It's a Wonderful Life

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It's a Wonderful Life
Original movie poster for It's a Wonderful Life depicting George and Mary embracing, surrounded by all of the people that George's life has touched
Directed by	Frank Capra
Produced by	Frank Capra
Written by	Novel (The Greatest Gift): Philip Van Doren Stern Screenplay: Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett Jo Swerling Frank Capra
Starring	James Stewart Donna Reed Lionel Barrymore
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date(s)	December 20, 1946
Running time	130 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3,180,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 drama film directed by Frank Capra, produced by his own Liberty Films and released originally by RKO Radio Pictures. Dubbed by the American Film Institute one of the best films ever made, it placed #1 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, a list of the most inspirational American movies of all time. It ranks 11th on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies, a list of the greatest American films. The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

The movie is the story of the life of common man George Bailey, as told to his guardian angel Clarence Odbody, who has been recruited to save him in his moment of need.

[edit] Story and plot analysis

[edit] Prologue

A shot of the Bailey House, where prayers can be heard in the opening sequence.

The movie begins on Christmas Eve as the multiple prayers of many people on Earth for a man named George Bailey are heard by beings in Heaven. In the heavens, Clarence Odbody (Clarence Odbody AS2)^[1] is told that he must help George Bailey in order to earn his wings. One of the higher-up angels, Joseph, begins to tell Clarence the story of George Bailey in order to prepare him for his mission.

[edit] George the boy

First, Joseph tells Clarence how George saved his little brother, Harry, when he fell through the ice of a frozen pond when he was nine, which led to George losing the hearing in his left ear.

After that he is shown George working at Mr. Gower's drugstore a few years later. Two girls, Mary Hatch and Violet Bick, come in and after Violet flirts with George and leaves, Mary whispers (into George's deaf ear) a pledge to love him until the day she dies. During the same scene the audience first learns of George's ambition to explore the world when he trumpets his invitation to subscribe to National Geographic Magazine. That same day, George saves a child from being poisoned by tainted capsules ordered from Mr. Gower, who had gotten drunk after learning of his son's death by influenza. George runs to get advice from his father. George bursts into his father's office during a meeting with the miserly Mr. Potter. After being escorted out, George returns to the drugstore just as Mr. Gower receives a phone call that the ordered capsules hadn't arrived. After questioning George he begins to beat him for failing to make the delivery until George can explain what happened, at which point Mr. Gower recants instantly and is eternally grateful for having his mistake covered.

Young George Bailey (James Stewart) and Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) dance the Charleston dangerously close to the gap in the quickly-opening gym floor.

[edit] George the young man

Now, about 21 years old, George wants more than anything in the world to "leave [the] crummy little town" of Bedford Falls, and experience the world outside. His plans involve a European vacation before he starts college. On the night before his vacation starts he sits down to dinner with his family, after which his father, Peter, expresses some anxieties about having his eldest son leave and not join him at the Bailey Building & Loan. George reassures Peter that he has nothing to worry about, considering the aggressiveness of mill owner and banker Henry Potter, the greedy slumlord who already owns half the town. In a tender moment, George reveals his deep affection for his father, then leaves to attend the graduation party of his younger brother, Harry, at Bedford Falls High School.

At the graduation party, George becomes re-acquainted with Mary Hatch, now 18, who is attending the event with her brother. After getting rid of Mary's date (the annoying Freddie Othello (Carl Switzer)), George and Mary dance together in a Charleston contest. In a fit of pique, Freddie activates the mechanism that exposes the full pool. Unluckily, George and Mary find themselves dancing just where the floor opens to reveal the pool underneath. After moving to one side of the growing opening, George and Mary obliviously dance closer and closer to the edge, eventually plunging in.

Afterwards, George leisurely walks Mary home. En route, George throws a rock through the window of 320 Sycamore: a large, empty, dilapidated house, and makes a wish as it breaks the window. Mary asks him not to break the glass, explaining that she loves the house because it's "full of romance", then adds "I'd like to live there someday." She then asks George about what wish he made. His enthusiastic answer:

At this, Mary impulsively picks up a stone and breaks a window as well. George asks her what she wished for, but she doesn't answer, saying if she does it won't come true. He asks her if she wants the moon, and he offers to "throw a lasso around it and pull it down." A man who had been watching them from a porch yells to George to "kiss her instead of talking her to death." Mary panics and runs. Unfortunately, her robe was caught under George's foot and comes off as she flees. Left holding the garment, a mischievous George humorously teases the mortified and naked Mary while she hides in the nearby hydrangea bushes.

