Well before the rise of today’s Hollywood business partnerships made front-page news, James Stewart and Henry Fonda were actually the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon of the Golden Age era. The two formed an unbreakable partnership after meeting as aspiring, struggling actors in the early 1930s while sharing a small apartment in New York and hoping for stardom.
Even amid a series of famous successes and roommate shenanigans such as their hilariously misguided attempt to tunnel under their building just to catch a glimpse of their mysterious neighbor Greta Garbo, the two remained inseparable until Fonda died in 1982. But their friendship came very close to irreparable damage over an ideological disagreement regarding a top-secret war against organized crime, showing that even the most loyal friendships can be brought to a standstill when worldviews clash violently amid a federal investigation.
The Secret Crusade Against Mobsters
Indeed, the intense internal conflict dates back to a dangerous mission Stewart undertook at the height of his success. Despite death threats from major mafia syndicates, the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life‘ actor was resolved to do his duty as a citizen and clean the mob from the Hollywood movie industry by acting as a secret informant for FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
Given the dangerous nature of the operation, Stewart revealed his plans to just two people—his wife Gloria and his closest friend Henry Fonda.
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“The only person who knew, the only one Jim confided in, was Henry Fonda,” his spouse explained. “And that led to an almighty rift between the two that lasted for years.”
But the secret didn’t receive the expected patriotic response—a Democrat and skeptic with respect to any kind of authority, Fonda dismissed the plan as insane, reasoning that since the bureau hadn’t been able to eliminate the Chicago mob, “They’re sure as h— not going to run them out of Hollywood.”
A Furious Row And Years Of Silence
Fonda’s insulting rejection of the mission outraged Stewart’s sense of patriotism and hurt his faith in Hoover’s personal promise; as a result, it led to an explosive fight that broke out inside their house.
“It was worse than that,” Stewart’s wife added. “Much worse. Jim thought the one person he could confide in about his secret work for the FBI was Hank. He was so wrong.”
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Although the public usually saw these two actors’ relationships through the rose-colored glasses of their screen images, in reality, both of them were highly opinionated people and possessed strong convictions; indeed, according to Gloria Stewart, this argument turned so vicious that it almost ended in a fist fight.
This argument brought their communication to a complete standstill, a state that lasted for several years afterward. However, Hollywood journalists and their friends speculated about what was going on between them; they simply stopped talking to each other.
Eventually, the reconciliation occurred several years after Stewart stopped providing information to the Federal Bureau, and the famous pair renewed their friendship seamlessly, never mentioning the FBI or the mafia again.
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