James Stewart

Speaker 20:01

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.

James Stewart0:05

Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. For rights reasons, the music is shorter than on the original broadcast. The presenter is Roy Plomley. I hope you enjoy listening.

Presenter0:26

What I learned about him this week is an American actor, born of a hobby with great

Presenter0:32

James Stewart.

Presenter0:33

Jeremy, apart from the landlords, what would have been the worst thing for you about being on the desert island?

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Now as a matter of fact, apart from missing their family,

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Um

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Maybe I'd kind of enjoy it.

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Yeah.

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What do you mean happiest we've got away from?

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I don't know. The noise and

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Not a

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I never thought of this myself, but a lot of people say that I'm fundamentally sort of a loner.

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Um

Presenter1:04

And I imagine there's a little truth that after I got married, I certainly wasn't, but I.

Presenter1:10

I suppose there's a little truth to that. Is music important in your life? Yes, very.

James Stewart1:15

Yeah.

Presenter1:15

Have you ever studied it? Do you play an instrument?

Presenter1:18

No, and it's one of the things that I regret.

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Leave my life

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My mother, bless your heart.

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tried to get me to take music lessons.

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She played the piano beautifully, played the organ of the church.

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I wish I'd learned sort of the fundamentals.

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As it was, my mother taught me a few chords in the key of C, and I guess through her, I was blessed with a sort of an ear for music.

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I've used those cards and say

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Followed through the years, and I can play a few tunes that I enjoy myself.

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Can't get too much of an audience, but uh

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What would you choose your age records for? To recapture the past, to bring you voices of friends?

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What was your guiding role in choosing these eight records?

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Well, I think uh

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I can connect almost.

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Everything that's happened to me.

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With a piece of music, or with the tune, or with the song.

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And though

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That's sort of the way I work through these things. I just sort of when I was a kid, when I was in school, when I was in the war, when I was getting into the movies and so on. So we start when you were a kid. What's that first trick?

James Stewart2:35

Breakfast

Presenter2:38

The first record is of the road to Mandelay.

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And the reason I chose that was because my father.

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We used to sing it, and my mother would play the piano. And my father sang in the choir, church.

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Be not a

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Scotch Irish tenor voice was a big man.

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And he

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I can't pitch very well.

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But he didn't pay too much attention to the words. He would.

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I sort of forget about the words every once in a while so that the word

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And they're very good words.

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suffered when my father sang, but I'll always remember the root man blank.

Speaker 33:22

Oh battle mandalay, with the old flutilale Can't you hear the paddles chunking from Langor Tomandale?

Speaker 33:43

Uh

Presenter3:49

On the road to Mandalay sung by Calip Quakella, who was paying attention to the words.

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Yeah. Oh anyway, let's have your second choice. What's that?

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The second was Bye-Bye Blue.

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And I connect Burt Lound with that sort of thing.

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That's what's not a good uh

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A tune that reminds me of uh colleague.

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As I remembered, he was playing in a hotel. In those days, sort of the well-known orchestras were in the

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Ballrooms of hotels in New York and Chicago and Los Angeles and the big cities. You were at Princeton, very colorful.

James Stewart4:31

Very powerful.

Presenter4:31

Yeah.

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And uh

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This was Bert Maun's theme song.

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Bye-bye blues by Burt Lauden, it's awesome.

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Jimmy, what far from the stage to Copper?

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I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania, small town.

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It's uh right in the middle of the Sav Coal area, about sixty miles from Pittsburgh, yes.

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As a youngster, what did you want to be? What was your first ambition? A railroad engineer?

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At Benson, you're at Arkansas.

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Yes, I was going to be an architect.

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And I gather you spent at least as much time working on the shows put on by the Triumphal Club as in studying architecture.

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Well, I I did the triangle shows. They were

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Wonderful experience for them, but I I did them as sort of an extracurricular activity.

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In Princeton, we took a wonderful trip on

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Christmas holiday visitors ruled five, six, seven cities.

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uh with the show that we've uh

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We worked up in the triangle every year. But I had no idea that I was going to be an actor then.

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Well now what happened to you after graduation?

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Joshua Logan.

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with the clouds ahead of me in print.

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and retain windows.

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who became also a very famous director in New York.

