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