# Proof That Jimmy Stewart was one of the Coolest People on the Planet
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 16, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850 "2007-08-16T20:25:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/21 "2007-08-17T05:07:05Z")
Well, that’s the whole humor of the thing — imagining Jimmy Stewart opposite his normal character.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/22 "2007-08-17T09:14:58Z")
[QUOTE=astorian]
It gets better- Stewart tried to enlist in the Army Air Corps, but was turned down because he was deemed too skinny.
Many guys would have been delighted by rejection, while others would have shrugged and said “I tired,” before going back to a safe career in Hollywood. Instead, Stewart went on a muscle-building and weight gain regimen, and re-applied several weeks later. THIS time, he was accepted.
[/QUOTE]
It should be noted that Jimmy enlisted _before_ Pearl Harbor, AFAIK, he was the only Hollywood actor to do so (many of them became actors _after_ the war, or joined after PH). I saw an interview with someone who was in Stewart’s squadron during WWII and they said that Stewart _never_ took the “easy” missions, even though the brass would have been happy to let him.
He landed at least one movie role because of his service in WWII. I don’t remember the name of the film, but it was a Western where he’s tracking a killer cross country, before finally killing him at the end (which is when you learn that he was Stewart’s brother). The studio didn’t want to use Stewart in the role, since they didn’t think that he’d be believable in the role (“Too nice.”). The director proceeded to describe Stewart’s military service during the war, concluding with words to the effect of, “If the guy can do all of _that_, then surely he can be believable in this role.”
I don’t know, but suspect, that his service also played a part in him starring in _Strategic Air Command_. Funnily enough, June Alliyson who played his wife in that film, was married to a Hollywood director, who was shooting _The Conquerer_ with John “I feel this Tartar wuh-man is fer me, and my blood says, 'TAKE HER!” Wayne at the time.
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/23 "2007-08-17T09:18:49Z")
I’m missing something — what’s the funny part?
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/24 "2007-08-17T09:22:21Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon]
I’m missing something — what’s the funny part?
[/QUOTE]
Have you ever _seen_ _The Conquerer_?
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/25 "2007-08-17T09:25:36Z")
It just seems irrelevant to _Strategic Air Command_.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/26 "2007-08-17T09:38:01Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon]
It just seems irrelevant to _Strategic Air Command_.
[/QUOTE]
Well, there’s the Powell/Allyson connection and while _SAC_ seems dated, it is nowhere near as jaw droppingly bad as _The Conquerer_ is.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/27 "2007-08-17T11:04:30Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan]
It should be noted that Jimmy enlisted _before_ Pearl Harbor, AFAIK, he was the only Hollywood actor to do so (many of them became actors _after_ the war, or joined after PH).
[/QUOTE]
Are you restricting yourself to American actors here? LTC David Niven comes to mind.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/28 "2007-08-17T11:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz]
Are you restricting yourself to American actors here? LTC David Niven comes to mind.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I’m restricting it to us Yanks. WWII began _before_ Pearl Harbor, so for a Canuck or Yurpeen actor to enlist before PH isn’t such a big deal, unless, of course, they did it before a certain paperhanging sonuvabitch decided to annex Poland. Not to besmirch the service of _any_ who served during that war, mind you, but before PH, most of America was focused on staying _out_ of WWII.
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/29 "2007-08-17T13:33:51Z")
My dad got to meet and shake Jimmy Stewarts hand once during some AirForce function in the early 50’s.
I remember hearing Jane Fonda relate a story of how one Christmas when she was very little, she heard someone on the roof on Christmas Eve. Very excited to she rushed to the window to see ‘uncle’ Jimmy, dressed as Santa, and a little drunk, on her roof with a big bag of toys.
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### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/30 "2007-08-17T14:58:48Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise]
Im n ur kokpit, bommin ur krowtz.
[/QUOTE]
You owe me a new keyboard!
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/31 "2007-08-17T15:50:15Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga]
Why did Dana Carvey portray him as such a mean old guy? I can’t find it on YouTube, but I remember an SNL skit that had the “real ending” of _It’s a Wonderful Life_, wherein he leads an angry mob to Mr. Potter’s bank and personally kicks the old guy to death.
It was funny, but seemed almost blasphemous.
[/QUOTE]
I think you kinda answered your own question there, he did it because it was funny, and it was funny because it was so out of character (both of JS and the character he was playing).
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### Author:  [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/32 "2007-08-17T16:02:54Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog]
You owe me a new keyboard!
[/QUOTE]
And I spit water all over my monitor. Damn it… 😃
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/33 "2007-08-17T16:25:45Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah]
_Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn’t drag.
He’d dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I’d grab him, he’d turn and bite me._
[/QUOTE]
He wrote that one on a piece of toilet paper, after waking up in a puddle of his own sick.
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### Author:  [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/34 "2007-08-17T17:33:03Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise]
Im n ur kokpit, bommin ur krowtz.
[/QUOTE]
I’m so going to hell for laughing at this.
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### Author:  [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/35 "2007-08-17T17:43:34Z")
[QUOTE=MN\_Maenad]
I’m so going to hell for laughing at this.
[/QUOTE]
Save me a spot willya?
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/36 "2007-08-17T19:15:17Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise]
Im n ur kokpit, bommin ur krowtz.
[/QUOTE]
This is my new personal motto.
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/37 "2007-08-17T19:25:44Z")
Could someone explain the joke?
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### Author:  [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/38 "2007-08-17T19:38:28Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon]
Could someone explain the joke?
[/QUOTE]
**Astorian** said: _others would have shrugged and said “I tired,”_
I made a joke over that sounding like a lolcat caption.
**Cervaise** swung at my hanging curveball and knocked it into the cheap seats. 😛
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### Author:  [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/39 "2007-08-17T20:06:38Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp]
**Astorian** said: _others would have shrugged and said “I tired,”_
I made a joke over that sounding like a lolcat caption.
**Cervaise** swung at my hanging curveball and knocked it into the cheap seats. 😛
[/QUOTE]
To belabour:
Lolcats, if you haven’t seen them, are pictures of (generally) cats with (generally) pithy or ironic captions using the sort of poor spelling and grammar you might expect from a cat who has only marginally learned English. They tend to be evocative rather than grammatically correct. One of the common captions has to do with an in-joke from Something Awful, I think, for which the punchline is “im in ur base killin ur guyz” (or, in other words, “I’m in your base killing your guys.”)
So:
“Im n ur kokpit, bommin ur krowtz.”
“I’m in your cockpit, bombing your Krauts.”
Implying that the cat was a fighter pilot bombing, ah, German soldiers. Yes, kraut is a mean and naughty word and despite that rather commonly used in WW2 to refer in a derogatory manner to Germans. I suppose it would have been a little less offensive to make this “Im in ur kokpit, bommin ur nossies”, but A) I think some of the impact of the joke is added with the use of the archaic slur, B) I can only mildly imagine Jimmy Stewart calling someone a Kraut, C) It would have made me laugh even harder because of a hard to explain inside joke.
There. I’ve successfully made that joke not funny at all. 😃
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### Author:  [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-that-jimmy-stewart-was-one-of-the-coolest-people-on-the-planet/415850/40 "2007-08-17T20:13:44Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian]
Oddly enough, I just saw “Rear Window” for the first time last night, playing on the big screen at the Arclight.
[/QUOTE]
Complete highjack. I haven’t been to the Arclight since I visited my friend in LA years ago and we saw, “Master and Commander: The far side of the world.”. Does that incredibly hot redhead cashier still work there? To this day, meeting her was my favorite memory of that trip.
Oh, anyway, yes…Jimmy Stewart is awesome.
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