incorporated, the South was annexed to the city in 1890, although Wortley Village still retains a distinct sense of place . The area started to be settled in the 1860s. In 1880, Polk's Directory called London South "a charming suburb of the City of London.". By contrast, the settlement at Broughdale on the city's north end had a clear identity, adjoined

21624-472: Was concerned that his celebrity status would relegate him to duties behind the lines. After spending over a year training pilots at Kirtland Army Airfield in Albuquerque, New Mexico , he appealed to his commander and in November 1943 was sent to England as part of the 703d Bomb Squadron to fly B-24 Liberators . He was based initially at RAF Tibenham , before moving to RAF Old Buckenham . Stewart

21783-536: Was convinced to continue acting when he was cast in the lead role of Yellow Jack , playing a soldier who becomes the subject of a yellow fever experiment. It premiered at the Martin Beck Theater in March 1934. Stewart received unanimous praise from the critics, but the play proved unpopular with audiences and folded by June. During the summer, Stewart made his film debut with an unbilled appearance in

21942-537: Was fading, and a new wave of actors, including Marlon Brando , Montgomery Clift , and James Dean , would soon remake Hollywood. Stewart returned to making radio dramas in 1946; he continued this work between films until the mid-1950s. He also made a comeback on Broadway to star in Mary Coyle Chase 's Harvey in July 1947, replacing the original star Frank Fay for the duration of his vacation. The play had opened to nearly universal praise in 1944 and told

22101-449: Was fifty years old at the time and had begun wearing a silver hairpiece in his movies. Consequently, Hitchcock cast Cary Grant in his next film, North by Northwest (1959), a role Stewart wanted; Grant was four years older than Stewart but photographed much younger. Stewart's second 1958 film release, the romantic comedy Bell, Book and Candle (1958), also paired him with Kim Novak, with Stewart later echoing Hitchcock in saying that he

22260-667: Was fired after frequently missing his cues. Returning to New York, he then landed a small part in Spring in Autumn and a role in All Good Americans , where he was required to throw a banjo out of the window. Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote, "Throwing a $ 250 banjo out of the window at the concierge is constructive abuse and should be virtuously applauded." Both plays folded after only short runs, and Stewart began to think about going back to his studies. Stewart

22419-598: Was founded in London 1951 and is the second largest credit union in Ontario and employs over 600 people. Downtown London is also home to major satellite offices for each of the Big Five banks of Canada , particularly TD Bank which employees 2,000 people, and the digital challenger bank VersaBank is also headquartered in the city. The headquarters of the Canadian division of 3M are in London. General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) builds armoured personnel carriers in

22578-571: Was hospitalized. RKO initially wanted to replace Stewart, but eventually the project was canceled. However, Rogers' success in a stage musical caused the film to be picked up again. Stewart was recast in Vivacious Lady at Rogers' insistence and due to his performance in Of Human Hearts . It was a critical and commercial success, and showed Stewart's talent for performing in romantic comedies; The New York Herald called him "one of

22737-490: Was incorporated as a city (10,000 or more residents). In the 1860s, a sulphur spring was discovered at the forks of the Thames River while industrialists were drilling for oil . The springs became a popular destination for wealthy Ontarians, until the turn of the 20th century when a textile factory was built at the site, replacing the spa. Records from 1869 indicate a population of about 18,000 served by three newspapers, churches of all major denominations and offices of all

22896-408: Was looking for a new type of leading man. He had been impressed by Stewart's role in Navy Blue and Gold (1937). According to Capra, Stewart was one of the best actors ever to hit the screen, understood character archetypes intuitively, and required little directing. You Can't Take It With You became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and won the Academy Award for Best Picture . The film

23055-430: Was miscast as 25-year-old Novak's romantic partner. The film and Stewart's performance received poor reviews and resulted in a box office failure. However, according to film scholar David Bingham, by the early 1950s, "Stewart's personality was so credible and well-established", that his choice of role no longer affected his popularity. Stewart ended the decade with Otto Preminger 's realistic courtroom drama Anatomy of

23214-515: Was offered a job as the stage manager for Liebler and Company and accepted it on the condition that his brother Al also be given a job. They worked for the organization for three years. Charles joined the film industry after being hired as an accountant for the Nestor Film Company . William Horsley said that "I wonder if we would have survived as a viable industry had not Charles Christie arrived to put our finances in order". Al presented

23373-529: Was once again reopened to vehicular traffic 1 December 2018. The Blackfriars, amidst the river-distance between the Carling Brewery and the historic Tecumseh Park (including a major mill), linked London with its western suburb of Petersville, named for Squire Peters of Grosvenor Lodge. That community joined with the southern subdivision of Kensington in 1874, formally incorporating as the municipality of Petersville. Although it changed its name in 1880 to