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And when they were both

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mixed up in the Triangle Club. They also had a stock company.

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or the university players

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And they were based in a theater oven place called Old Silver Beach in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

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Um

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These two men asked me the year I graduated, they asked me.

James Stewart6:51

Yeah.

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up to uh old Silver Beach, not as an actor,

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But as an accordion player.

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I played the accordion in French no I thought I did.

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And I was to play the accordion.

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In a tea room which was connected with the theater, just a few cords in C, just a few cords and C.

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And the first night was a near disaster.

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Because people said that uh my playing spoiled their appetite.

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So that was the end of my accordion playing and then they

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They gave me

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Odd job in the property department.

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I painted scenery and then

James Stewart7:38

Yeah.

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Small parts start to come. So.

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We're getting into the acting after uh

James Stewart7:42

Got it.

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after principle was sort of almost by accident.

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Well after that, you played in the New York theater for several years.

James Stewart7:50

Yeah, the

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At what production you played in Oscille?

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Yes, I remember going to a woman by the name of Frances Robinson Duck.

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who taught

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Diction and voice at the

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A lot of people went to her, a lot of actors and actresses went to her, and she took me on, but after three lessons, she called me in her office and she said, I I'm going to have to let you go.

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There's there's no way I can

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Do anything to

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give a suggestion of uh an Austrian accent.

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And on my way out, she said, but in case you ever want to learn to speak English correctly, come back and see me. I may be able to help.

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Yeah.

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It was soon after that, I believe, that a Hollywood talent scout discovered you had shipped you to the coast.

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Now what

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What was the name of the pot?

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That first term you did.

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It was a movie called Murder Man.

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I was a newspaper reporter and his name was Shorty.

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They shipped the man in six foot three, three thousand miles.

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Play a part on shorty.

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Well, we thought you would start at Hollywood. Let's wait here for your third record.

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I've got a crush on you.

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I remember this because

James Stewart9:14

The ma

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When I was in New York on the stage, there used to be a little club on 52nd Street called the Onyx Club.

James Stewart9:20

Oh yeah.

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It was a very small place with a little uh

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room to one side with a piano in it.

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I rem remember coming in.

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uh one night as the room was sort of

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Uh dark.

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One light in the corner.

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And the piano was in the center of the room and everybody was sort of seated around the tables and a lot of people on the floor.

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I'm George Gershwood.

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Bang, I've got a crush on you. I think you just rip it.

James Stewart9:53

Rip.

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I remember it very well. We haven't got George Gerson playing it on disc, I'm afraid. How about Thetty Gray?

Presenter10:03

Betty, uh, I'm sure do justice to it. Betty was very good.

Speaker 210:08

For a cunning cottage baby

Speaker 210:12

We could share

Speaker 210:15

The world will pardon my mush.

Speaker 210:22

Cause I have got a crush.

Speaker 210:28

Baby.

Presenter10:39

Betty Bray was singing George Girdle.

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I've got a crutch on you.

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Now we got you in the Hollywood. You were a contractor, I just did MTM. That meant hard work.

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Writing wireless every day.

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Yes, in those days, when you were under contract or studio as a contract player, you were.

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We came to work every day. It wasn't uh

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just when you were doing a picture. The big studios were

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Yeah

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not only uh produce pictures, but they train

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Personnel, including actors and writers and directors and everything, and you

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You learnt your craft.

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The best way I

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Though learning how to act are not by acting, surely.

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From the pre-war days, which films do you remember with particular value?

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Well, I remember Mr. Smith goes to Washington, the cap prefecture.

James Stewart11:34

Water

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Um

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Philadelphia story number there.

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What about the historic artwork?

James Stewart11:42

Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Number uh Frank Roseghi directed the Mortal Storm, Margaret Sullivan.

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They couple pictures with her one.

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Next time we love, uh way back in thirty

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Oh, thirty-six, I think, yeah.

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Number Capra picture, I remember with great pleasure in contact with you, Patrick, but you're that's right.

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Most of the time we'll play my comments.

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Yes, yes, that's true.

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Or romance that's what seven seven that was sort of that that was they were making a a lot in those days, like that the romantic comedy.

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Right.

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And then came the war you joined.