Just then, Uncle Billy, Peter Bailey's brother and the Building & Loan's Vice President, drives up and informs George that his father has had a stroke. Tossing Mary her robe, George rides urgently away.

[edit] Adult George

The film then jumps to about three months after Peter Bailey's death. Without Peter to guide and protect it, the Building and Loan has fallen prey to Mr. Potter. George, who has sacrificed the joys and rewards of his vacation in Europe to help settle the matters of the Bailey Building & Loan and his father's estate, realizes he must maintain control of the business, otherwise, the board will vote with Potter and dissolve the entire thing. George decides the right thing to do is stay on at the Building and Loan and pays for his brother Harry to go to college first, with him going upon Harry's return (and subsequent taking over as CEO).

Mary tenderly tells George "He says it's the chance of a lifetime."

Years later, when Harry does come home, he doesn't come alone. He brings with him a young woman whom he introduces as his wife and almost immediately announces that her father has offered him an excellent job. Although Harry volunteers to turn the offer down and work at the Building and Loan so George can attend college, George decides he can't bring himself to deny his brother this opportunity.

Later, Ma Bailey informs George that Mary Hatch is back in town, and that she "lights up like a firefly whenever she sees [George]." George eventually makes his way to her house, where she girlishly plays flirtatious games with him (including subtly playing Buffalo Gals on the phonograph) and displaying a needlepoint image of George lassoing the moon.) George acts uncomfortable, as if he has been forced to come to her house, because, although he does love her, he knows that getting married to her means he will forever have to remain in Bedford Falls.

Frustrated by George's lack of response to her affectionate maneuvers, Mary demands that he leave and smashes the record. Just then the phone rings with Sam Wainwright, George's childhood friend and the man Mary's mother wants her to marry on the line. As George returns to retrieve his forgotten hat, Mary makes a big show to Sam that George is there. He informs George that his previous tip about plastics has turned out to be excellent advice, but that he's still looking for a place to produce his goods. George advises Sam to consider Bedford Falls' recently closed tool and die factory, which, along with its former workforce, could suit his needs for cheap. George and Mary share the telephone ear piece as Sam tells George that he thinks that advice is excellent and that his father wants to give George a job with generous pay and a prosperous future and that "It's the chance of a lifetime" if he gets in "on the ground floor." As a last attempt to get George's response, Mary--choked by emotion--tells George: "He says... it's the chance of a lifetime." George, who's been fighting his love for Mary, drops the phone and grabs her shoulders, saying:

At this moment, he realizes he must again make another sacrifice— this time for love, and embraces Mary. At the same time, George also realizes he must marry his love while at the same time denying himself the prosperous job because the Building & Loan needs protection from Mr. Potter.

[edit] Married George

George and Mary wed in a ceremony at Ma Bailey's home. They jump into Ernie's taxicab, headed for the airport where from which they shall embark on a grand honeymoon when, to their dismay, they see people running through the rain to the local bank. Resisting the urges of Mary, George goes over to see what's happening.

Citizens of Bedford Falls gathering outside the bank in the rain during a bank run.

There has been a run on the bank, and everyone's financial future is in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Mr. Potter has seized control of the City Bank, and calls George at the Building and Loan to tell him that he doesn't think the Building and Loan can afford to stay in business. Someone in the crowd mentions that Potter is paying 50 cents on the dollar for shares in the Building and Loan, which sounds like a good deal to the people. Due to the terms of the Building and Loan, they would not be able to get cash for their share for at least 60 days. Since they feel that half is better than nothing, they start to go over to Potter's to sell him their shares. As people begin making for the door George pleads with them:

Seeing what is necessary, Mary offers the $2,000 intended for their honeymoon to bolster the dwindling assets and satisfy the depositors, to tide them over until the bank reopens in a week. Uncle Billy, Cousin Eustace and the rest of family employees take out all their personal cash as well and they agree to withdraw only what they need to last the week, by which time the bank, where most of their cash is located, will re-open.

Thanks to this cash infusion, the Building and Loan is able to survive the bank run and close its doors at the regular time. George, Uncle Billy, and the rest of the Building & Loan staff celebrate the two remaining dollars when the phone rings. It's Mary, informing him to "come home" -- to 320 Sycamore—the very house whose windows they once broke.

When George arrives, he is welcomed to a leaking roof, drafty walls, and posters of the South Seas and Florida covering broken windows and holes in the walls in an effort to create some approximation of the honeymoon they've sacrificed. As Mary kisses George, police officer Bert and taxi driver Ernie serenade them from outside. Embracing George, Mary whispers "Remember the night we broke the windows in this old house? This is what I wished for."

