Christmas revelers make "It's a Wonderful Life," the Frank Capra-directed tear-jerker, a part of their yearly holiday routine for good reason: beyond the "it was a simpler time" sugar sweetness lies a deep and deadly serious tale about the human spirit and redemption.
What many may not know is why Jimmy Stewart managed — indeed, manages every year — to tell that tale without the subject matter or his performance growing old or seeming antiquated.
According to the Wall Street Journal in a stirring piece, it's because Stewart the war-hero was trying to play actor again after fighting in Germany during WWII and was battling some pretty serious demons of his own.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” was Stewart’s first picture after almost five years away, including 20 months on the front lines. As a squadron commander of B-24 heavy bombers, he flew his first combat mission to Germany on Dec. 13, 1943. He commanded 12 missions in his first two months and was almost shot down twice. The experience unnerved him enough that he spent time at the “flak farm,” where fliers went to decompress after seeing too much combat.
When he came back and shot the film, he was plagued, says the WSJ, with "images of bombers burning in the sky and men tumbling to earth."
And he wondered, as so many veterans returning from war do, whether there was a place for him back in "civilized" society where men dressed up and tried to tell stories to audiences eager to leave their lives for a little while and play make-believe.
Ironically, Old Man Potter, George Bailey's nemesis in the film, offered Stewart the actor the prescription he needed when he reminded him that there is life outside of war, and it's a worthy life. Lionel Barrymore, who played Potter, reportedly told Stewart, "Isn’t entertaining people better than dropping bombs on them?"
In a story full of everyday heroes and Christmas spirit, even the grinch Potter had a meaningful and positive role to play. Give "It's A Wonderful Life" a whirl and remember it is not just the story of a man seeking meaning in life, but the story of a soldier home from war seeking peace and purpose after suffering the trauma that goes hand in hand with heroism.
