Two American movie icons — Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda — met as
young men, were diametrically opposed in their political/religious
philosophies and had very different styles of acting, but forged and
kept a lifelong friendship in which sometimes being together without
even speaking was proof of their bond. Nebraska’s own child, Fonda was
urged by Dorothy “Doe” Brando, Marlon’s mother, to give acting a try.
The 20-year-old had already attended college for a couple of years but
dropped out and returned home. He had been helping out the Omaha
Community Players with cleaning, set-dressing and other non-performing
tasks when Mrs. Brando recognized his potential. At the same time,
teen-aged James Stewart of Indiana, Pennyslvania helped in his father’s
hardware store when he wasn’t in school or occupied with other projects
or small-town work. His interest in acting began when he was in prep
school and continued to develop while he attended Princeton. Hank and
Jim’s paths would cross in New York City, via Joshua Logan and a crappy
shared apartment. Each man was infatuated by the same woman, actress
Margaret Sullavan, early on and Fonda was briefly married to her. Both
men had many affairs and Henry went on to acquire 4 more wives but Jimmy
eventually found his one and only, Gloria. Both men started as stage
actors and became Academy-Award winning feature film stars. Jim and Hank
shared a love of model airplanes, they both served on active duty in
World War II, and both rarely agreed on the same version of mutual
anecdotes. Fonda’s personal life was characterized by detachment and
difficulty with communicating. Stewart was a loving father to his
children and stepchildren. This is a fascinating look not only at these
two famous men as persons but gives a lot of detail as to the workings
of stage and screen productions and relationships. For both, their final
years were not necessarily happy, but what an incredible gift of
artistry they gave to the world.
[ publisher’s official
Hank & Jim web page ] | [ official
Scott Eyman web site ]
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