Cutting to years later, George has developed a housing complex called Bailey Park and Mr. Potter is aware that the development is infringing on his profits, and so he summons George to his office. When he arrives he is, strangely, congratulated for beating the old man at his own game and Mr. Potter suddenly offers him an insanely wealthy future: a $20,000 a year salary, business trips to New York and Europe... meaning the best things in the world for his new bride. He considers the offer, asking for 24 hours to talk it over with his wife. But as he reaches out to shake Potter's hand, George comes to his senses, realizing that he can't accept this temptation because it would mean ruin for the people of Bedford Falls.

That very night, George comes home after dark while Mary is sleeping, and the words of his recent conference with Mr. Potter haunt him. The promises of wealth, happiness, good clothing and home for Mary seem even more enticing, and George realizes just how much he has had to sacrifice during his life, and what meager material rewards he has gained from it.

Mary then sits up in bed, and when George notes she could have married Sam Wainright, she firmly asserts her life now is exactly what she wanted. "George Bailey lassos stork!" she tells him. Together they end up having four children in all.

[edit] The War; Christmas Eve

The film then jumps with a montage to show Clarence — and the audience — how World War II affected George Bailey and Bedford Falls, and vice versa. George, unable to join the service because of his deafness, stays home and fights "the Battle of Bedford Falls" against Mr. Potter.

On Christmas Eve, it is announced that Harry Bailey's heroics have earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor. At the bank, with an envelope of $8,000 of Bailey Building and Loan cash to deposit, Uncle Billy is writing out the deposit slip when Potter is wheeled into bank. Potter is greeted enthusiastically by four bankers and then sarcastically by Uncle Billy, who, noticing a copy of the Sentinel in Potter's lap, boasts about the "Bailey Brothers." However, in his joy, Uncle Billy inadvertently wraps the envelope of cash in Potter's newspaper before returning it to him. After the bank manager informs Uncle Billy that the deposit slip isn't accompanied by the customary deposit money, and after he searches high and low, Uncle Billy runs back to the Building and Loan hoping he left it there. Meanwhile, Mr. Potter has found the money in his newspaper but hides it.

When George offers to give a loan to Violet Bick, he finds Uncle Billy in a state of distress, unable to locate the missing $8000. George searches in the obvious places in the office, and then races through the snow, hat-less and coat-less, retracing Uncle Billy's path in a vain attempt to find the cash. They never find it.

George, distraught, returns home to find his family joyous and anxious for Christmas. The now seemingly-inane pleas of his family make him even more discouraged. He cries as he hugs his son Tommy, knowing that he will be the one who goes to jail, and he will be the one to blame for all his clients' financial ruin. Mary then tells him that his other daughter, Zuzu, has a cold. Zuzu tells him that she didn't wear her coat on the way home because she didn't want to crush the rose she won at school. She then asks her father to paste the wilting petals back on her rose, but they fall off in his hand. He slyly hides the petals in his pants pocket and returns the flower to her as if he'd mended it. Under extreme duress now, he blames her schoolteacher for not telling Zuzu to put on her coat, and makes her cry. Gripped in terrible distress, George storms out.

Utterly desperate for a way out of all of his troubles, George asks Mr. Potter for help. Potter knows that Uncle Billy has misplaced $8,000 of the Building and Loan's money; he suggests that George has been gambling or having an extramarital affair, and taunts George:

Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) insults George in his moment of need: "You used to be so cocky."

Potter declines to lend George any money, citing that the only collateral he can offer is a $15,000 life insurance policy, in which his equity is $500. In a bit of sinister, chilling humor, Potter says "Why, George, you're worth more dead than alive!" before announcing that he will swear out a warrant for George's arrest on charges of malfeasance and manipulation of funds.

George drives to Martini's bar, and gets drunk. He prays to God for deliverance from his woes. Mr. Welch, husband of Zuzu's teacher, recognizes George and, irate that George made his wife cry, punches George in the face.

Critical moment, George prays. "Dear God...show me the way".

George interprets this blow as God's answer to a man in need, and, sick with the way the world has been cruel to him for his entire life, is now on the verge of suicide. George has truly lost faith in the people of the world and in God.

[edit] Pottersville

George drunkenly crashes his car into a tree near a bridge, and stumbles out into the middle of the span. He looks down into river, knowing the cold would kill him in no time. Contemplating suicide, George suddenly sees a stranger fall into the river. George jumps in to save him, and the bridgekeeper quickly pulls them from the water.

