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It's that time of year again when you're likely thinking of settling down for a traditional rewatch of It's a Wonderful Life. (It's streaming via Channel 4 online this year). When we think of Christmas movies, the movie will inevitably come up alongside the likes of Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Carol. Most Christmas movies follow a similar enough pattern: something dire happens and only a Christmas miracle can save the day. In the case of It's a Wonderful Life, that miracle actually came many years after the film's initial debut. When the movie bowed in 1946, it...

The speed at which the White House and press corps are moving the goal posts for what counts as shameful Biden family business is remarkable, though it doesn’t change the facts. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s release of evidence of family payments to Joe Biden are a problem for the White House, no matter the spin. Mr. Comer has produced images of two checks made out to Joe Biden, both drawn from an account held by his brother James and sister-in-law Sara. Both entangle Joe in his family’s sordid financial dealings and undercut his claims that he knew nothing....

She’s the smartest person on the Supreme Court, according to Joe Biden. The US Supreme Court on Monday listened to arguments in a case about a Colorado web designer who doesn’t want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples.

It's a Wonderful Life star Virginia Patton Moss is dead at the age of 97. The last surviving adult cast member of Frank Capra's classic holiday film, Moss passed away on Aug. 18 in Albany, GA, as reported by Variety. Moss was credited in the film under her maiden name, Patton. Moss starred in 1946's It's a Wonderful Life as Ruth Dakin Bailey, the wife of Harry Bailey (Todd Karns) and the sister-in-law of the main character George Bailey, portrayed by James Stewart. Moss was the last living adult actor who had worked on the film, though several It's a...

We think of It's a Wonderful Life as a great American movie, a great Jimmy Stewart movie, a great Frank Capra movie — and, of course, as a great Christmas movie. We don't think of it as a great Italian-American movie. But we should, especially at Christmastime, when Italian-Americans — of Capra's generation and beyond — can be heard in every shop and restaurant singing many of the songs that define the season. Capra was born in Sicily, and at age 6 moved to Los Angeles. It's a Wonderful Life is spiced with subtle but significant references to his fellow...

The Mark Twain House and Museum will present Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” featured in conversation about her cookbook tonight, from 7-8 p.m. This is a free, virtual event. Grimes will be joined by her co-author, Franklin Doyanyo, to discuss their work, “It’s a Wonderful Life Cookbook.” Joining the conversation will be playwright Joe Landry and Hartford Stage Artistic Producer Rachel Alderman, co-director of “It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play,” at Hartford Stage through Dec. 26. The panel will discuss the film, the play, the book, and the...

In the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, viewers witness what would have happened to the small town of Bedford Falls if resident George Bailey got his wish to have “never been born.” Spoilers ahead: Bedford Falls is a completely different town because of George’s absence. From the name of the town to the levels of poverty to the functionality of family units, nothing is the same. One man’s absence from the world completely shifted the way things turned out for everyone. While I love this classic film, it is hard to watch as we approach 2020 because it begs...

In the Boston Herald, Michael Graham argues both that 'It's a Wonderful Life' is a bad film on a technical level and that its message is bad. There seems to be a blooming holiday tradition in certain circles to attack “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This year we have Michael Graham in the Boston Herald taking up the ill-considered assault on Frank Capra’s masterpiece.Graham argues both that “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a bad film on a technical level and that its message is bad. His reason for saying it’s a bad film hinges on a claim that the plot makes...

Christmas is right around the corner. During all the festivities and family gatherings, your grandmother, or some other relative, will inevitably try to cajole the whole family into an obligatory viewing of It’s a Wonderful Life. While the inspirational theme of one man being able to make a difference is touching, try not to take all of this film’s messages directly to heart, lest you desire reduced opportunity amid slower economic growth.The film follows its supposed protagonist, George Bailey, from his young days of saving his little brother from drowning in a lake and stopping his boss from accidentally poisoning...

Jimmy "All American Hero" Stewart was being slandered and fighting corruption to exhaustion back then. At that time, in reality, the US Senate tried to stop the movie from being released. http://www.tcm.com/ We the People!

