James Stewart - Top 10 Best Performances

Holy Mackerel!! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, & Happy New Year!!!
Here are the Top 10 Best Performances of One of My Personal Favorite Actors Ever: Jimmy Stewart.
He has inspired me ever since I was a kid and he continues to reinvigorate my spirit with his natural touch to every character he has played.
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WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PERFORMANCES OF THE RICHEST MAN IN TOWN??
COMMENT BELOW!!

[@agalo3631]

How can you beat “It’s a Wonderful Life”!?!

[@raoularmagnac2037]

You just can't! It's the GREATEST movie EVER made! 😍😁🥰

[@celinhabr1]

I love Jimmy Stewart so bloody much. Great video. And truly, it's so hard to pick 10 best for him...so many fantastic.

[@bravehome4276]

Thank you for your eloquent and heart-felt review! One of your best! We are very close in our admiration of Jimmy. My only difference is Jimmy is my favorite actor from ANY era of Hollywood. Jimmy really used to piss off Hank. Hank would focus, study, contemplate, rehash his performance(s) for agonizing hours. In contrast, he said Jimmy would just show up and nail a performance on his first take. Jimmy was a natural. Interestingly, the only fight Hank and Jimmy had (physical too) was about politics. They agreed never to bring it up between them again, which is how they remained life-long friends. Jimmy’s ability to transform a role from a likeable fella to psychotic villain was first displayed in his supporting role in 1936’s After the Thin Man. He could achieve this transformation like no other. To create the hoarseness for his final scene in Mr. Smith, Jimmy shouted loudly for hours to wear out his voice. Worth it! P.S. those letters he read at the end were worse than forged, they were a testimony to the influence of slanted media on a gullible public (ring any bells?) Jimmy questioned the importance of acting during production of It’s a Wonderful Life. Having experienced the horror of WWII (slight correction, he was a bomber pilot, not a fighter pilot), he was suffering from what we would now call PTSD as you mentioned and had recurring nightmares throughout the movie. It was Lionel Barrymore (who plays the villain Potter) who convinced him of the importance and positive impact entertainment could have on people. The film ultimately had a healing impact on Jimmy, and he was able to resume his career. Interesting trivia, Stewart was nervous about his phone/kiss with Donna Reed (again, PTSD influenced). Capra knew this, so did not allow them to rehearse the scene at all. The take we see in the movie was the first take, as they both played beautifully off each other for that memorable scene. Just a personal note, I watched It’s a Wonderful Life with my daughter this Christmas. It was her first time (she's 38). She’s usually very taciturn (especially when we watch the classics) but was laughing and gripping her chair throughout this one, and was of course sobbing with good tears at the end. Still powerful after all these years.

[@loilt5091]

Jimmy's my favourite actor, ever ✅️ His range and command, usually playing the common man, that so many could relate to...nobody like him, just look at that resume. 🇨🇦

[@chriswilson4112]

What a great video. You spoke eloquently about Mr. Stewart. I'm liking your channel more and more as I make my way through this "binge" watch! lol Interesting your comment about Stewart keeping his politics personal. I agree. Also interesting is his famous friendship with Fonda, a Democrat to Stewart's Republican. Which reminds me of the countless stars I've heard of the Democrat persuasion commenting how much they liked and respected John Wayne even though they did not share his political stance. I wish there were more of this courtesy and consideration currently in this country. Tolerance of thought, politically and otherwise. And perhaps discretion and the idea that being a famous actor/actress doesn't make you qualified to speak intelligently on all subjects. The right, yes. The understanding, not necessarily. But I digress. I too love It's a Wonderful Life. I had the good fortune to do a stage presentation of It's A Wonderful Life playing George. The setup is that actors are giving a radio show of the story. The plot is almost exactly the same with some minor deviations. I told the director I felt I did a good Stewart impersonation & should I use it? She said yes, so I did. It was tons of fun to do. I'm glad you noted the zoomed in closeup of George in Martini's bar. The "magnified" closeup. I do believe they actually did that by filming the film. Watching the film you'll see at that closeup the film becomes slightly erratic and/or grainier. (Not that I need to tell YOU that! LOL) The small degradation of the clearness is worth it to get a great shot of Stewart's turmoil. It has probably the tightest script I've ever seen with so many references in the movie tie-ing into storyline and plot later on in the movie. My personal favorite line from the movie happens early on, when "child" Mary leans over and whispers into George's "bad" ear: "George Bailey I'll love you to the day I die". Gets me every time. And I'm SO glad you mentioned Shenandoah a film I will never forget. I recall seeing that movie as a child and the tragedy of it all was on the Greek scale. A movie I have not seen often but has stayed with me my whole life. And of course Vertigo. Jimmy is great in it. As a child I didn't like it and for years wouldn't watch it. Till I finally decided to give it another go and realized what a masterpiece it is. SUCH a visual movie. And Stewart was perfectly cast. Now this may sound mean, but Kim Novak I think was also perfectly cast but because her character is a lie. An illusion. A beautiful, alluring cipher. It's all surface with Novak in this movie which is as it should be. Stewart's character imbues her with the meaning. So that's why I say Novak is perfect in this movie. And of course, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I used the quote " I"m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause" as my high school yearbook quote. I loved the quote but in retrospect so not appropriate because while I was focusing on the idea of high school being a lost cause, there was no way I was sticking around to do anything about it! HA! And to top it all off, the yearbook wrote MRS SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON in error. I was so angry!