As Clarence (Henry Travers) introduces himself, George's face reeks skepticism.

The stranger introduces himself to George as Clarence Odbody, George's guardian from Heaven, clutching The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Clarence attempts to convince George that he jumped in order to save George, knowing that George would rather save a life than take his own. George, despondent and ruined, explains his situation to Clarence, who already knows all too well the plight of George and Uncle Billy. George claims "Everyone'd be better off if I'd never been born at all."

Clarence takes this statement to heart and grants George's wish: the world has never known of a man named George Bailey, and he truly has never been born. George's lip stops bleeding. His hearing is restored. George, although wary of Clarence, decides to go and pick up his car.

They walk in this new reality past the tree where George crashed his car—-but it is gone. There is not even a mark in the tree where the car had smashed the trunk in. They then go to Martini's Bar (now "Nick's") for a drink. In the bar, Clarence (with characteristic child-like naïveté) is unafraid to discuss angels in front of a bemused Nick and others in the bar. Nick orders the two "pixies" out for "giv[ing] the joint atmosphere". Then, Mr. Gower comes stumbling in. George is shocked by Gower's condition and hopes that his former employer will recognize him: but the reply is a mystified "No." Nick tells George that the former druggist Gower "spent twenty years in jail for poisoning a kid."

George Bailey stands, shocked, as a riot breaks out at a dance hall in corrupt Pottersville.

Dismayed by the experience, but incredulous of Clarence's explanation, George interrogates Clarence, who assures George that he is his Guardian Angel. Trying to assert his identity, he finds that, just as Clarence predicts, his wallet, all his identification, even Zuzu's flower petals, are gone from his pockets. Clarence remarks "You've been given a great gift, George: a chance to see what the world would be like without you."

In a horrific series of events, George shakes off Clarence and discovers the changed Bedford Falls—-now called Pottersville. The main street has been transformed into a cavalcade of jitterbug dance halls, strip clubs, and taverns. George sees the Building & Loan has been replaced by a dance hall, while a pawn broker now serves the people of Pottersville. Violet Bick is now a prostitute facing arrest. Ernie and Bert are now callous and suspicious of everyone. The old house at 320 Sycamore is as dilapidated as ever, since George never lived there.

Ma Bailey runs the Bailey home as a boarding house. George rings the doorbell, and she answers. She doesn't recognize him, and even though George desperately tries to prove himself, she slams the door in his face. After stumbling down the steps, George's horrified face is viewed in a fantastic close-up. He seeks closure by trying to locate an Italian immigrant family, the Martinis, in Bailey Park, but is terrified to find a cemetery there instead. Clarence appears, and tells George he wasn't there to build any house for the Martinis.

George discovers Harry Bailey's name on a nearby tombstone. It reads "HERE LIES HARRY BAILEY: 1911–1919". Clarence tells George that, because George never existed, Harry Bailey fell through the ice and drowned at the age of nine [sic]. George, thinking he's going mad, is convinced that he saved Harry, and that Harry went on to save the lives of an entire ship of men in the war.

George demands to know what has become of Mary. He feels that if he can just find Mary, things will be back to normal. But he finds that Mary is an old-maid librarian: a plain, bespectacled woman, sad, lonely, and frightened of the world. George approaches her as she closes up the public library, pleading and begging Mary to help him. But she doesn't recognize him, and screams before running away from him. Bert comes to her defense, and tries to pry George from her. George, finally realizing everything Clarence has told him, knocks Bert to the ground and flees.

[edit] Faith renewed

Fleeing the horrors of Pottersville, George Bailey at last grasps the truth. As he once again arrives at the bridge, he finally realizes what Clarence has been trying to explain: that every man's life affects the world greatly. Forgetting himself and his problems, a humbled George pleads with Heaven to restore his existence and make the world as it was – problems and all:

George Bailey (James Stewart) lovingly greets Bert (Ward Bond) on the bridge after being granted a second chance.

At the precise instant George utters the word "God", the blowing gusts die down, and snow begins to fall once more. At once, George's lip starts to bleed. Bert's police car turns onto the bridge. Restored to life, George at first rounds on Bert angrily, but when Bert says his name, he euphorically asks "Bert, do you know me?" Bert demands to know where he has been, since the whole town has been looking for him. He then points out that George's lip is bleeding. George now knows he is truly back.

