By the spring of 1940, James “Jimmy” Maitland Stewart (1908–1997) had hit the jackpot in Hollywood. He’d become one of MGM’s top guns, rising from small parts to becoming a star and a major audience draw in movies like “You Can’t Take It With You,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” and “The Philadelphia Story,” for which he won an Academy Award for best actor.
In October 1940, having received his draft notice, Stewart decided to leave the glitter behind and enlist in the Army. After being declared underweight, which would have allowed him to escape service, the actor passed a second weigh-in and entered the Army months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Later, Stewart explained that he had a friend assessing the scale on this second attempt.
