2024 the best man henry fonda review

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Many stars of the silver screen in twentieth-century Hollywood became national icons, larger-than-life figures held up as paragons of American virtues. However, the private lives of actors such as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Errol Flynn rarely lived up to the idealistic roles they portrayed. James Stewart was known as the underdog fighter in many of his films and in real life. He was highly decorated for his bravery as a bomber pilot during World War II and was adored for his earnest and kindly persona. But there was much more to the man.

In this New York Times bestseller, the many sides of Stewart are revealed: his explosive temper, his complex love affairs and his longstanding marriage, his service as an FBI agent, his innate shyness, and his passionate patriotism. Munn’s personal touch shines through his writing, as he was a friend of Stewart and his wife, Gloria, and interviewed them as well as their colleagues and friends. This definitive biography reveals the childhood ups and downs that formed this cinema hero; explores the legendary Fonda-Stewart relationship; and recounts Stewart’s experiences making such acclaimed films as The Philadelphia Story, Rear Window, Anatomy of a Murder, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse; Reprint edition (June 7, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1510704140
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1510704145
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Reviewer: Paul R DesRoches
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Jimmy/Jim/James Stewart........ Waal, It's a very interesting read my friend!
Review: Happened upon this title and recalled how much I loved Jimmy Stewart in so many flicks. Turns out he had a very full and interesting life both on and off of the movie set. Many surprises along the way including his allegiance to J. Edgar Hoover, his highly decorated wartime service as a pilot trainer and leader, and a dedicated friend to Henry Fonda and others. His personal integrity was exceptional for a Hollywood actor, and his fiery temper was news to me as well. I found the bio well researched and thoughtfully presented, and the author brings his own personal relationship with the Stuart's into the story which legitimizes much of the rationale and deductions developed within. One comes away with a newfound respect and admiration for Jimmy Stewart because of the facts of his lifetime journey. It will not disappoint.

Reviewer: Joel Canfield
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Engrossing In-Depth Look at a Movie Legend
Review: I've always been a little bit fascinated by Jimmy Stewart. Although his public image was that of the aw-shucks guy next door, he was really great in roles that required rage and hysteria--so what was that all about? This is a rather unusual biography, as most of the information comes from the writer's informal conversations with Stewart, his wife, Henry Fonda and a few other friends and coworkers, which gives it a very readable quality, especially if you're already fairly familiar with the actor's career. It also allows the author to get much more deeply under Stewart's skin, as Gloria Stewart, in particular, seems to have spilled a lot of secrets to the author, such as Stewart's sometimes uncontrollable temper and the fact that Stewart was an FBI informer during the Communist witch hunt during the 50's, which temporarily busted apart his close friendship with Fonda. If you're willing to take in an honest exploration of Stewart and his work, warts and all, this is a great read. If you're one of those fans who believes its heresy to print anything negative about this American icon, you won't want to read this (it's a big reason this book has some very poor reviews, which are unfair in my opinion).

Reviewer: Dougal
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Most worthwhile
Review: I wondered what I was getting into when I bought this. I've always liked Jimmy Stewart, but I can't actually say he was one of my very favorite actors. Still, he'd be in the top ten due to an incredible body of work and some truly great portrayals.Ultimately, this was, for me, a great book. Though I doubt any book on a man as well known and loved as Stewart will be free of disagreement and nitpicking... everyone has their opinion!I enjoyed it and truly felt I had learned many things about Jimmy Stewart that I hitherto had no inkling of. I was particularly fascinated by his lifelong love of flying and the details of his service in WWII. Also, I had no idea of his involvement with J. Edgar Hoover (in and of itself a can of worms of which few will find consensus).My foremost compliment must be that from now on, whenever I have the opportunity to watch a Stewart movie, I will do so with more empathy for the man and more appreciation of his skills as an actor. In so very many ways, it's true what is said; they don't make them like this any more.