All of the miseries of his Christmas Eve he now greets with humorous joy: he lauds the tree he'd crashed into, lovingly pats his dilapidated car with the door that won't stay closed, and, in the film's most memorable scene, runs ecstatically down Main Street, shouting hellos to the Bijou Movie House, Emporium, Bailey Building & Loan, and the entire city of Bedford Falls, the "crummy little town" he had come to hate. Then he returns home to a Mary-less house, the bank examiner and sheriff there to arrest George. Mary rushes in moments later. George's years of selfless investment in his fellow men now pay off with interest. The people of Bedford Falls, for whom George has sacrificed his dreams, now appear in his hour of need. One by one, then in a crowd, George Bailey's neighbors offer him their money. As each comes forward, George utters their names under his breath, lovingly.

With renewed faith in humanity, George Bailey (James Stewart) embraces Mary (Donna Reed) and their children.

Suddenly, Ernie shouts for silence so that he can read them a telegram: Sam Wainwright, made aware of George's peril, has cabled from London that his office is authorized to advance George up to twenty-five thousand dollars. The crowd bursts into "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", while cousin Eustace the clerk begins gladly tallying the contributions which even include cash from the bank examiner and the sheriff, who also tears up the arrest warrant.

Someone shouts "Harry Bailey" and, unexpectedly, Bert the cop brings in George's brother. Harry explains that he left his banquet in New York in the middle of it to support his brother upon receiving a telegram from Mary about the crisis. Still in uniform from his decoration, Harry proposes "A toast: to my big brother, George—-the richest man in town."

"To my big brother George. The richest man in town"

The crowd cheers again, and then breaks into "Auld Lang Syne." Suddenly, a book appears atop the pile of money: Tom Sawyer. George reaches down and opens the cover; inside, he finds an inscription:

Dear George:—

Remember no man is a failure who has friends.

Thanks for the wings!

Love

Clarence.

A branch is shaken on the Christmas tree, and a bell on the branch starts to jingle. Zuzu cries out "Teacher says 'Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.'" George looks skyward and says "That's right." He winks upward and says "atta boy, Clarence."

[edit] Inspiration, casting, production, and distribution

The original story "The Greatest Gift" was written by Philip Van Doren Stern in November 1939. He tried unsuccessfully to sell it to magazines. In 1943, he made a Christmas card with the story enclosed, of which he printed 200 copies that he mailed to family and friends, while also registering its copyright. Through a Hollywood agent, RKO Pictures bought the rights to the story for $10,000 in 1945 as a vehicle for Cary Grant, who was under contract to the agent. RKO created three unsatisfactory scripts before shelving the planned movie; Grant went on to make another Christmas picture in The Bishop's Wife. Frank Capra read "The Greatest Gift" at the suggestion of RKO studio chief Charles Koerner, and immediately saw its potential. RKO, anxious to unload the project, sold the rights to Capra's production company Liberty Films for the same $10,000, throwing in the three scripts for free. (In his autobiography, Frank Capra: The Name Above the Title, Capra states that the rights to the story and the three RKO screenplays — written by Dalton Trumbo, Marc Connelly and Clifford Odets — cost him $50,000.)

Capra, with his "one man, one show" motto (what some called "the Capra touch"^{[citation needed]}) and writers Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, took what he liked from the scripts and added some elements of his own, including the character Mr. Potter and making the town of Bedford Falls a believable place.

The cast included:

Donna Reed, James Stewart and Karolyn Grimes

• James Stewart as George Bailey
• Donna Reed as Mary Hatch
• Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter
• Todd Karns as Harry Bailey
• Ward Bond as Bert
• Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Bailey
• Gloria Grahame as Violet Bick
• H.B. Warner as Mr. Gower
• Frank Faylen as Ernie Bishop
• Charles Lane as the rent collector
• Henry Travers as the angel Clarence Odbody, AS2
• Sheldon Leonard as Nick, bartender
• William Edmunds as Mr. Martini
• Frank Albertson as Sam Wainwright
• Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy
• Joseph Kearns as Angel (voice, uncredited)
• Jimmy the Raven as Uncle Billy's pet raven. Jimmy appeared in You Can't Take it With You and each subsequent Capra film. [1] [2]

Although James Stewart's previous roles had been less dramatic and complex, he was Capra's only choice to play George Bailey, around which time Capra changed the name of the film from The Greatest Gift to It's a Wonderful Life. Among the alternate actors Capra considered casting were Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Brennan, Adolphe Menjou, and W.C. Fields for Uncle Billy, Edgar Buchanan, Claude Rains, Charles Coburn, and Vincent Price for Mr. Potter, Jean Arthur (a Capra personal favorite who had starred under Capra and alongside James Stewart in the classic movies You Can't Take it With You and Mr. Smith goes to Washington but had committed to a Broadway show), Olivia de Havilland, Ann Dvorak, and Ginger Rogers for Mary Hatch. Capra also considered Henry Travers for the roles of Uncle Billy, Mr. Gower, and Peter Bailey (Pa).