23532-551: Was one of the first blatantly anti- Nazi films to be produced in Hollywood, but according to film scholar Ben Urwand , "ultimately made very little impact" as it did not show the persecution experienced by Jews or name that ethnic group. Despite being well received by critics, it failed at the box office. Ten days after filming The Mortal Storm , Stewart began filming No Time for Comedy (1940) with Rosalind Russell . Critics complimented Stewart's performance; Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called Stewart "the best thing in

23691-484: Was one of the top money-making stars for ten years, appearing in the top ten in 1950, 1952–1959, and 1965. He topped the list in 1955. Stewart opened the new decade by starring in the war film The Mountain Road (1960). To his surprise, it was a box office failure, despite his claims that it was one of the best scripts he'd ever read. He began a new director collaboration with John Ford , making his debut in his films in

23850-644: Was promoted to major following a mission to Ludwigshafen , Germany, on January 7, 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions as deputy commander of the 2nd Bombardment Wing , the French Croix de Guerre with palm, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters . Stewart was promoted to full colonel on March 29, 1945, becoming one of the few Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years. At

24009-509: Was ranked the greatest film ever made by the Sight & Sound critics' poll in 2012, it was met with unenthusiastic reviews and poor box-office receipts upon its release. Regardless, several critics complimented Stewart for his performance, with Bosley Crowther noting, "Mr. Stewart, as usual, manages to act awfully tense in a casual way." Hitchcock blamed the film's failure on Stewart being too old to convincingly be Novak's love interest: he

24168-449: Was renamed Broughdale in 1906 because it sounded better. In 1924, the University of Western Ontario was founded in the former Broughdale. After the founding of the university, Broughdale became more like a city and less like a village. Broughdale was incorporated as a village in 1930. In 1961, Broughdale was annexed to London. Ivor F. Goodson and Ian R. Dowbiggin have explored the battle over vocational education in London, Ontario, in

24327-478: Was still a minor star, and MGM remained hesitant to cast him in leading roles, preferring to loan him out to other studios. After a well-received supporting part in Of Human Hearts (1938), he was loaned to RKO to act opposite Ginger Rogers in the romantic comedy Vivacious Lady (1938). The production was shut down for months in 1937 as Stewart recovered from an undisclosed illness, during which he

24486-632: Was the manager. Al said that "Very few of our negatives or prints survived" as they "couldn't afford to keep that old emulsion film in the cold storage it needed to survive". He produced over seven hundred films before his retirement. Al married Shirley Collins in 1911, but they later divorced. In 1925, the Christie brothers and their film company paid $ 31,654.43 (equivalent to $ 549,958 in 2023) in income taxes. Al retired after World War II and Charles retired in 1950. Al died in Beverly Hills, California on April 14, 1951, three days after suffering

24645-506: Was the most successful of his post-war films up to that point. Rope , in which Stewart played the idolized teacher of two young men who commit murder to show their supposed superiority, began his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock . Shot in long "real-time" takes, Stewart felt pressure to be flawless in his performance; the added stress led to him sleeping very little and drinking more heavily. Rope received mixed reviews, and Andrew Sarris and Scott Eyman have later called him miscast in

24804-550: Was the site of several Attawandaron , Odawa , and Ojibwe villages. The Lawson Site in northwest London is an archaeological excavation and partial reconstruction of an approximately 500-year-old Neutral Iroquoian village, estimated to have been home to 2,000 people. These groups were driven out by the Iroquois by c.  1654 in the Beaver Wars . The Iroquois abandoned the region some 50 years later, driven out by

24963-412: Was unable to pay his bill, Stewart's father accepted an old accordion as payment. Stewart learned to play the instrument with the help of a local barber. His accordion became a fixture offstage during his acting career. A shy child, Stewart spent much of his time after school in the basement working on model airplanes, mechanical drawings, and chemistry—all with a dream of going into aviation. He attended

25122-472: Was underappreciated by critics of the time, who could not see "the force and fury" of it, and considered his proposal scene with Donna Reed , "one of the most sublimely histrionic expressions of passion". Stewart later named the film his personal favorite out of his filmography. In the aftermath of It's A Wonderful Life , Capra's production company went into bankruptcy, while Stewart continued to have doubts about his acting abilities. His generation of actors

25281-653: Was used for events such the Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West held in London that year. It was visited by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn , Governor-General John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar and Prime Minister John A. Macdonald . Long before the Royal Military College of Canada was established in 1876, there were proposals for military colleges in Canada. Staffed by British Regulars, adult male students underwent three-month-long military courses from 1865 at

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