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Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe Audiobook
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Publisher Description
In March 1941, Jimmy Stewart, America’s boy next door and recent Academy Award winner, left fame and fortune behind and joined the United States Army Air Corps to fulfill his family mission and serve his country. He rose from private to colonel and participated in twenty often-brutal World War II combat missions over Germany and France. In mere months, the war took away his boyish looks as he faced near-death experiences and the loss of men under his command. The war finally won, he returned home with millions of other veterans to face an uncertain future, suffering what we now know as PTSD. Younger stars like Gregory Peck were now getting roles that might have been Stewart’s, and he didn’t know if he would ever work in Hollywood again. Then came It’s a Wonderful Life.
For the next half century, Stewart refused to discuss his combat experiences and took the story of his service to the grave. Mission presents the first in-depth look at Stewart’s life as a squadron commander in the skies over Germany, his return to Hollywood, and the changed man who embarked on production of America’s most beloved holiday classic.
Author Robert Matzen sifted through thousands of Air Force combat reports and the Stewart personnel files; interviewed surviving aviators who flew with Stewart; visited the James Stewart Papers at Brigham Young University; flew in the cockpits of the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator; and walked the earth of air bases in England used by Stewart in his combat missions of 1943 through 1945. What emerges in Mission is the story of a Jimmy Stewart you never knew until now—a story more fantastic than any he brought to the screen.
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“In this meticulously researched book, film historian Matzen provides the rich, detailed backstory of Stewart’s time as a WWII bomber pilot. He delves deep into Stewart’s restless spirit, chronicling his family’s legacy of war service, his rise to movie stardom, the many women in his life, and his struggles to fly and serve his country…Military and movie buffs alike will revel in this vivid portrayal of a man who successfully straddled two worlds.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“Meticulously researched, articulately written, and beautifully narrated…Narrator Peter Berkrot has a tall order in the massively detailed text, but he exceeds expectations. Berkrot’s performance is replete with occasional understated and accurate vocal characterizations, making his authoritative reading honest and absorbing.”
— AudioFile -
“A good story of history that you’ve never heard before.”
— Glenn Beck, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“Matzen’s compelling narrative gets inside his subject’s head to recreate specific moments in the heat of preparation for combat.”
— Leonard Maltin, film critic, historian, and New York Times bestselling author -
“This week’s must-read books…A revealing look at the wartime service of one of America’s most beloved actors.”
— New York Post -
“Exhaustively researched, exceptionally well written.”
— Midwest Book Review -
“One of the first major studies of the actor’s risky missions over Nazi Germany…Matzen relies on extensive research and the cooperation of surviving crew members…An illuminating, recommended look at a hidden chapter in Stewart’s life.”
— Library Journal -
“Our father’s service during the war was the most significant event of his life, although he rarely spoke of it…Thank you, Robert Matzen.”
— Kelly Stewart, daughter of Jimmy Stewart -
“Mission digs deep into the untold true story…Paints a vivid picture of how James Stewart’s often horrific experiences in the air informed his remarkable postwar career.”
— Lou Lumenick, film editor and chief film critic at the New York Post -
“A truly excellent in-all-aspects account of Jimmy Stewart’s life and film career…Matzen has done it, and done it well.”
— Rudy Behlmer, author of Behind the Scenes
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About Robert Matzen
Robert Matzen is a former federal contractor for NASA who now specializes in Hollywood history. He has appeared on BBC 2 and BBC Radio 4. He is the author of Carol Lombard: A Bio-Bibliography and Errol & Olivia, and he is the coauthor of Errol Flynn Slept Here. He lives in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
About Peter Berkrot
Peter Berkrot, winner of Audie and Earphones Awards for narration, is a stage, screen, and television actor and acting coach. He has narrated over 450 works that span a range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, thriller, and children’s titles. His audiobook credits include works of Alan Glynn, Eric Van Lustbader, Nora Roberts and Dean Koontz. In film and television, he appeared in Caddyshack, America’s Most Wanted, and Unsolved Mysteries. He performs in regional and New York theaters and directs the New Voices acting school.