Speaker 312:22

About

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In fact, they are the air force of the project.

James Stewart12:24

Yeah.

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And at the end of hostilities, you were a highly decorated colonel. You flew liberators from this country. You were here quite a while.

James Stewart12:30

Yeah.

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Tell me.

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Let's have your next record, let's have number four.

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Well, I've always uh been a great fan of Rain Note.

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not only as an orchestra leader, but as a composer too.

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And I particularly remember this one.

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Um

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But this for some reason reminds me of Marlena Dietrich when I was

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working on a picture.

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That we did together called Destri Rides Again, which wasn't very long before the war.

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But we used to go to hear Rainoble and dance to his music, and this I hadn't anyone.

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Night Tour.

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I have any one to do very noble.

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Now looking down that long list of James Stewart's successes, Harley, of course, who played Elbert Darling in the theatre as well as on

Presenter13:52

Yes, in uh I think it was nineteen forty

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seven forty eight

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In New York for two summers running at Harvey.

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and during that time fell in love with the play.

James Stewart14:01

During that

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And though

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Did it again with Miss Helen Hayes?

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a couple of years ago.

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We never changed a word. It was staged exactly as it was.

Presenter14:15

20 years ago at the

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It was received very well, it took very funny.

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In the early 60s, Gilly, you switched from light colouring into Western.

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Why was that? You don't Westerns perform, but you began specialising.

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Well

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I just found after a couple of pictures

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After the war.

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white comedy that sort of I was falling back on.

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thing I'd done before the war.

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And it didn't work. People weren't accepting that kind of film.

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They didn't want light comedy. They wanted

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Uh either

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A Barry Fra type of comedy of Red Scout or Jerry Lewis or something, or they wanted a very serious and different

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Robotic uh Serious type.

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So the Western came as uh

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Pretty much every

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desperation move on my part. Fortunately, my father

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Always had a horse around and and uh

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He taught me to ride when I was very young, so I had that my favorite. He paid though for his success.

James Stewart15:29

They do

Presenter15:30

I don't know why you like to wear the same hat, the same shaft, and every are you still?

James Stewart15:33

Good help.

Presenter15:36

No terrible.

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Yeah.

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Yes, that's true. I wore the same hat.

Presenter15:42

The Westerns until he formed a very good hat to start with, who had sort of disintegrated.

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But I pasted it together with scotch tape and everything and I I

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Ward for years. Let's get on to our next rate.

James Stewart15:53

Let's get on to our next round.

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What me?

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Listen, there I've said it again, but

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I have Vaughan Monroe on his orchestra and I

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I connect this very closely with the

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With England and the war.

Speaker 316:15

I've said it, what more can I say?

Speaker 316:22

Believe me.

Speaker 316:25

There's no other way I

Speaker 316:29

Yeah.

Speaker 316:31

I will do the end.

Speaker 316:35

There I set it.

Presenter16:39

Bog Monk Road

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Make me open direct movies especially.

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Yes, it's sort of a what they call mini series, like

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He's got a pretty good character, a country lawyer.

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And I did seven.

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Hour and a half segment.

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You still live in Hollywood? Yes.

Presenter17:00

He took a little bit the presence of the great figures of God.

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I've won, Missum, yes.

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It's not depressing uh actually, but uh

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It was, or people say, the golden era, whatever you want to call it, it was a very exciting, glamorous golden time.

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Uh

Presenter17:24

I don't think that it necessarily has to return, you know.

Presenter17:29

Arrows

Presenter17:30

have a tendency not to return.

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Below this is due to the joy travel.

Presenter17:36

Yes, very much.

Presenter17:37

The Pilgrim

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I like photographing. I do it more for a record.

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For the family and foreign travel.

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I I'm not a very good photographer.

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I try not to use the automatic cameras where all you have to do is press the button.

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I try to sort of do it my own.

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Rating of

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Exposure and everything.

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But I think the best thing for someone like me that is

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Just getting stuck with the record is to take as many pictures as you possibly can and then.

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So how about chance will

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Make it possible for one or two of them to come up. Only show the good one. Yeah.

Presenter18:19

Have another record. What?

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Let's see. This is a

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The tune called Don't Cry Joe.

