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The Navigator

Enjoy 'Life' with small-town hero

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published December 16, 2005

Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Miss.

Brad Pitt? Shawnee, Okla.

Tim McGraw entered the world in Delhi, La., while Ronde and Tiki Barber made their first appearances, just minutes apart, in Blacksburg, Va.

Those celebs are the toast of their birthplaces. I too, grew up in a modest little town: Indiana, Pa., about 90 minutes east of Pittsburgh.

There's a decent-sized college there, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. But still, you pretty much have to be from the area to have heard of it.

I wish I could claim I'm at least Indiana, Pa.'s, most famous person.

Granted, I'm no celebrity - the fourth alternate on America's Next Top Model has a higher recognizability factor - but I'm not entirely unknown. I've written thousands of articles for one of the nation's largest and most respected publications. (That's right, Precious Moments Collectibles Monthly).

That's got to be worth something, right?

Yeah, it would. If only Indiana, Pa., wasn't the birthplace of Jimmy Stewart.

Stewart, who passed away eight years ago at age 89, was one of the most popular and beloved actors in the history of film.

He was voted the third greatest movie star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. He was nominated five times for Best Actor by the Academy Awards and won for 1941's The Philadelphia Story. (He also earned an honorary award from the academy in 1985.)

But Stewart wasn't just a great actor - he was a war hero.

He was the first movie star to enter the service for World War II, joining a year before Pearl Harbor was bombed.

Already a pilot, Stewart joined the Air Force after initially being refused entry because he was too skinny. Once on board, he refused the special treatment offered to other stars, requesting - and receiving - the same combat duty as other pilots.

Stewart earned numerous awards for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1959, as a member of the Air Force Reserves, he became a brigadier general.

Except for Ronald Reagan, who served as commander in chief, Stewart has the highest military ranking of any actor in history.

When Stewart died in 1997, more than 3,000 people attended his funeral. Me? I'll be lucky to get 30 - and two-thirds will be creditors.

But I'm not hating on my homeboy, who has starred in some of my all-time favorite movies, including Rear Window, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Anatomy of a Murder.

One of Stewart's greatest films is playing this weekend at Tampa Theatre as part of its Winter Classic Movie Series.

It's a Wonderful Life is No. 30 on the Internet Movie Database's greatest-ever list, and deservedly so.

The 1946 classic, directed by Frank Capra, screens at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; admission is $7. The theater is at 711 N Franklin St. Call (813) 274-8982 for more information.

I watched Life with friends last year at Tampa Theatre and had a wonderful time. Even if you've seen it on television, it's a special experience to enjoy it on the big screen, especially in a gorgeous theater that predates the film by 20 years.

Need a little holiday spirit this season?

Just get a Life.

- Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 813 226-3431. His blog is at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tampaarts/

[Last modified December 16, 2005, 12:00:06]