The results of the February poll comparing the two stages of Cary Grant’s career are in (they’ve been ‘in’ for a while, but don’t tell).
14 voted that they preferred his work in the 1930s - 1940s
2 voted that they preferred his work in the 1950s - 1960s
I think the fact that Grant made so many films during the first half of his career probably made the match such a sweep.
But his next poll I think will be a little harder…
MARCH POLL:
I thought it would be interesting this month to compare the stages of another legend, James Stewart. The two parts of his career are easily divided, as his roles took on more diversity after he returned from his service in World War II. Unlike Cary Grant, who mainly played variations of the same type of character, Stewart got the opportunity to flex his acting muscles in a variety of roles during his career.
This is from Wikipedia (classy source, I know):
Stewart's career defied the boundaries of genre and trend, and he made his mark in screwball comedies, suspense thrillers, westerns, biographies and family films.
I think because his image was that of such an ‘everyman’ he was able to flawlessly transition into many genres.
Just to refresh everyone of what films he made, here is a partial filmography of Stewart’s films:
Pre-War (1935-1941)
Next Time We Love
Wife vs. Secretary
Small Town Girl
The Gorgeous Hussy
Born to Dance
After the Thin Man
Seventh Heaven
Of Human Hearts
Vivacious Lady
The Shopworn Angel
You Can't Take It With You
Made for Each Other
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Destry Rides Again
The Shop Around the Corner
The Mortal Storm
The Philadelphia Story
Ziegfeld Girl
Post-War (1946 and on)
It's a Wonderful Life
Call Northside 777
Rope
The Stratton Story
Winchester '73
Broken Arrow
Harvey
No Highway in the Sky
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Naked Spur
The Glenn Miller Story
Rear Window
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Spirit of St. Louis
Vertigo
Bell, Book and Candle
Anatomy of a Murder
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
How the West Was Won
The Flight of the Phoenix
The Shootist
So which do you prefer? The films Stewart made earlier in his career, or his later work? You can vote in the poll on the sidebar.
Speaking of which, iIt really bothers me that the poll seems to be too short in length and height for the poll widget to fit into (see picture below). I’ve tried widening the sidebar but to no avail. It’s quite annoying. I may switch to a different poll service but I like the Blogger one because it matches the theme.
<---see, you can’t even read the whole thing without scrolling! Gahh! Let me know if you have any advice to make the poll fit right. : )