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Now we're getting after the war and I'm back and uh I'm courting my wife, Gloria.

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The first time I heard Bill Cry Joe, I remember Glory and I were someplace. Great.

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I said, there's the term that's going to be at the head of the head.

James Stewart18:43

There's the tune that's called

Presenter18:45

Uh

Presenter18:47

So I wasn't too sure about it, but I felt very smart about the whole thing when about three weeks later it did, sure.

Presenter18:55

Shrodoff has the inspiration, Don't cry, Joe.

Presenter18:58

Uh

Speaker 318:58

Joe cry joy.

Speaker 319:05

Let her go, let her go, let her go.

Speaker 319:12

Oh Christ.

Speaker 319:19

Let her grow, let her grow, let her grow.

Presenter19:27

Don't try Joe by The Gordon Jenkinson.

Presenter19:31

Now, the practical side of being a cast way, could you look after yourself? Could you put up some kind of hut or shelter?

Presenter19:39

Oh, I think so.

Presenter19:40

Your forage for food.

Presenter19:43

Well, I sort of depend on fishing and.

Presenter19:49

Uh fishing, uh clouds, you could fishing.

Presenter19:54

I are used to quite a bit of fish.

Presenter19:56

When you try to escape, do you know anything about small boats? Navigation obviously, no problem.

Presenter20:02

The private is liberated, could you navigate a small boat?

Presenter20:06

No, I wouldn't think I'd be very good in a boat. I I don't think I would try to escape. I'd I'd really stick right there.

Presenter20:15

Writer had been working to do longer time records on the surface.

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Well, this reminds me of a whole lot of things because

Presenter20:23

It reminds me of Glenn Miller first. I made a picture about Glenn Miller's life.

Presenter20:29

And it was quite an experience. I've always

James Stewart20:29

It was

James Stewart20:30

There we go.

Presenter20:33

I've always liked this music. I think it's amazing.

Presenter20:36

perhaps after all these years

Presenter20:40

How

Presenter20:41

The music is still very popular, not all all the

James Stewart20:42

Yeah.

Presenter20:45

in the United States, but all over the world.

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R

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Out of number

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About 15 years ago. We came into Calcutta.

Presenter20:57

Go to a hotel, arrive by airplane from some place, I forget.

James Stewart21:00

I'm good.

Presenter21:02

But as we came into the hotel at 8.30 in the morning,

Presenter21:06

uh a small orchestra started playing the

Presenter21:10

Robot Charlotte.

Presenter21:14

to sort of usher me into the hotel. I they knew I was coming and I don't know whether the management kept them up from their work the night before or called them in early. But anyway, I I was very touched and uh that sort of reminds me of a wonderful

Presenter21:32

Moonlight Serena.

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The plan by Lassig.

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With the vectors of your large tracks, don't watch that.

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It's called breathe.

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Hound dog

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I d I don't know.

Presenter22:15

But some of my

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Favorite

Speaker 322:24

While the smoke flames rise in the air

Speaker 322:34

To find your share.

Speaker 322:40

Of memories, their sword.

Presenter22:51

Dream by the wise pipers. If you could take just one discovered your age.

Presenter22:57

Why don't we brave?

Presenter22:59

And one luxury to take with you to the desert island.

Presenter23:03

Uh I'd take a piano, yes. We have a rule it has to be an upright piano because it's possible to live after.

Presenter23:11

Yeah

Presenter23:13

You set off an upright piano, or at Oshawa, and one book about.

Presenter23:18

the Bible and Shakespeare and pagan cyclopedy.

Presenter23:22

Well, I take a book of uh blue back

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Music a lot of go back.

Presenter23:28

You didn't tell us he's the Greek music.

Presenter23:30

Well

Presenter23:31

I

Presenter23:33

I can up to a point.

Presenter23:36

And as I understand it, I'm out on this island all alone, so I'm going to have a lot of time on my hands.

Presenter23:42

Both arrangements in the Keyo C.

Presenter23:45

That's right. Oh yeah. And instructions on how to change them if they're on the key of F to how to change them in the key of C. Right.

Presenter23:55

And thank you, James Stewart, for letting us hear your dozen islands.

Presenter23:59

That's been a great pleasure. Thank you very much. Goodbye.