It's a Wonderful Life was shot at the RKO studio in Culver City, California, and the RKO ranch in Encino, where Bedford Falls was a set covering four acres assembled from three separate parts with a main street stretching 300 yards, three city blocks, a tree-lined center parkway, and 75 stores and buildings, and 20 full grown oak trees. Filming started on April 15, 1946, and ended on July 27, 1946. The film premiered on December 20, 1946 in the New Globe Theater on Governors Island in Manhattan.

Reviews were mixed. Time magazine said, "It's a Wonderful Life is a pretty wonderful movie. It has only one formidable rival (Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives) as Hollywood's best picture of the year. . . . Director Capra's inventiveness, humor and affection for human beings keep it glowing with life and excitement." But Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times, complained that "the weakness of this picture, from this reviewer's point of view, is the sentimentality of it—its illusory concept of life. Mr. Capra's nice people are charming, his small town is a quite beguiling place and his pattern for solving problems is most optimistic and facile. But somehow they all resemble theatrical attitudes rather than average realities."

The film placed 26th in box office revenues for the year (out of more than 400 features released), one place ahead of another Christmas movie, Miracle on 34th Street). It received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

Liberty Films was purchased by Paramount Pictures, and remained a subsidiary until 1951. Paramount owned the film until 1955, when they sold a few of their features and most of their cartoons and shorts to television distributor U.M.&M. T.V. Corp.. This included key rights to It's a Wonderful Life, including the original television syndication rights, the original nitrate film elements, the music score, and the story on which the film is based, "The Greatest Gift".

[edit] Public domain

National Telefilm Associates took over the rights to the U.M.&M. library soon afterward. However, a clerical error at NTA prevented the copyright from being renewed properly in 1974. A popular fallacy began that it entered the public domain, and many television stations began airing the film without paying royalties. Although the film's images had entered the public domain, the film's story was still protected by virtue of it being a derivative work of the published story "The Greatest Gift," whose copyright was properly renewed by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1971. Around this time, people began to take a second look at this film. In the 1980s (the beginning of the home video era), the film became a perennial holiday favorite. For several years, it became expected that the movie would be shown multiple times on at least one station and on multiple stations in the same day, often at the same or overlapping times. It was a common practice for American viewers to jump in and out of viewing the movie at random points, confident they could easily pick it up again at a later time. The film's warm and familiar ambiance gave even isolated scenes the feel of holiday "comfort food" for the eyes and ears. The film's accidental public domain success is often cited as a reason to limit copyright terms, which have been frequently extended by Congress in the United States.

The film's success decades after its release came as a welcome but unexpected surprise those for worked on it, including Capra. "It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen," he told the Wall Street Journal in 1984. "The film has a life of its own now and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I'm like a parent whose kid grows up to be president. I'm proud … but it's the kid who did the work. I didn't even think of it as a Christmas story when I first ran across it. I just liked the idea."

Two colorized versions have since been produced; they are widely considered inferior to the black-and-white original and are often held up by opponents of colorization as an example of the flaws associated with the process: in the scene of the dinner-table chat between George and Peter Bailey, for example, James Stewart's shirt is conspicuously pink. For many years, some television stations paid substantial royalties to show a colorized version, figuring that color would attract more viewers.

In 1993, Republic Pictures, which was the successor to NTA, relied on the 1990 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Stewart v. Abend (which involved the movie Rear Window) to enforce its claim of copyright. While the film's copyright had not been renewed, it was a derivative work of various works that were still copyrighted. As a result, the film is no longer shown as much on television. (NBC is currently licensed to show the film on U.S. network television, and only shows it traditionally twice during the holidays, with one showing primarily on Christmas Eve from 8-11 Eastern time), the colorized versions have been withdrawn, and now Paramount (via parent company Viacom's 1998 acquisition of Republic's then-parent Spelling Entertainment) once again has ancillary rights for the first time since 1955. Artisan Entertainment (under license from Republic) took over home video rights in the mid-1990s. Artisan was later sold to Lions Gate Entertainment, which continued to hold home video rights until late 2005 when they reverted to Paramount.

[edit] Criticism

Although generally acclaimed for its affirmation of positive values, the film has attracted some negative criticism.

