Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part II

Months after his return from combat, actor James “Jimmy” Stewart was still adrift — unmoored in the Hollywood he had previously called home, living with fellow veteran Henry Fonda, and waiting for film offers that just weren’t coming in.

After a couple of months had gone by, director Frank Capra — who had worked with Stewart before in 1936’s “You Can’t Take It With You” — first pitched “It’s a Wonderful Life.” A meeting was set, and Capra described the story to Stewart and his agent Lew Wasserman.

Stewart, who had been adamant about doing a comedy upon his return to Hollywood, was reportedly taken aback at first. “You want me to do what?” he asked, and according to Capra’s notes walked out of his initial pitch meeting. But Capra believed in the strength of the story — and he was equally adamant that Stewart was not just the right person to play George Bailey, he was the only person who could do it.

Stewart eventually sat down to listen to Capra’s pitch in full, and he recalled the director’s awkward description of the story in a 1987 interview for Guideposts.

“‘Now, listen,’ Frank began hesitantly. He seemed a little embarrassed. ‘The story starts in heaven, and it’s sort of the Lord telling somebody to go down to earth because there’s a fellow who’s in trouble, and this heavenly being goes to a small town, and … Well, what it boils down to is, this fella who thinks he’s a failure in life jumps off a bridge. The Lord sends down an angel named Clarence, who hasn’t earned his wings yet, and Clarence jumps into the water to save the guy. But the angel can’t swim, so the guy has to save him, and then … This doesn’t tell very well, does it?’”

The actor said his response was simple: “Frank, if you want to do a picture about a guy who jumps off a bridge and an angel named Clarence who hasn’t won his wings yet coming down to save him, well, I’m your man!”

“It’s a Wonderful Life”, directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. CBS via Getty Images

For Capra and Stewart both, the film was a do or die project. For Stewart, it was his chance to prove that he still had something to give to fans. And Capra — who had also been away from Hollywood making movies for the War Department — believed so much in the story that he put everything on the line, even forming a new independent studio (Liberty Films) to produce it. But making the film was not without its difficulties. As actress Donna Reed — who played Mary Bailey to Stewart’s George Bailey — put it, “This was not a happy set.”

At one point, an agitated Stewart complained about the superficiality of Hollywood and acting in general, prompting veteran actor Lionel Barrymore — who plays the movie’s villain Mr. Henry F. Potter — to scold him: “So, are you saying it’s more worthwhile to drop bombs on people than to entertain them?”

“It’s a Wonderful Life”, directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter’s Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Photo by CBS via Getty Images

As Matzen explained in a 2016 interview with The Chicago Tribune, Stewart appeared to funnel all the bottled up rage, anxiety, anger, fear, and frustration into the role — making his portrayal of a man on the brink truly blur the line between fiction and reality.

“There’s a scene in the movie where he questions his sanity and he’s got this wild look about him. That’s one scene that really struck me, watching it on the big screen. And the other scene that always made me uncomfortable, but now means so much more to me, is when he’s in his living room and he’s throwing things and screaming at his kids — and his wife and children look at him like, ‘Who is this man? Who is this monster?’” Matzen explained. “And that is so reflective of what millions of families faced, looking at these strangers who came back from the war with this rage. Stewart played it beautifully. He just lets it out.”

Stewart recalled a similar moment in the Guideposts interview, when George Bailey turned to God in desperation — completely unaware that his entire town was also praying for him in the same moment.

“In agony I raise my eyes and, following the script, plead, ‘God … God … dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but