Reviewer: FoodieWithAClue
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Meh - Sloppy editing on Kindle edition, glosses over most important movies, many factual errors
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this, based on the reviews and being a huge Jimmy Stewart fan. This book is certainly readable, as it has a fascinating subject, but it could have been much better written and edited. The Kindle edition has obviously just had a substandard OCR program run through the text, and subsequently has tons of errors in spelling ("barn" becomes "bam", etc.) which are glaringly repetitive. In addition, I have come to find out that Michael Munn has, shall we say, a loose relationship with the truth. Several of the stories in his bio about Frank Sinatra were patently false, and that unfortunate trend continues here. Most egregious, however, are the inexplicable choices of what movies to spend 10-20 pages discussing, (many of these minor films with not much of interest to discuss) and barely mentioning films like Rear Window, which was arguably Stewart's finest film (along with Vertigo, which also gets short shrift). I enjoyed it enough to read it though to the end without divorcing it, but overall I was not impressed.

Reviewer: Elaine
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I'm old enough to remember every movie he starred in, and loved him in every one of them. The book is wonderful!

Reviewer: Fred
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It may seem simple to write a book that writes itself but to bring the subject to life for the reader is a true emotional experience.

Reviewer: Brian Clegg
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I'm one of that huge class of people who doesn't go out of their way to watch Jimmy Stewart when his movies turn up on the TV, but class him with Alec Guinness as the sort of special star that eclipses any of the modern box office draws.I think this book gets the balance just right. The author is obviously very fond of Stewart, and sometimes you can see him almost fighting himself to put across some of the more negative aspects of Stewart's life and character, but that's admirable - it's much better than a biographer's views are clearly visible, rather than hidden away so we don't know how he or she is slanting the book.I read a lot of biographies, and this was among the best of 2005. Excellent.

Reviewer: cliff445
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have been a fan of The late, Great Jimmy Stewart.Christmas is never complete without a visit to “It’s a Wonderful Life” and I have watched so many of his other amazing films, so often, that I’ve lost count.This book takes us on an intriguing journey through his life, his career and his many startling exploits.There’s a lot more to this man than an outsider’s perspective can possibly render.If you’re a fan, like me, or even if you’re not, I think you will find this a rewarding journey.

Reviewer: garymq
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Everyone knows James Stewart. He was one of the true classic actors of America's golden age. Few actors are more recognisable and idiosyncratic than Jimmy Stewart, who came to represent an American every-man during the 20th century.This book follows his life more or less in chronological order, starting with stage work, and gradually becoming a megastar.Stewart had already achieved a certain level of fame when the war broke out. Being extremely patriotic, he felt compelled to sign up. He could have used his star status to avoid seeing action . In fact the studios, as well as the US government didn't want him to come to any harm, aware that the effect on public moral would be devastating if anything happened to him. But he insisted on doing his part. This tells you something about the nature of the man.After the war and during the 50’s and 60’s he teamed up with some great directors and made very memorable films. His had many friendships with other actors of the day, chiefly Henry Fonda, but also including John Wayne, Clark Gable, Fred MacMurray and other famous actors. Single until his forties, he had a wild love life until he finally married.A less admirable episode was his work for the FBI. Stewart had a long time relationship with the peculiar J. Edgar Hoover, and his right wing views saw him working under cover to report on his Hollywood friends. Stewart’s motives might have been worthy (trying to rid Hollywood of gangsters), but he was manipulated by the devious Hoover, who was mainly concerned with outing suspected communists.The final years saw a slow decline, as worthwhile roles dried up, and his long time colleagues died, one by one.I would have liked more in-depth information about his more famous films. Vertigo, voted by some as one of the best films ever made, or It’s a Wonderful Life, or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence of course are all mentioned, but without much detail. One fun aspect of reading a book about a great star is that you can watch the various films as they are mentioned. This adds another dimension to the experience, and I re-discovered some of the great films of the 50s, such as Broken Arrow and Winchester ’73.An very enjoyable book for anyone interested in film, particularly during America’s golden era.