Recorded at the Historic Camelot Theater, Palm Springs, CA on April 14, 2024
TRANSCRIPT
(ALIECE PICKETT:) James Stewart. The upward trajectory.
You spoke about all the films he had (in 1936), and the studio was putting him in all kinds of different roles.
(ROB KOZLOWSKI:) They were trying anything.
He was about 27 years old when they signed him up.
Very young.
He and Henry Fonda were best friends.
Fonda was signed by Fox at about the same time that Stewart was signed by MGM.
Stewart was thrown into everything.
He played an action star in a movie that was called “Speed”, (1936).
He was in “Rose Marie” (1936).
He played in a melodrama called “Next Time We Love” (1936), with Margaret Sullavan.
He played all sorts of supporting roles.
MGM’s job for the contract players they thought had a possibility, they stuck them into a dozen to two dozen movies within the first two or three years, to see where he fits.
>> AP: To see where he connects with the audience.
For James Stewart, we know in hindsight he connected in many ways, and in many different genres.
He is one of our great actors.
He got an Academy Award for the Screwball Comedy “The Philadelphia Story” (1940).
He was in a number of (Screwball Comedies).
People don’t think of him in Screwball Comedy.
But he had a big career with many of them.
>> RK: He was under contract in the late 1930s.
“You Can’t Take It With You” (1938), you could call a Screwball.
>> AP: “Vivacious Lady” (1938), “It’s A Wonderful World” (1939), “No Time For Comedy” (1940), “Harvey” (1950).
>> RK: He was extraordinary.
He was under contract at the right time, and he was an incredibly talented actor.
We see in this role, especially at the end, reminds me of the Westerns he made in the 1950s, where he had this extremely dark side.
It’s interesting, in post-World War II we see the dark side of Jimmy Stewart.
This is the one movie where we see that, the one-time, pre-war service.
>> AP: He was the highest decorated Hollywood actor.
His highest rank was Brigadier General.
And he was a war hero.
But he came back a changed person and his roles were very different.
But this,. What a surprise ending, with him being the murderer.
>> RK: What’s funny is it took a couple more “Thin Man” movies for them to comprehensively frisk everyone at the end.
I think it’s in “Shadow of the Thin Man” (1941), where finally Nick says: “You know what, let’s just frisk everybody before everyone gathers in the room”.
>> AP: Rob, thank you for flying out and joining us for the weekend.🎥
Film Society of Screwball Comedy®
Edited by Aliece Pickett
Copyright 2025