New film ‘Jimmy’ explores the untold story of Jimmy Stewart’s WWII service and enduring faith
The new film “Jimmy,” directed by Aaron Burns and starring KJ Apa, portrays Jimmy Stewart’s World War II service as a bomber pilot and its influence on his life and acting career. Stewart served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1945, flew 20 combat missions over occupied Europe, and later attained the rank of brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve. Stewart’s daughter Kelly Stewart-Harcourt said her father’s quiet, regular practice of faith gave him strength and comfort, and she believes he would approve of the film. The film premiered in the Dallas–Fort Worth area on Nov. 4, with Stewart’s military service and personal legacy at the center of the event.
6 hours ago
The film Jimmy revisits actor Jimmy Stewart’s World War II service and the faith and personal character that family members and colleagues say shaped his life. Premiering in Fort Worth on Nov. 4, the movie is now in theaters nationwide.
Stewart put his Hollywood career on hold to serve in World War II. He joined the military in 1941, deployed to England in 1943 as a heavy bomber pilot with the U.S. Army Air Forces’ Eighth Air Force, and flew 20 combat missions over occupied Europe, including missions targeting Berlin. He later served as a strategic bomber officer and reached the rank of brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.
Director Aaron Burns said he was inspired to make the film after learning about Stewart’s wartime experiences and discovering that It’s a Wonderful Life was the first movie Stewart made after returning from service. The film explores how the war affected Stewart and later informed his portrayal of family man George Bailey.
Stewart’s daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, said she initially wondered whether a biopic about her father would be compelling because his life was scandal-free. She came to support the project when it focused on his military service, saying she believed he would approve because the film tells a true story without glorifying war.
Stewart-Harcourt described her father’s faith as quiet but central to his life: he attended church every Sunday and prayed privately. She said he told her faith gave him “great strength and comfort.”
KJ Apa, who plays Stewart, said the role prompted him to reflect on the importance of who a person is in private, beyond public recognition. He characterized Stewart’s decision to serve as an example of choosing what is right over personal advancement.
Karolyn Grimes, who played ZuZu Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, remembered Stewart as “an angel on earth” and said she hopes the film encourages viewers to recognize kindness and goodness and to give more of themselves to others. Producer Hien Papaian similarly said she hopes audiences take away the film’s themes of love, kindness and unity despite differences.
The Fort Worth premiere included 1940s music, a military color guard and a B-24 Liberator flyover. Veterans, active-duty military personnel, first responders and their families are eligible for free tickets to the film.
Christian faith shapes moral responsibility in military service
Christian faith does not make military service automatically sinful, nor does military service suspend moral responsibility. It calls those who serve to form their consciences, judge their actions in the light of justice and peace, and refuse participation in grave wrongdoing—even when ordered to do so. It also asks them to regard opponents as human beings, not objects of hatred, and to seek peace rather than glory in force.
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states the obligation plainly:
Every member of the armed forces is morally obliged to resist orders that call for perpetrating crimes against the law of nations and the universal principles of this law. Military personnel remain fully responsible for the acts they commit in violation of the rights of individuals and peoples, or of the norms of international humanitarian law. Such acts cannot be justified by claiming obedience to the orders of superiors.
This means that an order does not by itself make an action morally right. A service member remains responsible for actions that violate the rights of persons or peoples; appealing to a superior’s command does not erase that responsibility. Military discipline matters, but it cannot require someone to commit a crime.
That principle also applies to decisions about participating in a conflict. A scholarly discussion of Catholic moral reasoning notes that citizens asked to support or take part in a war should scrutinize the state’s decision to use force. Such reflection may lead to responsible participation, or to conscientious objection concerning a conflict, a method of force, or a particular kind of military service. The available sources do not provide a complete set of criteria for judging whether a particular war is just, so they cannot settle that judgment in any specific case.
Conscience is not simply whatever a person feels strongly, nor is it a permission to ignore moral limits. It must be educated through serious reflection on the ethical responsibilities of military life. Pope John Paul II urged Christian military leaders to form their consciences about peace and security “with lucidity and courage,” so that they could make sound choices and help younger service members and the public think clearly about these questions. He also stressed that military personnel need pastoral accompaniment suited to the risks and distinctive pressures of their vocation.
Formation matters because military service can place a person under intense pressure: loyalty to comrades, obedience to command, fear, and the demands of an operation can all affect judgment. Faith does not remove those pressures, but it insists that moral questions remain real within them. The same papal address recognizes that service can unsettle religious practice through separation and disruption, while also offering the opportunity to live alongside fellow believers.
A scholarly account of the Augustinian tradition describes the Christian soldier’s moral stance as distinct from personal vengeance or hatred. Even where the cause is considered just, the soldier should retain the “spirit of the peacemaker,” recognizing that an adversary is a human being who poses a threat, not evil incarnate. It follows, in that account, that a surrendered, wounded, or captured enemy should be treated humanely once no longer a threat.
This is a theological interpretation of the Christian tradition, not a substitute for rules governing conduct in war. Its point is that moral responsibility concerns both what a person does and the disposition with which it is done. A Christian may not cultivate cruelty, hatred, or the fantasy that violence is spiritually purifying. The same essay cautions that this ideal is difficult to sustain amid combat and that those who have not experienced combat should speak about its moral realities with humility.
Just-war reasoning, in this view, should not become a checklist used to declare oneself morally clean. Another scholarly treatment warns that it should instead keep attention on the moral cost of decisions and the temptation to excuse oneself too easily. That does not mean moral judgments are impossible; it means that serious moral analysis should lead to humility and accountability, not self-congratulation.
Catholic moral teaching, as summarized in the Compendium, recognizes conscientious objection for people who refuse military service because they reject any recourse to force or oppose participation in a particular conflict. It also says that they should be open to other forms of service to the community. The principle is not simply withdrawal from responsibility: refusing to bear arms can be joined to a positive commitment to serve human beings in another way. A scholarly discussion likewise connects alternative service with promoting respect for human life and peace.
The practical conclusion is that Christian faith calls military personnel neither to unthinking compliance nor to indifference toward their duties. It calls for formed judgment, courage in resisting criminal orders, respect for human dignity—including that of enemies—and a sober desire for peace. Where a concrete order or conflict raises serious moral doubts, the supplied sources establish the need for conscience and resistance to criminal acts, but they do not resolve every particular case.