Certain actors are synonymous with seasons and holidays. Halloween has Jamie Lee Curtis, Courteney Cox, and a litany of others, but the list of seasonally associated actors becomes unwieldy in its length when it comes to Christmas. To make a psychological dent as one of the definitive actors in a Christmas movie takes some serious acting chops. That's what makes Jimmy Stewart's position as the star atop the Christmas season, with his classic performance in It's a Wonderful Life, all the more impressive.
Stewart's a fantastic actor; there's nothing worth questioning in that statement. However, even though he slipped into darker roles later in his career, Stewart never played a bad guy, right?
In the video linked above, the YouTube channel The Royal Ocean Film Society gives a short retrospective of Stewart's career. The Royal Ocean Film Society also explains how Stewart's early villainous turns went on to inform his later roles in Vertigo and Rear Window. The video is a definite treat for classic film fans.
