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