Pieces of Time: The Life of James Stewart

Jimmy Stewart was one of my lifelong heroes. That is all I have to say right now because I have not yet finished the book. You make it too hard just to write a simple review.

Wash.,DC is running a series on Jimmy Stewart, so I have renewed interest in the old actors.The manager of the program recommended this book version and I was so happy to find it and in such great condition. It is in excellent condition, no stains on the edges of the pages, no signs of mold, no wrinkling, no handling damage, nothing. It was packaged carefully and was a great buy.

I found myself skipping pages of mind numbing, useless reviews of James' movies from papers of the time. Random useless facts were thrown in which told nothing of Stewart's great life. Very little mention of his time in World War II and how he rose through the ranks. There are easily better biographies out there on the man...don't buy this one.

Gary Fishgall has nothing bad to say about James Stewart. The actor does seem to be a thoroughly nice and decent man. It's always a worry though when the curator of the museum devoted to a figure endorses a book on that figure (as this one does) as that book is likely to be the one that has set out out to most honour the person's memory to the detriment of allowing negative aspects to be shown. The book sticks to a film by film approach giving equal weight to the clunkers as to the major works. At least there were many of the latter: Shop Around the Corner, Philadelphia Story, Vertigo, Rear Window, Winchester '73, It's A Wonderful Life, Anatomy of a Murder. But the lack of deeper digging into his non-film life and the pretty dreary format (all about who Stewart made the bad films for and with, how they went and what was thought of them after) makes for a bit of a dull read. Other than the parts on the great films, the best section is on Stewart's truly astounding war career plus subsequent rise through the ranks.