James Stewart: Hollywood movie star, war hero and magician

-
As the festive season approaches, families around the world will be settling in to watch some classic Christmas movies. Among more modern selections, many will revisit It's a Wonderful Life. Routinely voted to be one of the greatest films of all time, this 1946 film stars American actor James Maitland Stewart (1908-1997). 

James Stewart (c1948)
(Source: Creative Commons Licence)

When Stewart was growing up in Indiana (Pennsylvania, USA) he was good friends with Bill Neff. By his mid-teens, Neff was a budding magician and the pair developed a magic act. They built many of their own tricks and illusions, with help from Stewart's father who ran a hardware store. Stewart interned as Neff's assistant, later becoming a magician in his own right. The pair's magical career was helped, briefly, by magician Jack Gwynne. "He was my first director," Stewart later said.

James Stewart (seated) with Bill Neff
(Source: Public domain)

Another photograph of James Stewart (left) with Bill Neff
(Source: Potter and Potter Auctions)

Stewart joined the International Brotherhood of Magicians magic society in late 1938 and contributed several tricks to magic magazines.

Notice of James Stewart's application for membership of the International Brotherhood of Magicians
(Source: The Linking Ring)

A letter and tricks written by James Stewart in The Jinx magazine, No. 57, June 1939
(Source: The Jinx)

Over time, Stewart chose acting over magic but remained close to Neff and the pair joined up for occasional fundraising performances.

James Stewart and Bill Neff, Allied Relief Fund Benefit show poster (1940)
(Source: Public domain)

Bill Neff (left) performs a decapitation illusion, assisted by James Steward (c1940)
(Source: Potter and Potter Auctions)

After achieving success in theatre roles Stewart moved into films. He was talent scouted to contract for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) by Al Altman, himself a veteran magician. By the late 1930s Stewart had emerged as one of Hollywood’s leading men. 

When World War Two started, he sacrificed his acting career to join the military. In February 1941, Stewart became the first major America movie star to enlist in the United States Army. He joined as a Private soldier. But, as a qualified commercial pilot, he was soon granted an officer's commission in the United States Army Air Corps.

James Stewart undergoing finger printing to join the US Army, 22 March 1941
(Source: Public domain)

After enlisting, Stewart made no new commercial films. However, he appeared in several radio and film projects for the Army Air Force. These included a short film, Winning Your Wings, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942. Shown in cinemas in mid-1942, it resulted in 150,000 new recruits.

Stewart became a heavy bomber pilot and served in the UK, flying B-24 Liberators on combat missions over Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe. 

B-24 Liberator (heavy bomber)
(Source: Creative Commons)

For his bravery during these missions, he twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross; three times received the Air Medal; and once received the Croix de Guerre from France. This latter medal was an award given by France and Belgium to individuals allied with themselves who distinguished themselves with acts of heroism.

Colonel Stewart receiving the Croix de Guerre (with Palm) in 1944
(Source: Public domain)

In March 1945, Stewart was promoted to the rank of Colonel, becoming one of the few Americans to ever rise from the rank of Private to Colonel in only four years.

After the war, he resumed his acting career. His first post-war film was It's a Wonderful Life, for which he earned a Best Actor nomination, reestablishing himself as a Hollywood favourite. James Stewart went on to appear in another fifty feature films over a career which spanned seven decades.

Stewart kept up his magic skills on the side and would regularly perform at parties.  

He also carried on serving his country, joining the US Air Force Reserve after World War Two ended. During the Vietnam War, he flew on a B-52 bombing mission. Stewart reached the rank of Brigadier General and finally retired from the Air Force in 1968, at the age of 60, after 27 years of service.

His other military awards included the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

James M. Stewart
(Source: Public domain)

Not to be confused with the Canadian magician Stewart James (1908-1996), who was the same age as James Stewart. Stewart James was one of the most prodigious inventors of magic in the 20th Century, and a prolific author, having honed his craft performing for Allied troops during World War Two. Perhaps in a future blog, I'll look at Stewart James' wartime contribution.

Research supported by The Good Magic Award from The Good Thinking Society.




*** AVAILABLE NOW ***



The Colditz Conjurer tells the amazing true story of Flight Lieutenant Vincent ‘Bush’ Parker, Battle of Britain pilot and prisoner-of-war magician.