In 1947, a memo to the Director of the FBI reported that some sources viewed the film as subversive and pro-Communist on grounds of its negative depiction of the capitalist Potter and the triumph of the common man Bailey. The identity of these sources is unknown because the public version of the memo has been redacted.

NBC's annual showing of the film during the Christmas season is widely regarded as tacky and detractive of the film's spirit. Many national critics, including Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert, say that adding commercials to such an "atmosphere of drama" forces "breaks" in the emotions evoked by the movie's excellence. To grasp the true greatness of the movie, they suggest either simply to rent the film, or to see it in revival theatrical screenings, as it was meant to be experienced in 1946. (In the 1990s, NBC ran the movie with Kelsey Grammer as host; at the end, appropriately, he was shown weeping into a handkerchief, which seems to make the presentation more poignant.)

[edit] Myths and rumors

A popular belief is that Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie were named after secondary characters in the film; this belief is strengthened by the fact that Uncle Billy ties strings around his fingers to remember things just as Ernie does in Sesame Street. In fact, portions of the film are shown throughout the Christmas special, Elmo Saves Christmas. However, the producers of Sesame Street claim there is no connection.

It is also often quoted that psychiatrists would recommend It's a Wonderful Life to patients suffering from depression. This was because it was such a well known feel-good movie, and it generated positive results. However, contemporary psychiatrists would probably scoff at this idea; in the Special Edition video, this theory is quoted.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Contrary to its widespread acclaim in recent years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not give an award to It's a Wonderful Life for any of its Oscar nominations. Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Director, and Best Picture were lost all to The Best Years of Our Lives, directed by Liberty Films co-founder William Wyler.

These losses can be explained in part by Best Years' box office success in 1946, and its relevance to the movie-going audience of the time. Best Years is a dramatic look at the lives of servicemen returning home after World War II, and is itself considered a milestone film. The ingredients of Best Years – drama, social relevance, a character overcoming disability, another character facing madness – are all quite in keeping with what is considered an "Oscar Winning Film". Seen today, the movie still retains much of its power, though not the same place in the American psyche as It's a Wonderful Life.

It's a Wonderful Life's nominated categories in 1946 were:

• Best Actor: James Stewart
• Best Editing: William Hornbeck
• Best Director: Frank Capra
• Best Sound Recording: John Aalberg
• Best Picture: Frank Capra

Capra won Best Motion Picture Director from the Golden Globes, and a CEC Award from the Cinema Writers Circle in Spain, for Mejor Película Extranjera (Best Foreign Film). Jimmy Hawkins won a "Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Young Artist Awards in 1994; the awards centred out his role as Tommy Bailey for igniting his career which lasted until the mid-1960s.

