This article was previously published on December 21, 2023.
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…
