After years of being labeled “a Jimmy Stewart-type”, Brian finally paid tribute to the man himself in a Public Service Announcement for the City of Beverly Hills entitled It’s a Wonderful City. The PSA was nominated for an LA Emmy Award.
“You ARE the Jimmy Stewart in my book” wrote Zuzu herself, Karolyn Grimes, who championed Brian‘s presence at the Seneca Falls, New York (the Real Bedford Falls) It’s a Wonderful Life Festival. Here, Brian appeared as George Bailey alongside the actual cast members from the 1946 movie. During the opening night dinner at the 2023 festival, Monica Capra-Hodges, granddaughter of famed director Frank Capra, presented Brian with a beautiful portrait of Jimmy Stewart by artist Jordan Wood.
Seneca Falls was where Brian first presented a staged-reading of his one-man show Jimmy Stewart On the Front of Life. The show is a drama dealing with Jimmy’s post-war uncertainty in the months leading up to the production of It’s a Wonderful Life.
It was his appearance of the 75th anniversary celebration in Seneca Falls that garnered him an invite to Jimmy Stewart’s hometown of Indiana, PA as a regular presence at their own It’s a Wonderful Life Festival.
Here, Brian made public appearances, performed the radio version of The Shop Around the Corner, and literally walked in Jimmy’s footsteps, recreating Jimmy’s famed 1945 Life Magazine photo shoot.
On May 17, 2025, Brian performed the first full length production of Jimmy Stewart On the Front of Life in Indiana.PA. In the front row sat Jimmy’s daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, as well as his nephew Ethan Perry and his niece Sandy Hart.
The sold-out performance received a standing ovation. Kelly Stewart openly wept and called the performance “masterful” and “incredible”, saying that Brian did an insightful interpretation of Jimmy, and not merely an imitation, also adding that the entire production was “moving”. "My dad was on that stage tonight" said Kelly, paying Brian the ultimate compliment.
