It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
It's a Wonderful Life was the link movie connecting Grand Hotel and The Bloody Hundredth.
Linked through Lionel Barrymore and James Stewart.
Both Lionel Barrymore and James Stewart appeared in It's a Wonderful Life.
About It's a Wonderful Life
"It's a wonderful laugh! It's a wonderful love!"
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Directed by Frank Capra
Written by Frank Capra, Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich
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Behind the camera
Box office
Awards
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In 1990 it was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, and the American Film Institute has repeatedly ranked it among the greatest American films and on several thematic AFI lists.
Soundtrack
Score by Dimitri Tiomkin
Movie trivia
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1
The film was adapted from Philip Van Doren Stern's self-published 1943 pamphlet "The Greatest Gift" and is loosely based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.
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2
RKO Pictures initially bought the story rights for $10,000 hoping to make a Cary Grant vehicle; writers Dalton Trumbo, Clifford Odets and Marc Connelly each worked on early versions.
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3
Frank Capra's Liberty Films acquired the rights from RKO and Capra intended the picture as his first Hollywood film after making wartime documentaries; Capra later claimed the rights and scripts cost him $50,000 though RKO reportedly sold them for $10,000 with the scripts free.
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4
The final screenplay credit went to Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett and Frank Capra with "additional scenes" by Jo Swerling, and Capra said the Screen Writers' Arbitration committee decided the credits and that Swerling hadn't spoken to him since.
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5
Upon release the film received mixed reviews and fell far short of its $6.3 million theatrical break-even; its U.S. copyright lapsed in 1974, it entered the public domain and wide free broadcasting helped it become a Christmas classic.
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6
Capra chose James Stewart for George Bailey without even telling him the story; Jean Arthur was first offered Mary before Donna Reed was borrowed from MGM, and Lionel Barrymore—already known as a radio Ebenezer Scrooge—was cast as Mr. Potter.
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