“Dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man but if you’re up there and you can hear me show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope. Show me the way.”

— James Stewart portrays George Bailey in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”, 1946

“creating moments in movies, this I think is the important thing”

Parkinson/BBC interviewer, 1973 re: It’s a Wonderful Life:  “You said Jimmy that was your favorite movie of all. Why’s that?”

James Stewart: “When I first read the first draft of the script  [It’s a Wonderful Life]…that scene, the little prayer, affected me… And this is a theory that I’ve always had — creating moments in movies, this I think is the important thing. Nobody knows exactly how it happens. What you should do is prepare yourself, as best you can, to make these moments happen.”