James Stewart was Concerned about Losing the Authentic Christmas Spirit

May 2024 · 4 minute read

“When they find out how young I was, they will freak,” the first-time director recalled thinking to himself, altering his voice to sound more mature when, at the age of 27, he called James Stewart’s agent to invite the actor to appear in “Mr. Krueger’s Christmas.”

Though Stewart had been McLean’s top choice, Fred Astaire liked the script and encouraged them to approach him.

Stewart’s agent responded promptly, saying the actor had interest, but you “must be kidding” about the financial offer; the agent interjected, “We are talking about a (expletive) star!” 

“MGM offered him $100,000 for a single day of filming—that is twice as much as you are offering for two weeks!” McLean was thrilled to hear that the agent was open to meeting in Los Angeles to discuss further.

In an interview, the veteran songwriter said, “Even if I live a million years, I will never forget this day.” “We might get this, so I was doing my routine of screaming around the house.” 

When the agent reached the scene, young Clarissa asked, “You hung the mittens on the Christmas tree?” The agent was moved to tears as Krueger replied, “You remind me of everything good about Christmas.”   

McLean then restated their offer of payment and made the unusual request that the church be granted perpetual rights without any residuals. The agent replied, “Sounds good to me.”

“Why did you do a film so ‘off-Hollywood’?” A reporter posed for Stewart at the press conference after the movie’s premiere.

“The message was appealing to me. I felt that something similar was long overdue.”

According to Stewart’s later explanation, the program presented a view of the season that “we have sort of let go by the road” and “in a very simple and a very straightforward way… what Christmas means.” 

“Jesus Christ’s birth. This is what initially piqued my interest in it.”

At this low point in his career, Stewart was having trouble finding new acting roles. Then, director Frank Capra offered him a part in his upcoming film, ‘It Is a Wonderful Life’, as George Bailey. 

Stewart initially turned down the offer because of the film’s intense plot, which followed a man who is driven to contemplate suicide; after the dark years of the war, he had hoped for a more comedic role.  

However, Danny Sjursen points out that Stewart “became George Bailey, and audiences were transfixed” as they watched him “channel all his rage, trauma, sadness, and darkness” in that legendary performance.

The biographer Matzen stated, “I do not think he had that kind of capacity before the war.” “It allowed him to feel that raw emotion and be fierce.”

George Bailey raises his eyes to heaven as he slumps in agony in one scene. “I am not a prayer man, but if you are up there and you can hear me, please show me the way, Father in heaven. I have reached my limit.”

Stewart subsequently recollected, “As I said those words, my eyes filled with tears, and I felt the loneliness and hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn.” I broke down, sobbing.”

The speaker acknowledged that the tears were not planned but said, “The power of that prayer and the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless had reduced me to tears.”

Stewart married three years after the release of “It is a Wonderful Life” at the age of 41. Throughout their 45-year marriage, the actor stayed faithful to his wife, Gloria McLean, defying the Tinseltown trend.

Jimmy and Gloria had twin girls together after Jimmy adopted Gloria’s two sons from a previous marriage.

Since he was genuinely the “everyman” he frequently portrayed in films, Stewart is well known for having grown to detest Hollywood’s glitz and avoided the expensive clothing, fancy cars, and cosmetic surgery that some of his contemporaries were known for. 

He was an elder at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church and grew concerned about the rising levels of violence and sexual content in contemporary movies.

ncG1vNJzZmiolZq9tMPIs2Wcp51kuaLAxKyrZqCfqXyrrcyeqmarpJrEor7TZq6aq12YvK%2BvxKulnpxdlq%2BwwdNmo6irmaO0bsDHnmSaraSdsq%2FAyJxknKCinsC1ucCsZKyomae2tXs%3D