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110-519: Initially offered only as a hardtop coupe, the Adventurer was DeSoto's top- trim level car, replacing the Custom . A convertible was added to the model range in 1957, and a four-door hardtop and sedan in its final year of 1960. Introduced in 1956 as a sub-series of the top level DeSoto Fireflite series, the Adventurer was originally marketed as a limited production two-door hardtop, and available in

220-475: 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

330-573: 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

440-408: 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 ,

550-487: 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

660-425: 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

770-593: 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

880-410: 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

990-467: 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

1100-473: 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

1210-442: 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

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1320-476: 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

1430-543: 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

1540-633: 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

1650-443: A limited edition model, the Adventurer was the top trim model range for the two series DeSoto line-up for 1960. Ram induction was reintroduced on models with the quad-four carburetor. This was also the only year that the car came in a variety of colors instead of its traditional white-black and gold combination. Total sales for the Adventurer line posted its best effort with 11,597 models produced. Rumors began circulating that Chrysler

1760-528: 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

1870-475: 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

1980-415: A particular vehicle also depend on any options packages or individual options that the car was ordered with. For a given car model , the trim level denotes which equipment and features are included as standard. A car buyer may add to this standard equipment with trim packages or individual options. The trim level with the least equipment/features is referred to as the "base model," and the trim level with

2090-411: 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

2200-951: 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

2310-505: 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

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2420-735: 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

2530-680: 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

2640-502: 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

2750-415: A standard, which became available for DeSoto as an option mid-year. Like the 1956 car, the 1957 Adventurer was powered by Chrysler's high output V8 , which was now up four cubic inches to 345 bhp (257 kW). Equipped with dual four barrel carburetors, the engine developed one horsepower per cubic inch displacement. For 1957, 1,950 units were produced, including 300 convertibles. The 1958 Adventurer

2860-473: 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

2970-525: A trim level; therefore, the distinction between a model and trim level can vary between brands. For example, Volkswagen could choose to market the Golf GTi either as a standalone model, or as a trim level within the Golf model. Manufacturers sometimes offer "delete options," with which several standard items of equipment from a certain trim level may be deleted, typically for free or with a credit. Sometimes,

3080-441: A white/black/gold color scheme only. The first Adventurer came with a hi-output 341 cubic inch Hemi V8 , dual exhausts and custom appointments and trim. Standard trim included dual outside side mirrors, gold wheel covers, radio, electric clock, padded instrument panel, windshield washers, full instrumentation, safety door locks, and heavy-duty suspension. A total of 996 cars were sold in its first year. Specifications For 1957,

3190-399: A word (e.g., Executive, Ambition or Deluxe). Many of the letter combinations have their origins in named trim levels, with DX and DL meaning "Deluxe," GL "Grand Luxe," SE "Special Edition," GT "Gran Turismo," and so on. In North America, long-running designations for high-performance trim levels include Chevrolet's " SS " (first introduced on the 1961 Impala ) and Ford's "GT" (first used on

3300-605: 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

3410-978: 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 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

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3520-1026: 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 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

3630-490: 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

3740-525: 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

3850-792: 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

3960-821: 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

4070-660: 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

4180-537: 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

4290-496: The 1958 film Vertigo . The eponymous characters of the Sam & Max franchise traditionally drive a black-and-white 1960 DeSoto Adventurer hard-top squad car . Some video games in the franchise have instead featured an open-top model to better accommodate gameplay. Trim package Trim levels are used by manufacturers to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features. The equipment and features fitted to

4400-651: The 1965 Mustang ). General Motors also uses alphanumeric coding to denote handling packages installed on performance vehicles, such as " Z28 " on the Camaro , the Buick GS , or the Oldsmobile 442 , and currently uses the designation "Z71" on the Suburban and Tahoe (for Silverado/Sierra trucks, it is a package, though it was a separate trim from 2004–2005 and 2014–2018). Some manufacturers have consistently used

4510-511: 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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4620-639: The Adventurer received Chrysler's forward look design along with other divisional cars. A convertible also joined the two-door hardtop, and again color choices were limited to the black-white and gold color theme. The car debuted in December 1956 as a hardtop, and to rave reviews, foremost among them was Mechanix Illustrated Automobile Editor Tom McCahill who proclaimed the DeSoto as being the best styled of all of Chrysler's makes for 1957. A convertible debuted in February 1957. Most Adventurers had dual headlights as

4730-658: 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

4840-609: 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

4950-512: 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;

