Screenland (Nov 1945-Oct 1946)

Jimmy Stewart's Future Plans Continued from page 21 He says he hasn't lost any weight but his face— never full— looks thinner. Under his overseas cap, there was a sprinkling of gray. He shrugs that off, "just as long as I'm not getting bald." One thing hasn't changed— his smile. When he posed for the WAC, that lop-sided grin came out. Andrews Field, a huge sprawling settlement about 20 minutes' drive from Washington, was in a dither all day September 28. "Seems like we've had battalions of WACs marching by here eyes right for hours," groaned an officer at the separation center. The center had only been operating for two weeks and nothing very exciting had happened before except the arrival of some B-29s. No celebrities, no war heroes until Col. Stewart reported at 8:20 a.m. for release to inactive duty. The center prides itself on one-day service for officers and every one was determined to do his best by the Colonel— not just because he was a movie star but because of what he calls the "lettuce" below his wings and because he's a pretty likeable sort of fellow. That sort of word gets around. Cap tains who were getting the papers ready to send him back to civilian life remembered reading about the time he turned down a promotion from captain to major "until my junior officers get promoted from lieutenant." He accepted that promotion later, but not until some of the junior officers in his squadron went up a step, too. The separation officers went quickly over his record— inducted as a private March 22, 1941, assigned to the Army Air Forces, appointed to flight school (although he was nearly 33— an old man as combat fliers go.) Commissioned January 1, 1942. Went overseas November, 1943, as a squadron commander. That's the record, but it doesn't begin to tell the story. He played the starring role again and again during his 21 months overseas— that is, he led formations of Liberators on one raid after another. In the course of 20 missions, he hit some of the toughest targets in Europe— Kiel, Bremen, Ludwigshaven, the Gilze-Rijen air fields, Fuerth, Pas-de-Calais, Brunswick, Frankfurt and Berlin. He was awarded the Distinguished Fly ing Cross for piloting the first bomber over the target in a raid on Nazi aircraft factories at Brunswick, Germany. The citation read: "Despite aggressive fighter attacks and heavy anti-aircraft fire, he was able to hold his formation together and direct the bombing run over the target in such a manner that the planes following him were able to bomb with great accuracy." He also wears a Cluster on the DFC. the Air Medal with two Clusters, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and the European theater ribbon with seven battle stars. He looks now like a man who can take responsibility, and he had plenty to take. He was promoted in the field from squadron commander to operations officer to wing commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing. If it hadn't been for the end of the war with Japan, he would have been hitting Tokyo by this time. His 8th Air Force unit was classed for redeployment to the Pacific and he was waiting in Europe for passage when the end came. With his unit, he came back to America on the Queen Elizabeth September 1, and he can't get over that ship. "There were 15,000 of us on it but honestly, it wasn't a bit crowded. I bet they could have put 80,000 men on it.'" Then he added with that familiar old Battle of the beauties: Ava Gardner, left, has added a new sophistication in her role in "She Went to tho Races," and Frances Gifford, right, who usually plays the "other woman," puts up stiff competition for the hero's affections. If you don't believe it, note reactions at top of opposite page. 62 Screen land