| Photos (See all 20 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
| Gordon MacRae | ... | Billy Bigelow | |
| Shirley Jones | ... | Julie Jordan | |
| Cameron Mitchell | ... | Jigger Craigin | |
| Barbara Ruick | ... | Carrie Pipperidge | |
| Claramae Turner | ... | Cousin Nettie | |
| Robert Rounseville | ... | Mr. Enoch Snow | |
| Gene Lockhart | ... | Starkeeper / Dr. Selden | |
| Audrey Christie | ... | Mrs. Mullin | |
| Susan Luckey | ... | Louise Bigelow | |
| William LeMassena | ... | Heavenly Friend (as William Le Massena) | |
| John Dehner | ... | Mr. Bascombe | |
| Jacques d'Amboise | ... | Louise's 'Starlight Carnival' Dancing Partner (as Jacques D'Amboise) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Robert Banas | ... | Ruffian in Louise's Ballet (uncredited) | |
| Harry Carter | ... | Third Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Drusilla Davis | ... | Girl at Clambake (uncredited) | |
| Richard Deacon | ... | First Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Marion Dempsey | ... | Sword Swallower (uncredited) | |
| Harrison Dowd | ... | Clem (uncredited) | |
| Bill Foster | ... | Man at Clambake / Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Robert Foulk | ... | Second Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Lili Gentle | ... | Young Girl #1 (uncredited) | |
| Cheryl Holdridge | ... | Young Girl #2 (uncredited) | |
| Charles Irwin | ... | Capt. Wilson (uncredited) | |
| Larry Johns | ... | School Principal (uncredited) | |
| Harry C. Johnson | ... | Juggler (uncredited) | |
| Tor Johnson | ... | Strong Man (uncredited) | |
| Bambi Linn | ... | Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Edward Mundy | ... | Fire Eater (uncredited) | |
| Mary Orozco | ... | Fat Woman (uncredited) | |
| Dee Pollock | ... | Enoch Snow Jr. (uncredited) | |
| Angelo Rossitto | ... | Midget (uncredited) | |
| William Sharon | ... | Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Sylvia Stanton | ... | Contortionist (uncredited) | |
| Dolores Starr | ... | Snow's Daughter (uncredited) | |
| Frank Tweddell | ... | Capt. Watson (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Henry King | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Phoebe Ephron | (screenplay) (as Phoebe) and | |
| Henry Ephron | (screenplay) | |
| Oscar Hammerstein II | (book by) | |
| Ferenc Molnár | (from the musical play based on "Liliom" by) | |
| Benjamin Glazer | (adapted by) (as Benjamin F. Glazer) | |
Produced by | |||
| Henry Ephron | .... | producer | |
| Darryl F. Zanuck | .... | executive producer (uncredited) | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Charles G. Clarke | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| William Reynolds | (film editor) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Jack Martin Smith | (art direction) | ||
| Lyle R. Wheeler | (art direction) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Chester L. Bayhi | (set decorations) (as Chester Bayhi) | ||
| Walter M. Scott | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Mary Wills | (costumes designed by) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Ben Nye | .... | makeup by | |
| Helen Turpin | .... | hair styling by | |
Production Management | |||
| Joseph C. Behm | .... | unit manager (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Stanley Hough | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Bernard Freericks | .... | sound | |
| Harry M. Leonard | .... | sound | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Ray Kellogg | .... | special photographic effects | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Bob Rose | .... | additional grip (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Charles Le Maire | .... | wardrobe direction (as Charle Le Maire) | |
| Sam Benson | .... | wardrobe (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Leonard Doss | .... | color consultant | |
Music Department | |||
| Ken Darby | .... | associate: Alfred Newman | |
| Earle Hagen | .... | orchestration | |
| Oscar Hammerstein II | .... | lyrics by | |
| Gus Levene | .... | orchestration | |
| Bernard Mayers | .... | orchestration | |
| Alfred Newman | .... | music conducted by | |
| Alfred Newman | .... | music supervised by | |
| Edward B. Powell | .... | orchestration | |
| Nelson Riddle | .... | orchestration | |
| Richard Rodgers | .... | music by | |
| Herbert W. Spencer | .... | orchestration (as Herbert Spencer) | |
Other crew | |||
| Rod Alexander | .... | choreography by | |
| Agnes de Mille | .... | choreography by: Louise's Ballet (as Agnes De Mille) | |
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| Liliom | Gun Crazy | Love in the Time of Cholera | Dreamgirls | A Place in the Sun |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
In recent years it has become commonplace to site Frank Kapra's `It's a Wonderful Life' as one of the greatest films ever. It has become a Christmas tradition. I feel that film is overrated. The problem I have with it is that it stacks the deck in trying to convince us of the value of human life. George Bailey is a successful banker- not exactly rich but successful enough that he contributed a lot of material things to people's lives, including a housing development named after him. He also saved his brother's life so his brother could save the men on that ship, etc. etc. The message is that you are of value if you have done the sort of things they build statues of people to honor. On top of that, without George, everybody in this town is nothing. They are all drunks or crooks or prostitutes. They have no capabilities of their own. They are all dependent on George Bailey.
I much prefer Carousel, whose hero is a bum. If you were to ask nearly everybody in town- a town that has done just fine without him, as a matter of fact, what Billy Bigelow contributed to their lives, they would say nothing- if they remembered him at all. The only people who would have anything good to say about him are those that he loved and who loved him. And that is the bottom line. If a person can be redeemed by his ability to love and to inspire love in others, we all have a chance. If you have to have a bank and town named after you, the bar is too high for most of us.
As a musical, this is as good as it gets. `If I loved you' is rivaled only by `Some Enchanted Evening' as a love song and it means more as it's revealing of the character of this crude man who can't express what's in his soul and this shy girl who wants only to love and be loved. `Soliloquy' is the dramatic highlight in the history of the musical as Billy works out all his hopes and dreams in his mind and vows to do anything he can to make his daughter's life special. By over reaching his bounds, he does the opposite. `What's the Use of Wondering' expresses the doubts anyone entering a relationship has and is doubly moving as it's sung by Julie, for whom we know the song will have special relevance. `When You Walk Through a Storm' offers hope to us all. Those old guys at graduations are really worth listening to.