Mission : Jimmy Stewart and the fight for Europe

Library	Collection	Collection	Call Number	Status
Searching... Exeter Library (Tulare Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Biography	B STEWART	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Sunnyside Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Biography Area	STEWART JA Mat	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Woodward Park Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Biography Area	STEWART JA Mat	Searching... Unknown

It's a Wonderful Life was the first motion picture Jimmy Stewart made after returning home from World War 2, where he had participated in 20 often-brutal combat missions over Germany and France. When he left Hollywood in March 1941, Jimmy Stewart was America's boy next door movie star and a recent Academy Award winner. He left all that behind to join the United States Army Air Corps and fulfill his family mission to serve his country--only to face obstacle after obstacle from both Hollywood and Washington. Finally he made his way to the European Theater, where several near-death experiences and the loss of men under his command took away his youthful good looks. The war finally won, he returned home with millions of other veterans to face an uncertain future, suffering what we now know as PTSD. That is the man who embarked on It's a Wonderful Life .

For the next half century, Stewart refused to discuss his combat experiences and took the story of his service to the grave. Mission presents the first in-depth look at Stewart's life as a Squadron Commander in the skies over Germany, from takeoff to landing and every key moment in between.

Author Robert Matzen sifted through thousands of Air Force combat reports and the Stewart personnel files; interviewed surviving aviators who flew with Stewart; visited the James Stewart Papers at Brigham Young University; flew in the cockpits of the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator; and walked the earth of air bases in England used by Stewart in his combat missions of 1943-45. What emerges in Mission is the story of a Jimmy Stewart you never knew until now, a story more fantastic than any he brought to the screen.

Author Notes

Robert Matzen is an American author who specializes in Hollywood history. He spent 10 years with NASA and his avid interest in aviation-related topics resulted in the bestsellers Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe and Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 . He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Leonard Maltin is a film critic and historian who can be regularly seen on ReelzChannel and Turner Classic Movies. He is the author of the long-running Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide and its companion, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide . He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Even before Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart went off to war, he was a fighter, working hard to prove his passion for military aviation to the U.S. government. In this meticulously researched book, film historian Matzen (Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3) provides the rich, detailed backstory of Stewart's time as a WWII bomber pilot. He delves deep into Stewart's restless spirit, chronicling his family's legacy of war service, his rise to movie stardom, the many women in his life, and his struggles to fly and serve his country. Matzen paints a revealing picture of a man who defied bureaucratic and health obstacles to become a U.S. Army Air Force squadron commander. He depicts the excitement and horror of life in a bomber crew as Stewart commanded a series of missions over Germany, interspersing his story with those of other WWII survivors, such as radio operator Clem Leone and Gertrud Siepmann, who was a young child in Germany during Hitler's rise to power. He also shows that, although considered a war hero, Stewart had difficulty getting reestablished as an actor until Frank Capra cast him in It's a Wonderful Life. Military and movie buffs alike will revel in this vivid portrayal of a man who successfully straddled two worlds. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Unlike many Hollywood stars, James -Stewart (1908-97) didn't make morale-boosting combat films during World War II; he was busy flying combat missions over Europe. Like many veterans, he preferred not to talk about his experiences when the conflict was over. One of the first major studies of the actor's risky missions over Nazi Germany, this title chronicles Stewart's improbable rise from small-town life in Indiana, PA, to his college years at Princeton, where he acquired his love for acting and befriended Henry Fonda, Joshua Logan, and Margaret -Sullavan. His shy persona attracted the likes of actresses Marlene -Dietrich, -Olivia de Havilland, Norma Shearer, and Loretta Young. The bulk of this book covers Stewart's stay in England, his relationships with fellow crew members, who dealt daily with fear, loneliness, mud, and bitter cold. Stewart returned from Europe a changed man, reflected in his edgy, sometimes angry antihero roles in 1950s westerns and Alfred Hitchcock films. Author Matzen relies on extensive research and the cooperation of surviving crew members; however, as in his Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3, small details and comments about the subject's thoughts must be taken on faith. VERDICT Overall, an illuminating, recommended look at a hidden chapter in Stewart's life.-Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Foreword	p. ix
Prologue: Unreality	p. 1
1 High-Strung	p. 6
2 Soaring	p. 24
3 Factory Work	p. 27
4 Silver Birds	p. 34
5 Reliable Girls	p. 36
6 A Storybook Life	p. 43
7 Mr. Smith Goes Hollywood	p. 45
8 Seeing History	p. 62
9 Restless Spirit	p. 64
10 The Eagle	p. 71
11 Alias James Smith	p. 73
12 Overachiever	p. 88
13 Static Personnel	p. 90
14 A Game of Chess	p. 97
15 Destination: Meat Grinder	p. 99
16 Boy Scout	p. 116
17 Daft	p. 119
18 Shakedown	p. 121
19 Pushed by Angels	p. 134
20 Mission Today	p. 137
21 A Late Breakfast	p. 156
22 Topaz Blue	p. 160
23 Bailout	p. 170
24 Roman Candle	p. 176
25 January on the Rhine	p. 185
26 The Dungeon of Eppstein	p. 197
27 Iceman	p. 199
28 Baptism	p. 205
29 Boys Will Be Boys	p. 211
30 Mother Nature's a Bitch	p. 218
31 Fat Dogs	p. 222
32 Argument, Part One	p. 224
33 Argument, Part Two	p. 234
34 Bloodbath	p. 239
35 Physics Lesson	p. 251
36 The Big B	p. 255
37 No-Nonsense Men	p. 260
38 The Sumatran	p. 269
39 Invasionitis	p. 272
40 They Are Coming!	p. 281
41 Germany Burning	p. 284
42 The Great Aviation	p. 290
43 Grounded	p. 293
44 Marching to Death	p. 297
45 Aged in East Anglia	p. 300
46 Gold Light	p. 311
Epilogue: Reaching Beyond	p. 318
Acknowledgments	p. 329
Chapter Notes	p. 335
Glossary	p. 357
Selected Bibliography	p. 359
Index	p. 363

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

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