The director, Anthony Mann, understood that to recreate the rough realism of ‘Winchester ’73‘ (1950), opposition to the artificiality of traditional Hollywood productions was essential. However, what many did not know is that there was a psychological barrier that the lead male actor of the movie had to overcome before even touching the Winchester rifle. Despite knowing that his leading man had suffered trauma in the past that left him scared of guns, the director witnessed his star undergoing a remarkable transformation.
Rather than letting his fear control him and prevent him from acting in the movie, James Stewart turned his anxiety into an incredibly intense physical training. As Mann watched the actor struggle through the initial stage of fear, he saw how Stewart used his raw, nervous energy to forge one of the most dedicated and authentic partnerships in Western history.
James Stewart Trained Relentlessly To Make ‘Winchester ’73’ Authentic
As a part of his preparation, Stewart practiced shooting targets for numerous hours alongside Herb Parsons, a famous sharpshooter working with the Winchester company.
Training sessions took place because of Stewart’s fear of firearms, which originated from the time when a bullet he had shot in Indiana had almost hit his childhood friend, Hall Blair. Although the Winchester trick shooter took care of handling all trick shots on the set of ‘Winchester ‘73,’ Stewart trained tirelessly to master the weapon himself.
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Anthony Mann described the actor’s dedication to shooting skills development as an impressive commitment to authenticity. For instance, he mentioned how Stewart’s training positively impacted the film’s authenticity, which has been chronicled in ‘James Stewart: A Biography.’
“James Stewart didn’t seem to realize what a great quality he had in westerns, not at first anyway. But it was obvious from my side of the camera. He was magnificent walking down a street with a Winchester rifle cradled in his arm. And he was great too actually firing the gun. He studied hard at it. His knuckles were raw with practicing. It was those sorts of things that helped make the film look so authentic, gave it its sense of reality.”
But Stewart’s dedication to perfecting his gun handling was only one of the qualities that impressed Mann.
Anthony Mann Admired Stewart’s Work Ethic
Besides shooting techniques, Mann was deeply impressed with James Stewart’s professionalism and work ethic. As the director explained, Stewart’s desire to become a brilliant performer was clearly visible to the latter and contributed to the success of the film.
In addition to his incredible commitment to acting and perfectionism, Stewart’s desire to achieve greatness made a lasting impression on Mann as they prepared for ‘Winchester ’73.’
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For example, he once described the actor’s commitment to his craft as follows:
“He was always anxious, always skillful, always cooperative. You could see he wanted to be great, and that was not exactly true of some of the other gentlemen I’d worked with.”
The mutual respect between the two men laid the foundation for one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actor-director partnerships, with ‘Winchester ’73‘ becoming the first of several acclaimed westerns they would make together.
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