We all remember that scene in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” George Bailey, played by American film icon Jimmy Stewart, is in a bar at the end of the line. All his good deeds in life seem to have worked against him, and all the sacrifices he has made seem to have been for nothing.
He is alone at the bar, praying for help, and begins crying. It is a truly emotional moment on the silver screen and sets up the last third of the movie. What makes the scene more poignant is that we now know Stewart drew his emotions in the scene from his experiences during World War II.
It is this period of his life that will be the focal point of an upcoming biopic. The movie, which begins filming this September, has cast veteran actor KJ Apa (“Riverdale”) as Stewart. The movie will center on Stewart’s rise to leading man in Hollywood, culminating with his winning an Academy Award for “The Philadelphia Story” in 1940. It then focuses on how he walked away from acting at the height of his fame to serve his country.
The film has the support of the Stewart family and will recreate his time in England flying B-24 Liberator Bombers with the Army Air Forces. It will also depict his triumphant return to the silver screen and his continued military career. Jimmy Stewart served in the Air Force after it became a separate branch in 1947 until his retirement as Brig. Gen. James Stewart in 1968.
Like many of Hollywood’s leading men of the day, he had stopped acting to fight in World War II. While some Hollywood elites would help the War Department by making propaganda educational films or serve as moral boosters, there were those (like Stewart) who went the full mile and engaged in combat.
Jimmy Stewart was the first major star to enlist, which made sense, given his family’s long military legacy. His third great-grandfather fought in the American Revolution. Both of his grandfathers fought in the Civil War, and his father fought in both the Spanish-American War and World War I. Stewart was already 33, so he enlisted in the Air Corps and was quickly promoted from private to lieutenant due to his 300 hours of flight experience and degree from Princeton.
While he did act in some propaganda films, he was more worried that his celebrity would keep him away from the front lines. He petitioned his superiors to send him overseas, and they agreed. Flying 20 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe, Stewart proved his mettle and had the remarkable distinction of rising from private to colonel in less than four years (yes, it was a different time, but still remarkable).
While flying with the “Mighty” 8th Air Force, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, and the Air Medal with three oak clusters. Stewart didn’t talk much about the war, but it was evident that, like many who served, he had seen some disturbing things. When he came home and went back to the world of movies, he brought those memories with him.
Which brings us to that scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Stewart wasn’t supposed to cry, but it seems that reflecting on his own life and the trauma he had gone through brought out all the emotions one could have. The take surprised director Frank Capra, who was unable to get Stewart to recreate those emotions for another take. So Capra edited the shot, and we now see that famous grainy footage of Stewart’s teary eyes.
And that is what this new movie will show. In an era where the disconnect between civilians and the military is wide, this biopic will portray the life of a man who walked away from the pinnacle of his hard-earned success and spent five years fighting in combat.
“Jimmy,” starring KJ Apa, is set to be directed by Aaron Burns and also stars Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”), Sarah Drew (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Max Casella (“Tulsa King”), Julian Works (“Mending the Line”), and Jen Lilley (“USS Christmas”). It’s due in theaters November 2026.
