It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screenplay), Albert Hackett (screenplay),

Stars:

James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Top 250 #26 | Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Stewart	...	George Bailey
Donna Reed	...	Mary Hatch
Lionel Barrymore	...	Mr. Potter
Thomas Mitchell	...	Uncle Billy
Henry Travers	...	Clarence
Beulah Bondi	...	Mrs. Bailey
Frank Faylen	...	Ernie
Ward Bond	...	Bert
Gloria Grahame	...	Violet
H.B. Warner	...	Mr. Gower
Todd Karns	...	Harry Bailey
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Pa Bailey
Mary Treen	...	Cousin Tilly
Frank Albertson	...	Sam Wainwright
Virginia Patton	...	Ruth Dakin

Storyline

George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his ...

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Plot Keywords:

christmas eve | christmas | guardian angel | small town | bank | 

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Taglines:

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! How could it be anything else?

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

La vie est belle

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,180,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£49,845 (UK) (19 December 2008)

Gross:

£682,222 (UK) (24 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Liberty Films (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 118 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (colorized) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are several examples of product placement in Gower's drugstore; Coca-Cola; Paterson tobacco pipes; La Unica cigars; Camel cigarettes; Lucky Strike cigarettes; Chesterfield cigarettes; Vaseline hair tonic; Penetro cough syrup; Pepto-Bismol; Bayer Aspirin ("for colds and influenza"), and The Saturday Evening Post.

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Goofs

When Potter talks to Billy at the bank, he tucks his glasses away, and in both shots his scarf changes position.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Emil Gower: I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.
Giuseppe Martini: Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my friend, Mr. Bailey.
Ma Bailey: Help my son, George, tonight.
Bert: He never thinks about himself, God, that's why he's in trouble.
Ernie Bishop: George is a good guy. Give him a break, God.
Mary: I love him, dear Lord. Watch over him tonight.
Janie Bailey: Please, God, something's the matter with Daddy.
Zuzu Bailey: Please bring Daddy back.

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Crazy Credits

A ringing facsimile of the Liberty Bell (without the crack) forms the backdrop for the studio logo, which is Liberty Films, and the opening credits are in a scrapbook with Christmas decorations. The bell reappears before the end credits, and the end credits have a Christmas card picture as a backdrop.

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Connections

Referenced in A Child's Christmases in Wales (2009)

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Soundtracks

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
(pub. 1856) (uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1840)
Hymn by Charles Wesley (1730)
Performed by Carol Coombs

User Reviews

A Great Influence...

No movie ever made has influenced me more than this classic. I had the honor of doing a play version of it about 5 years ago. I had seen the film thousands of times, had loved it, but I never really knew what it meant. During the course of the production, I suddenly felt alive. I felt that I wasn't having enough fun. I felt that I wasn't doing enough in my life. Crazy things, like kissing my mother or my father. I hadn't really hugged one of them in a while. It makes you think. It's more of a thinking person's film than a mere Christmas film. If you think it's just a Christmas film, I insist you watch it again and again, until you get the message.

Stewart gives the finest performance of his career, in one of the most difficult characters ever portrayed. A character all of us are familiar with...a person looking to find himself/herself. It's the great struggle for finding what it is in life you really want to do. George Bailey teaches us so lessons throughout the film and in the end he teaches us the most important lesson of all, that life, although a long and winding road, truly is (for lack of a better word) wonderful...