Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today we discuss America’s everyman and one of its most indelible movie stars: James Stewart!
Our returning guest is our dear friend Mitchell Beaupre, Head of Editorial at Letterboxd and our B-Sides today include Vivacious Lady, You Gotta Stay Happy, No Highway in the Sky, The Far Country, and Fools’ Parade.
We debate what it is exactly that made Stewart so relatable and endearing to millions, we marvel at his WWII service and how it affected his on-screen demeanor, and we acknowledge that even though he starred in dozens of westerns most people still remember him better as George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life.
Mitchell, Conor, and I discuss the incredible films he made with Anthony Mann, the late pictures he made with Andrew V. McLaglen, and the early starring roles in his career.
We also mention how he was one of the most reliable box office stars over decades, a legendary ladies man in his younger days, and a staunch conservative throughout his life.
There’s also the already-infamous trailer for the forthcoming James Stewart biopic. Wow, does it look bad!
Listen below and subscribe here. Be sure to give us a follow on Bluesky at @tfsbside.bsky.social. Enjoy!