"I Shot The Sheriff But I Did Not Shoot The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"

In his forty years as a notable cinematic leading man, Jimmy Stewart had more variety in terms of the types of characters he played and films he appeared than you might expect given how the default version of the guy is the "Aw, shucks" good o'l boy he played in his earliest works, most notably It's A Wonderful Life. But Stewart also played darker roles in Alfred Hitchcock fare like Vertigo and Rear Window that allowed the guys versatility as an actor to shine. Once the 1960's rolled around, he got to do a couple of collaborations with another iconic Hollywood director, John Ford, with one of their efforts being the 1962 motion picture The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Get Up On This Stagecoach Partner!

A lot of times when you go back to the earliest piece of work from a legendary actor, it's bound to be some small-scale role without much in the way of glamor, an amusing contrast to the massive presence they would cultivate in the years to follow. Do you think anyone watching Grizzly II: The Concert back in 1983 would have thought that fella playing the bit character of Ron would end up becoming George Clooney, one of the biggest leading men of all-time? How about the fella who played Detective Fartman in Lenny The Wonder Dog who would end up becoming one of the great dramatic actors of this decade and one of the leading members of the newest Star Wars trilogy?

Giddy On Up With The Searchers

Sight & Sound Voyage Entry #7
Placement On Sight & Sound 50 Best Movies List: #7

Certain actors you tend to associate with specific types of movies. Matthew McConaughey, for instance, was the go-to romantic comedy guy for so long that that's what became known for while Adam Sandler was the proprietor of broad immature comedies. Perhaps no single actor is as directly tied to a genre they frequently inhabited as John Wayne is to the world of the Western. That no-nonsense attitude of his that always seemed to have a retort and a bullet ready to go for any situation seems to be the pop culture default for what many classify as a protagonist in a Western motion picture.