Western Awards: In 1962 he won third place on a Laurel Award for Two Rode Together. The next year he received a Bronze Wrangler Award, along with the cast, for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Interesting Western Fact: In 1950, Stewart wanted to go back to westerns after a few flops. With his westerns and mysteries, he became even more popular and within four years, he was the highest grossing movie star, replacing John Wayne.
My Favorite Western: Shenandoah (1965). Though technically not an original western with cowboys and Indians, it has the element of the west and is titled under the same genre. This film is a favorite of my family and we often find ourselves quoting it. The story is fascinating and has a good balance of playful humor and gripping drama.
Charlie Anderson: Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvest it. We cook the harvest. It wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be eating it if we hadn't done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you Lord just the same for the food we're about to eat, amen.
Stewart's tall stature and drawling voice made him a perfect candidate for westerns. Though he was successful in almost every other genre, fans still viewed him as a western movie star. His character was often polite, yet aggressive when injustice faced him. Sometimes you weren't sure if he had it in him to beat the odds. Interestingly enough his last film would be a western, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). Though it was animated, his talented voice made the film an instant classic.
Jimmy was the real deal!
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