| It's A Wonderful Life (1946) began as a short story | | | | ever did shooting at them in a plane."In the 1930's |
| called "The Greatest Gift". Writer Philip Van Doren | | | | Capra had toiled at Columbia Pictures which was ruled |
| Stern was unable to sell it to a publisher, so he sent | | | | by the autocratic Harry Cohn, long considered the |
| the tale out as a long Christmas card to friends. His | | | | meanest man in Hollywood. The Mogul kept the entire |
| agent subsequently sold the fable to RKO pictures, | | | | studio electronically bugged, displayed a huge portrait |
| where it went through several transformations. In one | | | | of Mussolini in his office, and used an electrified chair to |
| version a losing political candidate contemplated suicide, | | | | give unsuspecting victims sudden jolts. Capra had sat |
| only to have an angel convince him to stick around and | | | | in it once, received a shock and angrily smashed the |
| do good works. Finally it fell into the hands of Director | | | | chair to bits. When filming began on It's A Wonderful |
| Frank Capra who cried when he read it, said it was | | | | Life, Capra was happy to be free of Cohn, but |
| the story he had been looking for all his life, and | | | | nervous. Now his own money was part of the |
| purchased it to be the first project for his new | | | | investment. Known for making movie sets fun places |
| production company, Liberty Films.To play the | | | | to work, he was at first crabby and irritable with his |
| unassuming savings and loan clerk, Capra wanted | | | | cast and crew. Filming a snowy, Christmas movie in |
| Jimmy Stewart who he had previously worked with in | | | | over one hundred degree heat in Encino did not help |
| You Can't Take It With You (1938) and Mr. Smith | | | | morale. Many of the heavily dressed actors fainted. |
| Goes To Washington (1939). But coming back from | | | | But there were nice moments. One scene required |
| World War II, the thirty-seven year old Stewart was | | | | Mary to throw a rock through an old mansion window |
| no longer the easy going man about town he had | | | | and make a wish. Capra had a marksman ready off |
| been in the thirties. The former Academy Award | | | | camera but to his delight Reed shattered the glass on |
| winner for The Philadelphia Story (1940) had led a | | | | her own. She turned to him and said," Why so |
| thousand men in bombing missions in the European | | | | surprised? Don't you think an Iowa farm girl would |
| theater in hard to maneuver B-24s. The loud engines | | | | know how to play baseball?"As the shoot progressed |
| damaged his hearing, in later years people when | | | | Capra regained his confidence. He disdained special |
| people would greet him and he would fail to respond, | | | | effects when Clarence Oddbody the angel (Henry |
| some would mistake his deafness for a cold | | | | Travers) did his magic, preferring to tell the story |
| personality. He was uncertain after five years away | | | | through his actor's faces. The Director started to |
| from the screen if he still wanted to be in the movies. | | | | believe he was making the greatest movie ever. As |
| Sometimes the profession seemed so humiliating. In | | | | his mood lightened the Company enjoyed picnics and |
| 1943 when Stewart had tried to stay in the best hotel | | | | singing on the set which were hallmarks of Capra's |
| in Madrid, he was turned away because he was an | | | | earlier films.Too dark, the Country wanted comedy like |
| actor. He went back to the air force base, got his | | | | Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Too dated, Wonderful |
| Lieutenant Colonel's uniform and then they let him | | | | Life came off like a depression film rather than a post |
| in.When he returned to Southern California in 1945 | | | | war movie. For whatever reason the three million dollar |
| Stewart took things easy. He refused to re-sign with | | | | production failed to make its money back. Capra |
| his old studio MGM, despite tearful requests to do so | | | | chose to fold his tent shortly after the movie's release |
| from the hammy Louis B. Mayer. He was content to | | | | calling Liberty Films," The quickest way to go broke a |
| spend time flying kites and building model planes with | | | | man ever devised." Stewart panicked. The ex-war |
| Henry Fonda. When Capra came to make his pitch | | | | hero received a phone call from his agent. "Donna |
| Stewart looked bored, out of it, causing the Director to | | | | Reed loved working with you. She wants to do it |
| lose confidence. "Well Jim, it's about a savings and loan | | | | again." "No way. That girl is jinxed." June Allyson |
| clerk who wants to commit suicide. There's an angel | | | | became his leading lady of choice playing his wife five |
| named Clarence who shows him what life would have | | | | times. Decades later he would praise the performance |
| been like without him. . . aw forget it, it's a stupid idea." | | | | of a bemused Donna Reed for making Wonderful Life |
| Capra was turning to leave when Stewart put his | | | | great. "My God," she told her friends. "He sure didn't |
| hand on his shoulder. "Frank, if you want me, I'm your | | | | say that when it came out."Years passed. From that |
| man." At least that's how the film's publicists told | | | | point on Capra, unwilling to either risk his own money or |
| it.Stewart was morose and insecure as filming began. | | | | work for somebody else directed very few movies . |
| Since he went off to serve, Hollywood had found new | | | | Stewart decided to portray a stronger image on |
| leading men like Kirk Douglas and Gregory Peck who | | | | screen. He refused to play in war movies saying they |
| were seven years younger than he was. Some | | | | were unrealistic, choosing instead hard, gritty Westerns |
| scenes called for the now graying actor to still be in | | | | like The Man From Laramie (1954) which helped to |
| high school. He felt ridiculous and considered plastic | | | | make him rich and surpass John Wayne as the |
| surgery. But he was helped greatly by his co-star | | | | nation's number one box office star. Reed restored |
| Donna Reed who encouraged him throughout. In the | | | | her career by winning an Academy Award for playing |
| romantic scene where George (Stewart) and Mary | | | | a prostitute in From Here To Eternity (1953) and then |
| (Reed) declared their love for each other, Capra joked | | | | became one of television's most wholesome mothers. |
| that Stewart was so nervous he wrapped a phone | | | | And It's A Wonderful Life fell into the public domain in |
| chord around them so he wouldn't run away. James | | | | 1973 because no one renewed it's copyright. The |
| was also helped by the film's villain Lionel Barrymore | | | | forgotten film was shown repeatedly on almost every |
| who was confined to wheelchair because of crippling | | | | cable television station, finally got a huge viewership, |
| arthritis. "Son, I want you to cheer up. Don't you know | | | | and became a perennial Christmas Classic. |
| you make people happier being a movie star than you | | | | |