Jimmy Stewart was seen one night in 1933 in New York performing on stage as a female impersonator by an MGM talent scout. He was signed to a contract to come to California to work for the prestigious studio. Studio Head Louis B. Mayer expressed doubt when he first saw him,"He's so skinny! A beanpole." Efforts were made to put weight on him, the 133 pound actor was constantly sharing butterfingers candy bars with Ann Miller which seemed to fatten her up more than him.
If Mayer was unimpressed by his new star's physique, his behavior was a refreshing change compared to some of the prima donnas at MGM like the usually drunk Spencer Tracy, or the demanding to be alone all the time Greta Garbo. Stewart never complained about his salary or workload. Whatever the task be it screen tests or B-movies, he was always on time and knew his lines, although sometimes his trademark stammering lead to extra takes. If they loaned him to a lesser studio like Columbia, he was just happy to be working. Slowly, in the late thirties with great performances in Frank Capra movies like You Can't Take It With You (1938) and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington(1939), Stewart's star rose as did the respect for his talent. He became known as a swinging lady's man around town. Mayer was surprised and delighted by his Academy Award for the Philadelphia Story (1940) as well as his humble gesture of sending the Oscar statue home to Indiana, Pa. for his father to display in the Stewart family hardware store.
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