The Man From Laramie

'The Man from Laramie' was the last of a run of outstanding Westerns made by Anthony Mann, shortly to graduate to bigger (perhaps less interesting) projects like 'El Cid' in 1961, and James Stewart, whose angst-driven cowboys of the 1950's run parallel with his self-doubting Hitchcock heroes. The plot hook is almost noirish, prefiguring 1971's 'Get Carter', as Will Lockhart (Stewart) investigates his brother's death and gets embroiled in the Lear-like family struggle of a blind cattle baron (Donald Crisp) whose beloved son (Alex Nicol) is a sadistic weakling. Audiences in 1955 were shocked by the scene in which Nicol has his minions hold down Stewart and repays him for a wound by shooting the hero's hand at point-blank range.

Trail-boss Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy) is - as in Mann's earlier Western 'Bend of the River' in 1952 - the hero's near-equal in manliness, but turns out to be his demonic counterpart, driven by resentment of the family whose ranch he runs but will never inherit to a dirty deal involving selling guns to renegade Apaches. 'The Man from Laramie' is a taut, tragic tale with a memorable hit theme song ("The West will never see a man with so many notches on his gun") and Mann's trademarked sense of the way desperate and obsessed men relate to each other and the dangerous landscape that emphasizes their extreme psychological states.

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Mr Smith Goes To Washington

Jimmy Stewart is perfect as Jefferson Smith, whose chief qualification is that he is hopelessly unsophisticated, a man who spends all his time mentoring a troop of young 'rangers.' But this rube is neither stupid nor lacking in courage.

Smith first convinces the cynical woman (Jean Arthur) charged with looking after him of his virtue and his keen sense. And then, after unintentionally creating trouble by proposing a national boys' camp on the precise site that the 'machine' hopes to use for its pork barrel project, he defends himself against false charges in a filibuster that goes on for many hours and leaves him barely able to speak or stand. Crucial in Smith's p assage from irrelavance through disgrace to vindication is the part played by Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains). As opposed to the crudely venal political boss Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), Paine is a man who believes in the American system but who has been seduced by a politics of compromise and deal making. Smith can only be rescued by Paine's conversion.

Smith's deliverance is also made possible by the peculiarly American institution of tthe filibustter, which permits the individual-symbolically enough, not the group-unlimited free speech according to established rules. Smith can thereby exert a power against the group that would condemn him insuring his vindication.


An imprressive bit of Americana, Capra's film is ful of memorable moments, the most moving of which is the montage sequence tracing the newly arrived senator's tour of Washington monuments, including the Lincoln memorial.

The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story is a masterpiece of witty one-liners, three great stars performing at their peak and with a great supporting cast.

Divorced socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is preparing for her second marriage but her first husband, Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) and Macaulay Connor (James Stewart), a cynical tabloid reporter both turn up to make things interesting.

The film earned six Oscar nominations and two wins -- for James Stewart and screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart.

James Stewart

Over the course of his career, James Stewart starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Oscars, winning one in competition and one life achievement. He was named the third Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute and became, in the words of Andrew Sarris, "the most complete actor-personality in the American cinema". He also distinguished himself during the Second World War, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force.


This clip is from the moving and uplifting 'Its A Wonderful Life', which Stewart himself regarded as his best film.