In February 1941, James Stewart was on top of the world. He had just won the Best Actor Oscar for ‘The Philadelphia Story‘ and was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. But with the war heating up in Europe, Stewart was not thinking about his next movie. He was thinking about the sky. His drive to serve his country would lead to a tense showdown with one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, MGM co-founder Louis B. Mayer.
Stewart came from a family with a strong military background. His father served in World War I, and his grandfather fought in the Civil War. Stewart got his private pilot’s license in 1935 and a commercial license by 1938. He felt a deep sense of duty and a personal need to fly for his country.
Louis B. Mayer’s Fierce Attempt to Block James Stewart from Enlisting
Even though he was 32 and a major movie star, Stewart managed to sign up for the draft. But studio boss Louis B. Mayer tried to block him. Mayer saw Stewart as a valuable asset and did not want his star in uniform. In a tense one-hour meeting, Mayer tried everything to change his mind. He argued that “America would never be caught up in the war” and that Stewart would ruin his career.
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“You’re just giving up this wonderful screen career you’ve made for yourself,” Mayer told him. He warned Stewart that he would end up stuck behind a desk in the States. “And all you’ll be doing is sitting at some clerk’s desk on a military base somewhere, and then you’ll regret what you’re doing.” Mayer even pushed him to join the Motion Picture Unit to make propaganda films, a safe job away from the fighting.
James Stewart’s Battle to Get Inducted and Mayer’s Publicity Stunt
However, Stewart would not give in. The studio even tried to get him declared unfit for service. When Stewart was first turned down for being underweight, he suspected Mayer was behind it. So he went on a “rigorous eating binge” to gain the needed pounds and fought the decision. Showing his usual stubbornness, he told an enlistment officer to “forget to weigh me” this time. He was finally accepted into the U.S. Army Air Corps on March 22, 1941. His MGM salary of about $1,500 a week was replaced by a private’s pay of $21 a month.
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Mayer, knowing he had lost, threw a big farewell party for the actor. But Stewart saw it for what it was, “a big publicity stunt.” Even at the party, other stars tried to talk him out of it. Clark Gable famously asked, “You know you’re throwing away your career, don’t you?” Stewart agreed, but he went anyway.
James Stewart’s Combat Missions, Bravery, and Lasting Military Legacy
Stewart’s story is one of real persistence. He started as an instructor pilot but kept asking his commanders for a combat assignment overseas. He did not want to just be a symbol. His requests were finally approved, and as a major, he arrived in England in the fall of 1943 to fly B-24 Liberators with the 445th Bomb Group.
Despite his fame and rank, he flew 20 dangerous combat missions over Europe. That included a tough raid on German submarine pens at Kiel and a mission to Berlin. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his leadership and courage under fire. The strain of leading men in battle changed him deeply and left him with symptoms that would now be called PTSD. He would later rise to the rank of Brigadier General, the highest-ranking actor in American military history.
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