[edit] Appearances and references in popular culture

Main article: It's a Wonderful Life in popular culture

[edit] Trivia

• A 1977 gender-reversal version made for television, It Happened One Christmas, starred Marlo Thomas as Mary Bailey Hatch. Aside from the sex-switch, it essentially was a verbatim remake of the original.
• Some critics have called it Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in reverse: a good man who is visited by a spirit and receives much more than a second chance.
• Of It's a Wonderful Life, director and producer Frank Capra, whose movies' idealistic, optimistic approach to weighty topics earned them the nickname "Capra-corn", said "That’s a great film; I love that film. It’s my favorite film, and in a sense it epitomizes everything I’ve been trying to do and trying to say with the other films, only it does it very dramatically with a unique story."
• Capra had wanted the movie to inspire a sense of religiosity in a nation he feared was increasingly drifting toward atheism, and to provide hope to the human spirit, but he did not consider it a holiday film despite its Christmas-y symbols of wreaths and snow and themes of love, friendship, and family. In fact, he had originally scheduled It's a Wonderful Life to debut in January, 1947 but rushed it to come out before the end of the year to be eligible for the 1946 Academy Awards.
• The Motion Picture Association of America's strict production code in 1946 censored such phrases and words as "nuts to you", "impotent", "dang", "lousy", and "jerk". But Capra managed to bypass the production code stipulating that criminals be punished for their crime: Potter never met justice for stealing the $8,000. Capra noted several times that he had received more mail about this point than anything else in the film.
• Movie snow at the time was usually cornflakes painted white, but they made a loud crunch sound that would have prevented dialogue Capra wanted to record. To solve this problem, Bedford Falls was covered in 3,000 tons of shaved ice, 300 tons of gypsum, 300 tons of plaster, and 6,000 gallons of a fomite-soap-water mixture that later won its developers an Academy Award. The illusion succeeded in spite of the heat wave during the filming strong enough that Capra gave the crew a day off to relieve them from the weather.
• Movie critics jeered at the Charleston contest scene, calling it "movie fakery at its worst," but it was shot at Beverly Hills High School, where the gym floor really did part to reveal a swimming pool below. (The gymnasium was used for this purpose at least as late as fall 1966, as this contributor can attest, having visited there with the water polo team from Redondo Union High School when they played BHHS there that year.)
• Someone had been hired to throw the rock at the window of the old house at 320 Sycamore for Donna Reed, but the MGM contract player surprised the crew with the power and accuracy of her arm and threw it herself.
• Regarding the phone scene, Stewart, who was acting in his first movie since serving in the United States Army in World War II, complained that he was away from cameras too long for such a hot and heavy scene. "A fella gets rusty," he said. Capra refused to accommodate his request to delay the scene but restaged it to have George and Mary share the phone. It was shot in one take. The script girl said, "It came out fine all right but they left out a whole page of dialogue." Capra replied, "With technique like that, who needs dialogue? Print it." This story can be disputed somewhat, as the theatrical trailer included on all DVD releases features an alternate yet similar take of the shared phone call which also bypasses "scripted" dialogue.
• In the scene at Martini's bar where George prays for the first time, the camera zooms in tight on Stewart's face. This shot was intended to be wider, but Stewart's performance in the take was so effective that Capra processed the film to go in tighter than originally shot, and "blow up" the image of Stewart's face. This can be partially noticed by paying attention to the slow "zoom in" effect which occurs a few moments into the scene, and also by the fact that the picture becomes marginally grainier as a result of a portion of the shot being blown up to fill the screen.
• In the bank run scene in which George used the $2,000 for his Honeymoon to tide over the demands of angry customers, everything was scripted except the final request by Miss Davis, played by Ellen Corby. Capra asked Ellen Corby to surprise Stewart. Corby asked for $17.50 and Stewart kissed her on the mouth, provoking a roar of laughter from the crowd.
• After Uncle Billy chooses between his three wavering hats and leaves George's house drunk, it sounds as if he is falling over trash cans. This scene was unplanned. A technician accidentally dropped some equipment off-set, making a loud noise. Shouting "I'm all right, I'm all right," the actor saved the take and made comedic history. The stagehand made an extra $10.
• According to Mr. Gower's telegram, Bedford Falls is in New York state.
• In one scene, during a run on the bank, George must persuade Bailey Building & Loan depositors not to demand the return of their deposits. This scene takes place about 1932 or 1933, just before the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation were created to prevent such financial catastrophes.
• The film can still be seen on the big screen in Baltimore, Maryland. Each year, around the second weekend of December, the Senator Theatre shows It's a Wonderful Life and Scrooge (1951 film), as part of a benefit for the Maryland Food Bank. The print is reportedly loaned to the theater by an anonymous film collector.
• A tip-of-the-hat to a past Capra/Stewart film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on the newspaper is written "Jefferson" while George is standing on "Smith" Avenue.

[edit] See also

• Meaning of life
• The Family Man

[edit] References

• Cox, Stephen. It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book. Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland House, 2003. ISBN 1-58182-337-1.
• Goodrich, Francis, Hackett, Albert and Capra, Frank. It's a Wonderful Life: The Complete Script in its Original Form. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986. ISBN 0-312-43911-3.
• The Making of It's a Wonderful Life, a documentary hosted by Tom Bosley featured in the Forty-fifth Anniversary Edition on home video.
• Los Angeles Times: On a wing and a prayer. ("'It's a Wonderful Life' is a film classic, but the production wasn't always angelic."); ca. 1800 words

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

It's a Wonderful Life

• It's a Wonderful Life at the Internet Movie Database
• Essay on the deeper meaning of It's a Wonderful Life
• In-depth defense of the film from its critics
• Excerpts from Ray Carney's analysis of the film.
• It's a Wonderful Life Ruining Your Holiday....Why the FBI Thought "It's a Wonderful Life" was a Subversive Film
• Filmsite.org's extended review
• "Some Kind of Wonderful" Frank Capra Examines Failure (from Failure Magazine, March 2001)
• "It's A Wonderful Movie" YoursDaily.com
• The Making of "It's A Wonderful Life" Frank Capra Online
• It's Still a Wonderful Life by Paul Greenberg — 1998 editorial refuting a critical book
• 10 Meg MP3 PUBLIC DOMAIN "Lux Radio Theater Broadcast" from 1947 of the movie (With original cast)