Jimmy Stewart...A Wonderful Pen Pal
I was blessed to have an ongoing correspondence with him for many years
I became pen pals with actor Jimmy Stewart when I was a teenager. He had always been my favorite actor. I had a deep admiration for him. Not only was he a wonderful actor, but he was also a lovely and gracious gentleman. I had read a lot about his life, fascinated by how “normal” he seemed to be in real life. He was down-to-earth and kind and there wasn’t any movie of his that I did not enjoy watching.
My grandmother knew of my admiration for him and contacted columnist Liz Smith, telling her how much I respected him and how he was my favorite actor. I honestly cannot remember if they knew each other personally but Ms. Smith wrote back to her and gave her Jimmy’s address so I could write to him. And write to him I did but I did not expect anything to come out of it. Imagine my surprise when he wrote back, writing a letter and sending me a personalized autographed portrait. I was so excited I couldn’t stop dancing around the house. I knew the right thing to do was write back to thank him for taking the time to write back to me and to send me the photo. Imagine how surprised I was when he wrote back to me yet again! This began a pen pal relationship that lasted many years.
I would always send him a card for his birthday and Christmas and he always wrote back. Later on, when he got sick, his secretary began to respond to my correspondence in his place. When he passed away in the summer of 1997, I was heartbroken. I cried as if I had lost a dear friend, even a grandfather figure.
Not many people can say they were pen pals with such a legendary man. We tend to esteem movie stars, athletes, and other famous figures but Jimmy Stewart was a man who deserved to be esteemed. Like many of the old-time Hollywood actors, he carried himself with dignity and was an honest-to-God gentleman. He often portrayed the regular guy in his movies and he seemed to be “regular” in life as well. He was the kind of guy you’d just want to sit on the back porch with and listen to his slow drawl as he regaled you with stories of the old days. Before bucket lists were a thing, I had it in my heart that one day I would get to meet him in person. It was something I had hoped for but it never did happen. In many ways, I did get to meet him through our correspondence. I was blessed to know him even if it was only through paper.
I once had a German Shepherd I named Bailey after Jimmy’s character in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. And if you want to know which of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies are, that is at the top of the list. I also love “Harvey”, “Rear Window”, and “Vertigo”. I suppose I could go on and on. Because there isn’t a movie of his that I don’t love. He had a wonderful career. He had a wonderful life. And he was a wonderful pen pal!
What an incredible pen pal exchange!