Remnant Recap

• A hidden hero: Jimmy Stewart’s journey reveals a man who lived out quiet courage, sacrificing Hollywood success to serve his country in World War II.

• A faithful foundation: Stewart’s father, a Presbyterian deacon, covered his son in prayer and sent him to war with Psalm 91 in his pocket.

• A story worth telling: “A Truly Wonderful Life” will show how Stewart’s wartime trauma and deep faith shaped the film that became an American classic.

The story behind Jimmy Stewart is far greater than the beloved character he played in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Long before he stepped into the role of George Bailey, Stewart lived a life shaped by faith, sacrifice, and battlefield courage. A new feature film titled “A Truly Wonderful Life” will reveal the hero behind the hero, showing how a Presbyterian upbringing, a praying father, and a decision to leave Hollywood for the warfront forged the man America came to love. His journey reminds us that real heroes emerge from conviction, humility, and a willingness to serve something greater than themselves.

CBN News reports:

The late actor Jimmy Stewart is the inspiration for filmmaker Aaron Burns’ new project “A Truly Wonderful Life,” a movie set to offer a lens into Stewart’s personal story of heroism, faith, and navigating Hollywood. Burns told CBN News about the exciting project.

“We’re partnering with the Stewart family — Jimmy Stewart’s daughter and her family — to bring his life to the big screen,” he said. “He’s known as … the every man of America.”

Burns said he, like so many other Americans, has long known Stewart as an actor, but his perspective was widened a few years ago when he stumbled upon an article detailing the performer’s back story — a decision to fight in World War II that took Stewart out of Hollywood and onto the battlefield.

“The storyteller in me just was so intrigued by this,” Burns said.

The filmmaker then recapped some of Stewart’s origin story, explaining Stewart grew up in a small town and had a faithful father who was a deacon in the Presbyterian church.

“[His dad] just prayed for his son, raised him, invested [in] him,” he said. “And, all of a sudden, Jimmy winds up making it as an actor, heading off to Hollywood, and rising through the ranks to become a huge star.”

Stewart, of course, went on to win five Oscars, yet the actor felt somewhat of a “hollowness,” Burns said. He simply wasn’t sure if he was a “fake movie star” or a “real hero.” At that time in the early 1940s, the world’s instability was coming to a head, with “war clouds on the horizon.”

That’s when Stewart made a stunning decision.

“[Stewart] says, ‘I want to be something more than just a Tinseltown hero. I wanted to serve my country, serve my fellow Americans.’”

Burns said Stewart had been a private pilot, but he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps, where he became a squadron commander — a job that involved leading thousands of men in bombing runs during the war.

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Photo credit: CBN News