Fractured James Stewart Movies Quiz

Answer: The Philadelphia Story

"The Philadelphia Story" is a 1940 comedy starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart. The plot is that of Hepburn, a socialite who is about to be married, when everything is disrupted by the arrival of her ex-husband (Grant) and a tabloid reporter (Stewart).

After a series of comical mishaps and witty, sophisticated lines by all involved, Hepburn ends up remarrying her true love once again. Hepburn's career was revitalised following the release of the movie and Stewart won an Academy Award for his performance. Grant, who had demanded top billing and a then high salary of $137,000, promptly donated that salary to an organisation for the British War Relief Society. America, at that stage, had not yet re-entered that international field of horror again.

Answer: The Stratton Story

Made in 1949, this film tells the true story of baseball pitcher, Monty Stratton who loses his leg in a shooting accident, but who goes on to make a successful career comeback, wooden leg and all. Co-starring with Stewart in this film is June Allyson. She and Stewart went on to make two other successful films together.

Answer: Anatomy of a Murder

This 1959 film is a courtroom drama. Every time I see a courtroom drama film coming up, I think of the hilarious 1991 film "Soapdish" starring Sally Field as soap opera queen Celeste Talbert. "Not another trial, David!" she gasps in horror to her producer on reading her forthcoming script.

This film however is anything but comical. It's actually a really ugly story dealing with rape, lies, alcoholism, wife beating, murder and an illegitimate child. Nor does it end up happily, and rather tends to leave a dirty taste in the mouth, in spite of, as always, Stewart's brilliant performance.

Answer: Harvey

"Harvey" is the 1950 film in which Stewart stars as one of nature's innocents named Elwood, who has a pet pookah named Harvey - that nobody else can see. A pookah is a creature from Irish folklore, and this pookah is well over six foot tall. He accompanies the amiable Elwood everywhere he goes and is introduced by Elwood to everyone.

Their reactions to his invisible friend are hilarious and, as a result, nobody is ever quite sure whether Elwood is insane or a hopeless alcoholic. His sister Vera, finally driven to distraction by her brother's antics, tries to have Elwood committed to an asylum.

Unfortunately, she tells the doctor in charge of the case that after living with her brother for so long, she's beginning to think she occasionally sees Harvey herself.

This results in Vera being committed instead - and on it goes. It's a lovely amusing movie, with a happy story line and ending, and has proved itself over time to be one of the film industry's golden oldies.

Answer: Rear Window

The 1954 "Rear Window" is an Alfred Hitchcock directed film. It stars Stewart and the beautiful Grace Kelly, along with a host of other actors in cameo roles. The plot revolves around a photographer named Jeffries who has a badly broken leg and who is forced to recuperate, in a wheelchair, in his apartment.

The rear window of his rooms faces onto several other apartments, and the bored reporter spends his time alone in the building idly watching the antics of his neighbours across the way. Over time he begins to suspect he has uncovered a murder, and during the course of this film, which builds up to a screaming climax, this indeed proves to be the case.

Answer: Strategic Air Command

Stewart (1908-1997) served honourably in the second world war, rising to the rank of colonel in the airforce. Among his many achievements during this great tragedy was his piloting of many missions deep into Nazi occupied territory. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters for his war service. Continuing to play a role in the Reserves after the war, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1959.

He retired from this work in 1968, and some years later was promoted to Major General by President Reagan.

It seems fitting then that he was chosen to star in this 1955 film as a retired Air Force Reserve officer recalled to duty during the era of the Cold War, and how this affects his family life.

Injured at the close of the film, he returns to his old life, but on an adjusted basis. The film was perhaps more of a public relations exercise for the Air Force than anything else.

Answer: Vertigo

The 1958 film "Vertigo" stars Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes. It's the story of Scottie, a private investigator who suffers from acrophobia. He is hired to trail the wife of a friend to find out the reasons behind her recent peculiar behaviour.

He believes Madeleine (Novak) is being possessed by the spirit of a dead woman. This seems to be the case as the film develops, with the dead woman turning out to be Madeleine's great-gradmother. Scottie falls passionately in love with Madeleine while trying to save her from her demons, but when she runs up into a high bell tower in panic, he is overcome by his phobia and remains frozen to the spot.

There he sees Madeleine leap to her death and die. Time passes with Scottie spending time in a sanitorium for his condition, and for his depression over the loss of Madeleine. On his release he meets a woman (Judy) with a startling resemblance to Madeleine. Again directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the dark conclusion of the film turns out to be that of the murder of an innocent woman by her husband, who was assisted in the crime by Judy herself.

The husband had used Scottie because of his knowledge of Scottie's acrophobia. The ironic twist to the film's conclusion sees justice well and truly served.

Answer: Shenandoah

This 1965 film is set during the American Civil War. Stewart plays the role of a family patriarch on a ranch, who, in spite of his strong resistance to his family being involved in the war, loses three of his family to that grim horror. He spares the life of a young soldier along the way, and the film closes with the shattered family still maintaining their strength of character and faith in God, in spite of the tragedies that have come their way.

The movie has a strong anti-war theme, just right for the anti-war sentiments of the Vietnam War at that time.

Answer: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Starring James Stewart, John Wayne and Vera Miles, this 1962 Western is told in a series of flashbacks. It's the good old plot of a love triangle - a hero rancher, his love for a gal, the other hero she falls in love with, a bunch of outlaws, a shoot-out, and a broken-hearted hero in the shadows who actually does the shooting of the leader of the outlaws.

The other hero goes on to fame and fortune, with everyone believing he had killed the outlaw Liberty Valance instead, and marries the girl. Flashing forward to the present, the lovers, now together for many years, have returned to the town for the funeral of an apparent nobody - the real man who shot Liberty Valance.

A great old song of the same title goes along with this movie as well.

Answer: Ziegfeld Girl

This 1941 film tells the story of the struggle to reach the top and become a star in the famous Ziegfeld Follies. Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner grace the screen along with Stewart and a host of other stars in this production. The actual plot of the movie, which follows on the successful 1936 film "The Great Ziegfeld" isn't that strong, but the singing and the dancing and the beautiful costumes more than make up for that.