In the 1980s, Stewart semi-retired from acting. He was offered the role of Norman Thayer in "On Golden Pond" (1981), but turned it down because he disliked the film's father-daughter relationship; the role went instead to his friend, Henry Fonda. Stewart filmed two television movies in the 1980s: "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" (1980), produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which allowed him to fulfill a lifelong dream to conduct the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and "Right of Way" (1983), an HBO drama that co-starred Bette Davis. He also made an appearance in the historical miniseries "North and South" in 1986, and did voiceover work for commercials for Campbell's Soups in the 1980s and 1990s. Stewart's last film performance was voicing the character of Sheriff Wylie Burp in the animated movie "" (1991).