Question 1

True or false: Before acting, James Stewart studied architecture at Princeton and nearly became an architect.

Accepted Answer

True. He earned a degree in architecture in 1932 but was drawn to acting through college theater and a fellow student named Joshua Logan.

Question 2

True or false: James Stewart flew combat missions in World War II and later became a brigadier general.

Accepted Answer

True. He served as a bomber pilot in the Army Air Forces, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and rising to brigadier general in the reserves.

Question 3

True or false: Stewart's distinctive slow drawl was partly due to his struggle with a childhood speech impediment.

Accepted Answer

True. He had a stammer as a child and worked with a speech therapist, which contributed to his deliberate, hesitant speaking style.

Question 4

True or false: James Stewart served as a celebrity spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force Reserve in TV ads during the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

True. He appeared in recruitment commercials for the Air Force Reserve, leveraging his rank and fame to encourage enlistment.

Question 5

True or false: Stewart won his only Oscar for playing a suicidal banker in 'It's a Wonderful Life'.

Accepted Answer

False. He never won a competitive Oscar for that film; his only Oscar came for the 1940 comedy 'The Philadelphia Story'.

Question 6

True or false: Stewart was the first actor to receive an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.

Accepted Answer

False. Multiple actors, including Charlie Chaplin (1929) and Cary Grant (1970), received honorary Oscars before Stewart's 1985 award, so he was not the first.

Question 7

True or false: James Stewart was a licensed pilot who flew a B-17 bomber named 'The Memphis Belle' in combat.

Accepted Answer

False. He flew B-24 Liberators, not B-17s, and 'The Memphis Belle' was famously flown by another crew; Stewart commanded a bomber group.

Question 8

True or false: James Stewart turned down the role of Atticus Finch in 'To Kill a Mockingbird', feeling the part was too dark.

Accepted Answer

False. The role went to Gregory Peck, but Stewart was never offered it; he did decline some roles, but this wasn't one of them.

James Stewart Trivia Questions