Road trip: It’s a wonderful life

Director Frank Capra’s first movie after World War II—and one that epitomized how he felt after witnessing so much horror and tragedy—was considered sappy and a bit insipid.

And it could be, except for Jimmy Stewart—a real-life World War II pilot who also came home from witnessing war and allowed his darkness to show through in scenes of this classic movie. Oh, sure, there’s the silly Clarence the angel and the winking angels in the night sky, but Stewart commands the screen and doesn’t shy away from letting his postwar angst come through. Perhaps because the story of George Bailey could have been the story of Stewart himself. It’s not Bedford Falls but Indiana, Pennsylvania, where Stewart grew up—a small town just like George Bailey’s.

Maybe Stewart’s influence didn’t keep it from becoming a Pottersville, as in the movie, but Stewart put Indiana on the map. In addition to being home to the Jimmy Stewart Museum and Jimmy Stewart Airport, the area is also the “Christmas tree capital of the world.” There are more than 17 tree farms in Indiana County. In this COVID-19 world, movie showings, festivals, and parades are probably on hiatus, but the town goes all-out with decorations so it will still be worth the flight.

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