[@levin448]

Fabulous review and narration. So well done!

[@donniehuynh2391]

I'm surprised that The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) didn't get a single mention in this video. One of my favorite films starring Jimmy Stewart mainly because of the premise of a crew stranding in the desert and having to build a new plane out of the parts of a crashed one.

[@Borella309]

And my guilty pleasure is "Dear Brigitte" 1965, just a fun enjoyable movie all round. Jimmy Stewart was superb in everything, though maybe everything he was in was not quite superb! This list is pretty well on the money - great work!

[@johnbowers1118]

What a great list!! You hit the nail on the head. The westerns, the Hitchcock fillms, the early cllassics. So glad you included The shop around the corner and as honorable mention Rope.

[@acdragonrider]

His character is just so impeccable. I hate how messed up relationships are in Hollywood not to mention everyday life and Stewart was just married for life to his wife and loved her. What an upstanding guy.

[@davegauvin7234]

It's a Wonderful Life, should have WON THE ACADEMY AWARD! ❤

[@raoularmagnac2037]

Thank you so VERY MUCH for making this WONDERFUL video! Jimmy Stewart is also my FAVORITE actor - of all time! Not only that, but It's a WONDERFUL Life is also my VERY favorite movie of all time! He was such a WONDERFUL actor! And this is such a WONDERFUL movie! 😍💖🥰

[@raoularmagnac2037]

I just love your Jimmy Stewart impression! It was VERY good! VERY "IMPRESSIVE! "👍 Get it? Get it? Get it? 😉

[@fitzspike]

Great list!

[@Katorri]

Cinematography was so effective in It's a wonderful life

[@dylanreid3]

Great content , watched this video and the Raul Julia one. Look forward to watching more. Now I have to find out how to stream some of these movies!

[@mojo500100]

Glad I came across this CFL compilation, and I continue to be impressed with the presentation and narration (your “Stewart touch” in this one adds whimsically to the experience.) I bought “Shop Around the Corner” recently on streaming, and finally got the elusive “Mortal Storm” on dvd. If you can buy Stewart as a German, it’s well-acted with his old pal Sullavan.

[@nancydemoss2945]

Tall, lean, slow talking. He was so much like my beloved Grandpa.

[@donnareed1015]

Love Him!!! Such a great actor!!! Would love for you do a segment on Donna Reed😉

[@biganimefan84]

Great top 10! I...very respectively disagree with certain placements. It's a Wonderful Life is a GREAT movie. But I do consider it a tad overrated personally. And Best Years of Our Lives blows it out of the water. Especially for 1946. If I ever did a top 10 with things for KZbin content, I would also do 5 "Hidden Gems" along with it! My 5 Hidden Gems for Jimmy Stewart 5. Seventh Heaven 4. Take Her She's Mine 3. The Mortal Storm 2. Cheyenne Social Club 1. Carbine Williams Honorable mention After the Thin Man

[@cliftonwebb3295]

I agree about It’s a Wonderful Life. For me it’s just a good film with a great performance from Jimmy Stewart, but no way as brilliant or as moving as The Best Years of Our Lives ( obviously not with Stewart but I’m agreeing with you it’s a better film )

[@biganimefan84]

​@cliftonwebb3295 Yeah, first time I saw it, I could see why it swept the Oscars that year. Subject material was far more relevant and honestly...better acted. Not that It's a Wonderful Life was poorly acted (not by a long shot), Best Years was just better.

[@paulakpacente]

I'm with you on most of your choices, but I would dump "Harvey" for "You Can't Take It With You" or "Winchester 73".

[@raoularmagnac2037]

By the way, I just have one slight correction to make. Jimmy Stewart didn't rise to the rank of Colonel. He actually became a Brigadier General! 🤩

[@bravehome4276]

You’re both right. Jimmy was promoted to Colonel near the end of the second world war. He then joined the reserves, and was promoted to brigadier general in 1959, becoming the highest ranked actor in American military history.

[@amossmith6215]

you're missing a certain edge to the voice. But still better than I could do.

[@paulakpacente]

Thank you for not faking Stewart's voice. As I've said for YEARS: "There is no substitute for the real thing":.

[@biganimefan84]

Just realized I didn't actually do my top 10. Here they are; 10. Vertigo 9. The Shop Around the Corner 8. The Man Who Knew Too Much 7. Shenandoah 6. Anatomy of a Murder 5. Broken Arrow 4. Harvey 3. The Philadelphia Story 2. It's a Wonderful Life 1. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Honorable mentions The FBI Story The Stratton Story The Flight of the Phoenix Glenn Miller Story The Spirit of St. Louis Winchester '73 Ziegfeld Girl You Can't Take It With You The Naked Spur Mr. Kruger's Christmas So, with my "Hidden Gems" that was technically a top 25+1 short. Honorable mentions...such a great way to BEND the rules!! 😀

[@theclassicfilmloversguide1871]

Oh Love Them All!! Haha, at least You can bend your own rules!