Film 'Jimmy' charts James Stewart's path from A-list star to combat pilot

James Stewart enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942, leaving Hollywood at the peak of his career to serve as a combat pilot. The decision marked a sharp break from his status as a top-tier star, a role he held after winning the Academy Award for 'The Philadelphia Story' in 1941. Stewart had not appeared in a film since that year, creating a nearly five-year gap in his screen appearances before his return.

Stewart sought active duty rather than a safe stateside assignment. Janie McKirgan, curator at the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pennsylvania, noted that Stewart recognized the military's need for skilled aviators. 'He knew that America needed good pilots; he was one,' McKirgan said. Her account suggests that military leadership hesitated to accept him due to his fame.

McKirgan explained that the Army Air Corps took a long time to find an officer willing to accept the risk of losing Stewart. If the award-winning actor were shot down, it would have been a major blow to morale. Stewart persisted until he secured a position that allowed him to fly missions.

The new film 'Jimmy' explores this transition. It stars Max Casella as director Frank Capra and K.J. Apa as Stewart. The movie opens in theaters on Nov. 6. Apa stated that he was unaware of Stewart's combat history before taking the role. 'I can't believe it was true,' Apa said. 'It was the courage that made me dumbfounded of his story.' Casella described Stewart's choice as giving up Hollywood at the very top of the mountain.

Stewart completed 20 combat missions over Germany. He experienced significant loss during the war, including the loss of crew members on specific sorties. After his return, Stewart kept the details of his service private. Kelly Stewart Harcourt, one of his twin daughters, said her father never discussed his military service with the family. Harcourt serves as an executive producer on the film.

Harcourt shared entries from her father's diary, which she and her sister discovered in his nightstand after his death in 1997. She read from the journal for the first time publicly, describing a day when the group lost 13 crews on a mission. 'This was a terrible day,' the entry stated. 'We lost 13 crews out of the group on the mission today. Only half of them came back.' A subsequent entry from the following day, when all men returned safely, reflected Stewart's complex feelings about the conflict.

Harcourt said her father suffered from nightmares, depression, and anxiety, symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder. These experiences influenced his performance in 'It's a Wonderful Life,' released in 1946. Harcourt believes Stewart channeled his wartime emotions into the character of George Bailey. 'You can't pull off that performance without feeling like that,' she said.

Stewart went on to make more than 50 films after 'It's a Wonderful Life.' He considered his military service his greatest achievement. In 1983, he was honored at the Kennedy Center, where cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy presented the award. The ceremony moved Stewart to the point of near tears. The film 'Jimmy' will begin its theatrical run on Nov. 6.