Written by the Magic at War team, The Colditz Conjurer is a remarkable tale of perseverance, courage and cunning in the face of adversity. It features over 55 original photographs and maps. 129 pages.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Magic at the movies

-
Image
During wartime, cinema remained an extremely popular pastime. In Britain alone, between 25 and 30 million cinema tickets were sold each week.  Movies provided war-weary audiences an escape from the turbulence and sacrifice of war, while also providing an opportunity for nations to boost morale, through government-funded propaganda films.  The epic American film  Gone With The Wind  (1940) was the smash hit of the war, but British films such as  In Which We Serve  (1942) and  Millions Like Us  (1943) were also highly successful.     Magic-related plots, scenes, or magician characters were a steady feature in films released during World War Two. Here's a selection : The Magician's Daughter (1938). Playing in British cinemas in the summer of 1939, as war was breaking out across Europe, The Magician's Daughter is a 'movie short' made by MGM Pictures.  Billed as a "miniatu re musical" the title character falls in love with a magazine reporter. When the magazi
Read more

Entertaining Hitler: Gogia Pasha, the gilly-gilly man (and war worker)

-
Image
Gogia Pasha (1910-1976) fooled the world by pretending to be an Egyptian for most of his career. In fact, he was born Danpat Rai Gogia in British India.  Gogia originally trained as a doctor and had studied medicine in Cairo and Edinburgh. But, he abandoned medicine to turn to the stage. Donning a turban and a set of brightly coloured robes, Gogia adopted the persona of a 'gilly-gilly' (or ‘gali-gali’) man, after the Egyptian slang for magic.    He became an established act, touring internationally with a large troupe, mostly his family; and even appearing in several movies.   According to historian John Zubrzycki: “ Gogia’s shows combined comedy, comment and humorous patter with tricks, and incorporated dancers between sets. His signature acts included cups and balls, producing live chickens from his mouth and a levitation feat where his assistant was placed upon the points of three swords, two of which were removed, leaving only one under her neck to support her ”.   Gogia Pa
Read more

Miss Blanche: 'The Lady Magician' uses magic to survive Nazi experiments

-
Image
This is the amazing survival story of Miss Blanche (aka Ruth Iris Wachsmann) who was one of the leading female magicians in pre-war Europe. An expert manipulator, she headlined in venues across the continent, until war intervened... Ruth Iris Wachsmann was a German Jew. Born in Berlin in 1910, she first trained as a ballerina. In her mid-teens, after seeing a performance by Austro-Hungarian magician Larette (Cornelius Hauer), she switched from dancing to magic. Wachsmann became Larette's student and she learned the art of manipulation. She could manipulate billiard balls and playing cards, but showed special aptitude for cigarette manipulation. Miss Blanche, performing cigarette manipulation, 1936 (Source: Artefake) Inspired by a brand of cigarettes designed to appeal to female smokers by the Rotterdam-based Vittoria Egyptian Cigarette Company, she adopted the stage name Miss Blanche. Larette was sponsored by Miss Blanche cigarettes and helped promote Wachsmann as another act to ma
Read more

The Magician of Stalag Luft III (Part 3)

-
Image
Part 3 of a three-part blog telling the compelling story of John Casson, magician, navy pilot, and Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war. His part in The Great Escape and how magic and performing helped him and others survive captivity. In this part, Casson's arrives at Stalag Luft III, where he becomes a leading producer of camp entertainment, continues sending coded messages to M.I.9 and supports The Great Escape. The Stalag Luft III commandant provides an additional introduction to this blog, with this quote: “The [POWs] were always pitting their brains against our camp systems, more or less on the lines of each man being an individual magician working out a trick to escape. This meant that in the camps we were faced with a lot of brainy young conjurors who had plenty of time in which to work out their various tricks against us…”  Showtime   In early April 1942, Lieutenant Commander John Casson was transferred to Stalag Luft III, a newly built  Luftwaffe -sponsored prisoner-of-war (P
Read more

"Don't be fright!": radio magician's catchphrase helps reassure the nation

-
Image
Sirdani was the most popular magician to entertain on British radio during World War Two.  Over the airwaves, he entertained millions of people, bringing  light   relief  to dark times. Although he played the role of an Egyptian gilly-gilly man, Sirdani's real name was Sid Daniels. He was born in Mile End, London in 1899. World War One broke out when Daniels was 16 years old.  Like many others, he enlisted by falsifying his age. He went on to serve in three campaigns, in West Africa, German East Africa and France.  A keen amateur magician, Daniels used to mystify his fellow soldiers in the trenches with his tricks. It was when shells came whining over just as he was in the middle of a particularly interesting bit of magic that he originated his famous phrase, "Don't be fright" . After his discharge from the army, Daniels took up magic full-time. He adopted the name Sirdani and the persona of an Egyptian gilly-gilly man.   Early in his career he performed Yogi type eff
Read more