For fans of the iconic movie you will enjoy the slideshow.

When Philip Van Doren Stern passed away in 1984, his New York Times obituary eulogized him as “a historian, novelist and editor who was widely respected by scholars for his authoritative books on the Civil War era.” But while Stern authored a number of historical titles – including “They Were There: The Civil War in Action as Seen by Its Combat Artists,” “Secret Missions of the Civil War,” and “An End to Valor: The Last Days of the Civil War” – his most notable work was a short story that had nothing whatsoever to do with the Civil War. It...

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Frank Capra’s beloved Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. It debuted December 20, 1946, just a year after World War II ended. (Remember, the film begins and ends with the expected return of war hero Harry Bailey.)The film offers several Catholic perspectives. How many movies today would begin with eight people praying? But, in a world afflicted by the culture of death, I want to salute the pro-life focus of this film.In response to those eight prayers heard in heaven, God summons the angels—his messengers—to help. “At exactly ten forty-five p.m. earth...

The Christmas Eve showing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” may be intended to make you believe in the importance of even an ordinary person’s life, but underneath that, what are the film’s secret hidden messages, the ones that become apparent only after two or three eggnogs? Let’s mull over some of the wackier possibilities. It’s a salute to atheism. It’s “the least religious but most humanist film you could ever see,” said David Wilson in The Guardian, because it suggests people should fix their problems on Earth rather than waiting for God to help out. Regarding Jimmy Stewart’s character George...

It’s a Christmas classic, perhaps the original Christmas classic — but its original gave few hints about the nature of It’s A Wonderful Life. Those who watched this giant of American cinema over the past week will recognize the scenes in its original theatrical trailer, but not the movie the subtitles and narrator promise: It's A Wonderful Life - Trailer Zena Gray at The Cinefamily agrees. Two years ago, she cut a new trailer for the film, although it didn’t get much attention until Slate picked up on it this week: After all, on his way to the film's happy...

It¡¯s a Wonder-filled Life: A Meditation on the Mystery and Unlikely Chances of Our Very Existence By: Msgr. Charles PopeMost of you have seen the movie, ¡°It¡¯s a Wonderful Life,¡± which airs so frequently at this time of year. More on that in a moment. But for now, the word ¡°wonderful¡± is most commonly understood to mean ¡°really great.¡± But the word ¡°wonderful¡± actually means ¡°filled with wonder.¡±Who among us can understand the incredible mystery of his own life? And not merely considered in itself, but also how it interacts with the lives of others and the events of this...

To many Americans, the season wouldn't be complete without at least a few scenes from "It's a Wonderful Life." The movie wasn't a box-office hit when it was released in the 1940s, but it's become a seasonal favorite since -- and even acquired some critical acclaim along the way. Years ago I read a brief analysis of "It's a Wonderful Life" by a professor of American studies at Boston University. I should have known better. Any academic field with the word "studies" in its name is suspect from the start -- as opposed to a traditional discipline like history...

This wonderful Christmas perennial is very unusual for films in that Hays Code Era, a villain gets away with the crime. Does that affect your feelings about this movie? For me, when I saw this movie in my youth, it did catch my thought and I remember asking my parents why. Now as a seasoned adult, I think that I appreciate a movie that does not wrap up all of the threads into a neat package.

the case of It’s a Wonderful Life. When the film was released in 1946, it was given a 28-year copyright term which was eligible for a 28-year renewal. For whatever reason, a request wasn’t put in for renewal, and it was believed to have fallen into the public domain in 1975. Had it not connected with the American people on its rediscovery, it would have become a resident of dollar DVD bins, like other public domain mainstays such as the Fleischer Superman cartoons or Bill Cosby’s TV movie Tell All My Friends on the Shore. However, the movie studio smelled...

Lots of people love this movie of course. But I’m convinced it’s for the wrong reasons. Because to me “It’s a Wonderful Life” is anything but a cheery holiday tale. Sitting in that dark public high school classroom, I shuddered as the projector whirred and George Bailey’s life unspooled.