In Memoriam- James Stewart (1908-1997)

All American actor Jimmy Stewart died ten years ago today.

Throughout the month of July, as a tribute to the great movie icon, the SNMR feature of my regular blog will highlight four of his films.

In the spirit of this tribute, Scribe and I may do a joint review or three of Jimmy Stewart's films here too. Lucky you.

"I have my own rules and adhere to them. The rule is simple but inflexible. A James Stewart picture must have two vital ingredients: it will be clean and it will involve the triumph of the underdog over the bully."- James Stewart

MOMENT OF SILENCE

One of the last great film critics lost his battle with cancer. I am sure Green will join me in mourning the passing of Joel Siegel. Not only was he a respectable film critic (a rare breed that only included two other people and one of them was already dead) but he also worked side-by-side with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the early Sixties during the Civil Rights Movement.

Siegel's genuine boyish love of film and his embodiment of a time when Jewish men knew who they were and acted accordingly will be sorely missed.

RIP

Indeed I do pass on my condolences to the family and friends of a fellow movie critic. His views and reviews will be missed.

But I don't understand what Scribe means when he says "...when Jewish men knew who they were and acted accordingly..."

What does Siegel's ethnicity and religious background have to do with his movie reviews, or anything else for that matter?

Here's a link from abcnews.com regarding Siegel's death.