Born in the early 1900s, James Maitland Stewart has been an all American Film and Stage actor with a name carved out for himself in the Hollywood movie industry thanks to his distinctive personality and commanding voice. He starred mainly in the Classics and has been a five time Academy award nominee. The Golden Age Of Hollywood James Stewart collection brings to you a total of 4 movies compiled into 4 disks. The movies, directed by Henry Hathaway, George Cukor, Frank Capra and Ernst Lubitsch, range in Romance to Comedy with respect to genre and are available in 5.1 Dolby Digital.
Call Northside 777 (1948)
The movie Call Northside 777 takes place during the 1932 Prohibition where a policemen has been murdered. Richard Conte plays the role of Frank Wiecek who has been convicted for the murder and is sentenced to serve 99 years in prison. Lee. J. Cobb plays Brian K, the editor for the Chicago Times who assigns a reporter P. J. McNeal played by James Stewart to look into the case in greater detail. The story of Call Northside 777 revolves around how James goes about solving the murder case by following leads and tell tale signs about Frank’s innocence.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The story surrounding the movie is that which involves Tracy Samantha Haven played by Katherine Hepburn who is a wealthy socialite from Main Line Philadelphia who used to be married to C. K. Dexter Haven, played by Cary Grant. He used to be a member of her social set but was divorced because he failed to meet up to her exacting standards about a man. In The Philadelphia Story, Dexter Haven was an alcoholic who, frustrated with his wife’s inability to trust him, resorted to drinking even more. She decides to marry George Kittredge to add to her own social standing by choosing someone who has an equal or higher social standing than herself.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Guy Kibbee plays the Governor of an unspecified state in America by the name Hubert Happy Hopper. A lately departed U.S Senator Sam Foley is in need of a replacement and it becomes Hubert’s job to find one as soon as possible. Jim Taylor is the curropt boss who pressures Hopper to decide on Jim’s choice so that he will serve his own dastardly ends. Jim is played by Edward Arnold. The story of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington revolves around Jefferson Smith, played by James Stewart, who is a reformer and his trials and tribulations during his tenure as the Senator.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
In the movie The Shop Around the Corner, James Stewart plays the role of Alfred Karlik, a top level salesman in Budapest. The gift shop he works in, is owned by Mr. Hugo Matuschek, played by Frank Morgan. Hugo is a high strung businessman who is very jittery at times and not too easy to trust. Karlik has a group of coworkers in the shop which include a few friends like Pirovitch, Ferencz Vadas and Pepi Katona. The Shop Around the Corner is a full time family entertainer and a true Hollywood classic.
