Its A Wonderful Life


wonderful life

One of the most popular American films of all-time and a perennial holiday favorite, It's A Wonderful Life is one of the most popular and heartwarming films ever made by director Frank Capra who regarded this film as his own personal favorite - it was also James Stewart's favorite of all his feature films.

It was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (James Stewart in his first film in almost six years), Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Sound Recording and Best Film Editing, but won no Oscars.(It was eclipsed by William Wyler's award-winning The Best Years of Our Lives.)

After slipping initially into obscurity, it began appearing on television occasionally in the late 1950s. But when the film's copyright lapsed in 1973, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE quickly became a staple of American TV programming between Thanksgiving and Christmas and belatedly earned its rightful place in the lexicon of American popular culture.

The American Film Institute named it one of the best films ever made, putting it at the top of the list of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, a list of what AFI considers to be the most inspirational American movies of all time. The film also appeared in another AFI Top 100 list: it placed at 11th on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies list of the top American films. It's A Wonderful Life is an indisputable movie classic.

Cast List

George Bailey was James Stewart's first role after WWII. As George Bailey, he has never been better than he is here. Throughout the film, he convincingly ages a few decades, from a youthful, bright-eyed college graduate to a sincere but disillusioned husband and father who realizes that he never had the chance to fulfill he dreams. The role is one of humor, obsession, gloom, and, finally, hope, and it would go on to be the part with which Stewart was recognized for the rest of his career.

Mary Hatch Bailey was Donna Reed's first starring role.

Other cast members included:
Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter
Henry Travers as the angel Clarence Oddbody, AS2
Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy
Ward Bond as Bert
Frank Faylen as Ernie Bishop
Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Bailey
Gloria Grahame as Violet Bick

Plot Outline

James Stewart stars as George Bailey, the kind of nice guy who does so much for others that he ends up with almost nothing.

In flashback, we review George's life, learning that he has always wanted to leave his hometown to see the world, but that circumstances and his own good heart have kept him in Bedford Falls, sacrificing his own education for his brother's, keeping the family-run savings and loan afloat, protecting the town from the avarice of banker Potter (Lionel Barrymore), marrying his childhood sweetheart (Donna Reed), and raising a family.

When an error of his uncle Bill causes George's business to go belly up, he starts thinking that he's done enough, and that everyone would be better off without him. He considers suicide.

As a drunken George is considering jumping off a bridge, God sends down one of his angels (Clarence, who has yet to earn his wings) to help him out. Clarence then shows him how things would be if he hadn't indeed ever been born, like "A Christmas Carol" in reverse.

George is taken on a journey showing him what the world would be like if he'd never been born and its a nightmare vision. He begs Clarence to give him another chance and the film ends happily.

That brings us to the message of the film. George might not have lots of money, but he has countless friends and a family that loves him, and that makes him the richest man in town.

It sounds corny but it works. A real 'feel-good' film.

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Actors and Actresses June Allyson Jean Arthur Fred Astaire Mary Astor Ralph Bellamy Joan Bennett Ingrid Bergman Humphrey Bogart Marlon Brando James Cagney Charlie Chaplin Gary Cooper Joan Crawford Bette Davis Olivia de Havilland Marlene Dietrich Kirk Douglas Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Errol Flynn Henry Fonda Clark Gable Greta Garbo Ava Gardner Judy Garland Greer Garson John Gilbert Paulette Goddard Cary Grant Sydney Greenstreet Jean Harlow Gabby Hayes Rita Hayworth Katharine Hepburn William Holden Bob Hope Leslie Howard John Huston Gene Kelly Grace Kelly Alan Ladd Veronica Lake Hedy Lamarr Janet Leigh Vivien Leigh Carole Lombard Myrna Loy Fred MacMurray Karl Malden Fredric March James Mason Robert Mitchum Marilyn Monroe Hattie McDaniel Maureen O'Sullivan Gregory Peck Sidney Poitier Dick Powell William Powell Claude Rains Ginger Rogers Edward G. Robinson Rosalind Russell Randolph Scott Frank Sinatra James Stewart Elizabeth Taylor Spencer Tracy John Wayne Johnny Weismuller Richard Widmark Fay Wray Jane Wyman Loretta Young


Directors and Moguls

Home 'Tex' Avery Busby Berkeley George Cukor John Ford Sam Goldwyn Alfred Hitchcock Howard Hughes John Huston Elia Kazan Louis B Mayer King Vidor Orson Welles William Wyler Seeing the Stars

History Hollywood's Early History

Movies Home 12 Angry Men 42nd Street Adam's Rib All Quiet on the Western Front African Queen,The All About Eve American In Paris, An Bad Day At Black Rock Bandwagon, The Best Years of Our Lives,The Big Heat, The Bringing Up Baby Casablanca Citizen Kane City Lights Double Indemnity Duck Soup Frankenstein From Here to Eternity Giant Gilda Gone With The Wind Grapes Of Wrath,The Gunfight at the OK Corral Guys and Dolls High Noon It Happened One Night It's A Wonderful Life King Kong Lost Weekend, The Maltese Falcon, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Mildred Pierce Mr.Deeds Goes to Town Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Mutiny on the Bounty Night of the Hunter, The Notorious On the Town On the Waterfront Paleface, The Philadelphia Story,The Public Enemy,The Rear Window Rebecca Rio Bravo Roman Holiday Scarface Shane She Done Him Wrong Singin' In The Rain Some Like It Hot Spellbound Stagecoach Star Is Born, A Streetcar Named Desire,A Sunset Boulevard Thin Man, The Top Hat Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Trouble in Paradise Vertigo Wizard Of Oz,The Wuthering Heights Yankee Doodle Dandy