I watched it last night. Very good movie. I didn’t know Stewart was genuinely crying in that scene. It is the least sappy old movie ever. The way he was speaking to his family when he was upset was unnerving and well played.
I’ve read that Stewart, who did not return from
WWII emotionally unscathed, purposely tapped into his own inner trauma, or PTSD, or whatever, in his performance as George Bailey.