5060-522: 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

5170-610: 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

5280-540: 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

5390-425: 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

5500-496: 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

5610-543: 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

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5720-543: 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

5830-460: 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

5940-468: 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

6050-468: 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

6160-489: 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

6270-528: The delete option costs extra: for example, in the 1980s, German luxury car buyers began to pay manufacturers extra not to have the badges indicating the type of engine to be installed. Debadging went on to gain popularity across the market, both as a form of reverse snobbery while also allowing buyers to obscure lower-spec models or trim. Trim levels are often designated by a pair of letters; for example, DX, LX, LS, EX, GL, SE, or GT. They can also be designated an alphanumeric code (e.g., Z28, XR5, GT3), or using

6380-408: 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

6490-525: 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

6600-488: 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 ,

6710-399: 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

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6820-517: 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

6930-544: 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

7040-417: 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

7150-406: The midst of a sales free-fall, and all series production was off brand-wide. Restyled for 1959, the DeSoto's look began to take on more traits of the up-market Chrysler . The new model year was introduced in October 1958. The Adventurer again was limited in its color schemes, and came with the most standard features of any DeSoto automobile (though the radio became an option). The car was powered by

7260-457: The most equipment/features is referred to as "highest specification" or colloquially as "fully loaded." Differences between trim levels typically consist of interior equipment (e.g., leather seats and reversing cameras) and cosmetic changes; however, a trim level can sometimes include mechanical changes such as different engines, suspension, or all-wheel-drive systems. Some car brands use a different car model for what could be instead considered

7370-532: 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

7480-407: 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

7590-526: 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

7700-574: 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

7810-472: 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

7920-523: 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

8030-416: 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

8140-689: The same word for the highest trim level on several models. For example, Nissan used the word "Brougham" as the highest trim level on both the Cedric and Gloria . The "Brougham" designation as a trim level originated in the North American (U.S.) market; it was originally a body style . Manufacturers sometimes sell bundles of options as an options package, usually at a discounted price compared with buying each option individually. Common options packages currently include: James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997)

8250-444: 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

8360-489: The seat back, the Hiway Hifi that played RCA Victor 45rpm records, and Unibody construction. In Desoto's final year of 1961, dealers would offer a single car line, available in two body styles. Chrysler announced the end of the DeSoto in November 1960, with production lasting just long enough to deplete supplies of DeSoto trim on hand. A 1956 DeSoto Firedome Sportsman was driven by James Stewart 's character Scottie in

8470-522: 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

8580-562: 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

8690-557: 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

8800-586: 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

8910-698: 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

9020-402: The units proved troublesome and were an expensive option so very few Adventurers were sold with them. Those not equipped with the unit received the dual-quad carburetors. The shortened model year, combined with the effects of the 1958 recession dropped Adventurer production down to 432 units, 350 hardtops and 82 convertibles, a 78 percent drop in sales compared to 1957. However DeSoto itself was in

9130-477: 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

9240-410: The wedge head 383 V8, tuned to 350 bhp (260 kW) at 5,000 R.P.M. 687 units, 590 hardtops and 97 convertibles, were produced for 1959, up from 1958, but not significantly enough to help stem the forty percent drop to DeSoto's divisional sales. New was the standard swivel out seats . For its final year, the Adventurer lost its convertible but gained a four-door hardtop and sedan. Instead of being

9350-540: 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

9460-402: 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

9570-623: 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

9680-555: 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

9790-466: 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

9900-493: 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

10010-412: 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

10120-536: 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 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

10230-532: Was an update to the all-new styling that car received in 1957. Along with the annual trim changes, the car also received a new grille with a mesh insert, plus dual headlights with slightly revised openings. The cars debuted at the Chicago auto show in January 1958. The Hemi engine was no longer available, instead, a 361 cubic inch wedge head was used. DeSoto offered fuel injection (produced by Bendix Corporation ),

10340-472: 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

10450-536: 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

10560-588: 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

10670-449: 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

10780-667: 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

10890-571: 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

11000-408: 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

11110-430: 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

11220-551: 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

11330-484: 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

11440-644: 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

11550-509: 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

11660-540: Was ready to kill the DeSoto and customers reacted by buying other makes of cars. Also hurting DeSoto was its design, nearly identical to the Chrysler Windsor , except for the grille and the blade styled tail lights. Consumers purchased the Windsor without the fear that it would be an orphan like the DeSoto was soon bound to be. New was dual speed rear window defoggers, a drivers seat with five more inches added to

11770-478: 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

11880-506: 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

11990-412: 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

12100-472: 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

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