Charles Reinhart - Jimmy Stewart: On the Air

Jimmy Stewart

ON THE AIR

CHARLES AND ERNA REINHART

Jimmy Stewart On The Air

2012 Charles & Erna Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopying or recording, except for the inclusion in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the USA by:

BearManor Media

1317 Edgewater Dr #110

Orlando FL 32804

www.bearmanormedia.com

ISBN 978-1-59393-693-8

Printed in the United States of America.

Book design by Brian Pearce | Red Jacket Press.

Table of Contents

For our dear parents,
Charles and Thelma Reinhart
and
George and Leona Weigel

A heartfelt THANKS for introducing us to radio.

FOREWORD BY KELLY STEWART

When I was growing up, I saw my father, Jimmy Stewart, on film, but I never heard him on the air. His radio series, The Six Shooter, premiered when I was only two. After that, TV pretty much took over home entertainment, and the radio wasnt on much in our house except for when the Dodgers were playing. In fact, my only awareness of Dads life on the air came from one memorable story he used to tell. This involved an episode he had done for a thriller series called Suspense, during which the actors created the sound of boiling blood by blowing through a straw into a glass of water. What sticks in my mind is not so much the story, but the telling of it. Dad would speak slowly and menacingly, with an evil glint in his eye. It was clear that hed had terrific fun doing this show.

I heard The Six Shooter only after my father died. While my sister and brother and I were sorting through our parents home, we found, in the back of a cupboard, a set of cassettes with the whole series. I listened to it on my cars tape deck while driving from L.A. to northern California. It was a revelation. Dad was an absolutely wonderful radio actor, with the most compelling and evocative delivery. His character, Britt Ponset, was Mr. Cool droll, sweet, unflappable, but not to be messed with a cowboy reminiscent of the hero in the early western, Destry Rides Again. For the first time I understood why people mourned the demise of radio.

But Britt Ponset was not my fathers only foray into the airwaves, something that became clear when Mr. Reinhart sent me the book, along with some recordings. This exceptional volume documents and describes in impressive detail, Jimmy Stewarts radio days: his numerous dramatic performances, including The Six Shooter, his public service announcements, and guest appearances. The book contains some delightful surprises. I never realized, for example, that my dad had ever played a leprechaun (OHallorans Luck), or could even do an Irish accent, for that matter. Compiling material from numerous sources, this wonderfully illustrated archive will be of value for those interested, not just in my fathers career, but in radio in general and its interface with TV, film, and American culture. Britt Ponset may never ride the airwaves again, but the record of his having been there is now here for all to read. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Reinhart on their achievement.

Kelly Stewart

February, 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank the following people and institutions for their invaluable assistance in the completion of our work: Eileen Akin, Coordinator, Penn State University, Special Collections Library, Audio Visual Collections and Fred Warings America, 313 W. Pattee Library, University Park, PA 16802; Jeanette Berard, Special Collections Librarian, Thousand Oaks Library System (credits for Suspense The Rescue); Michael Cowan of Alotabooksnstuff (Toys for Tots record), Vladimir Dragan, owner-operator of the Book Barn of the Finger Lakes, Dryden, NY (various Stewart and radio books); Mark Fuller (Big Sounds Who Am I Contest and Vote); James Gavin (Monitor interviews); J. David Goldin (supplying several rare shows); Timothy Harley, Curator of the Jimmy Stewart Museum, Indiana, PA; Art Harvey (photos and ads); Christine A. Lutz, Princeton University Archives Project Archivist, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library; Janet W. McKee, Reference Librarian, Recorded Sound Reference Center, Library of Congress; Aaron Mintz (United Jewish Appeal radio spot); Jay Rubin (various film interviews and radio spots, photos, providing contact with the Stewart family); James A. Sacckette (Moonlight, Memories and Miller); Elizabeth Salome (past curator of The Jimmy Stewart Museum); David Siegel (supplying rare radio show); Richard Weigle, librarian at The Paley Center for Media, New York City.

We would like to offer our special thanks to the Jimmy Stewart Museum and its staff for complete dedication and support of our project.

The Mission of The Jimmy Stewart Museum is to preserve and interpret the life history and career of stage and screen actor James Maitland Stewart. Since its opening in May 1995, the Museum has become an important tourist destination, annually drawing more than 10,000 visitors from many nations, with significant benefit to the struggling Indiana County economy.

Jimmy Stewarts life embodies professional achievement and service to community and nation. His illustrious career encompassed theater, film, radio, and television from 1930 through 1990 and included important milestones in the histories of those media. He won an Oscar for his role in The Philadelphia Story in 1940 and in 1985 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Oscar. Mr. Stewarts distinguished military career began with his enlistment as a private in the Army Air Corps in 1941. He flew and commanded 20 combat missions, rose in rank to colonel, received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Croix du Guerre, and attained the rank of Brigadier General in the Air Force Reserves before his military retirement in 1968. In 1985, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During his lifetime, Mr. Stewart actively supported conservation efforts; contributed generously to schools, hospitals, and benevolent community organizations; and sponsored the annual Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon benefitting St. Johns Hospital Child Study Center.

Although he attained critical acclaim and financial success at an early age, Jimmy Stewart maintained an exemplary lifestyle focused on family, community, and country. The Jimmy Stewart Museum interprets his life through exhibits of personal photos and effects; movie posters, stills, and memorabilia; and military photos and memorabilia. Presented chronologically, the collection is supported by text panels that provide an overview of Mr. Stewarts life in context with local and national history and with the history of American theater, film, and broadcasting. The Museum places a high value on understanding Mr. Stewart as a contemporary role model.

The Jimmy Stewart Museum is located on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Indiana Community Center at 835 Philadelphia Street through an arrangement with the Borough of Indiana. In addition to the exhibit galleries, the Museum includes a 50-seat movie theater and a shop selling Stewart film memorabilia.