While wandering aimlessly through the blogosphere today I came across a rather interesting post from Mr. Kevin Hall. It appears that a simple search for "Jimmy Stewart" on Blockbuster.com led to a startling discovery about Mr. Stewart's body of work... apparently the man likes scorpions... a lot.

Of course, being a huge Jimmy Stewart fan, I rushed immediately to my DVD collection and the internet to get to the bottom of this mystery. Apparenlty not only did Jay-Stew star in more scorpion-themed films than you can shake a stick at, but some of his non-scorpion films featured cameos that you may have missed.

"I have no defense against forged scorpions!"

You may have missed it, but in this classic scene from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Senator Jefferson Smith held up not only scores of telegrams, but one rather large scorpion! It's dedication like that, holding live animals with stingers and pinchers, that makes Jimmy Stewart one of America's greatest talents.

Here, without regard for his own safety, Stewart pleads with an officer to turn around seconds before he is devoured by a giant scorpion. This scene was cut from It's A Wonderful Life, as the rather grotesque moments that followed would have certainly alienated the film's target audience. Moments like these appeared and were subsequently cut from countless Frank Capra films, most were last minute inclusions fueled by long nights, bottles of absinthe and an opium pipe... you should see the horror unleashed in the alternate ending of Pocketful of Miracles.

Most people are unaware that German rockers, The Scorpions, appeared in films made in 1939. Secretly, the Germans devised a rather elaborate time-travel system during WWII. This device went unused until the mid 1980's when frontman Klaus Meine purchased it in an estate sale. The band then used their expansive powers for good, choosing only to go back throughout time and teach the world to rock.

In this memorable Stewart close-up the audience never got to see what it was that Jimmy found so perplexing. At the end of this dingy street a swarm of deadly African scorpions advances. Once again, the scene was cut to preserve the film's feel, but we can only imagine what could have been.

So, there you have it. It may now become my life's work to uncover each and every secret scorpion in each and every Jimmy Stewart film. Perhaps I could petition USC to add a course on subliminal scoripionery to their film curriculum, or at least touch on the subject more frequently in general study classes. I can only hope that some of our modern actors will pick up where Jimmy left off, boldly giving roles to these often under appreciated arachnids... Jim Carrey, I hope you're listening.