Jimmy Stewart — the part Jimmy Stewart is playing — is very important. He’s almost always playing the same part, and that is the seemingly ordinary, decent American who — when put to the test in an extreme situation — rises to the occasion and does the extraordinary. And that’s an old, old story in our American way of life. In fact, it’s the story of Harry Truman, which is what I’ve spent the largest part of my creative writing life working on, a project of 10 years. That’s the story of Harry Truman, the seemingly ordinary fellow who — put to the test — rises to the occasion and does the extraordinary. And, I think we like that story because that’s the story of our country.