The Christmas Classic That Almost Wasn't (It's A Wonderful Life)

Inside Catholic ^ | December 25, 2008

[NYer]

The other night, along with many other Americans, I watched the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, the movie has become a Christmas staple -- but it was not always that way, and how it attained its holiday status has as much to do with the intricacies of intellectual property law as it does with the storyline and the production values.

 

When it was released in 1946, It's a Wonderful Life was only a moderate success. The story was unusual for Christmas -- built around an attempted suicide by banker George Bailey (Stewart) and the rescue by his guardian angel, Clarence (played by Harry Travers). The movie was nominated for five Oscars, but it didn't win any, nor did it meet its financial break-even point. By the 1970s, the film was so largely forgotten that its owner (apparently inadvertently) let the copyright protection lapse.

 

All forms of intellectual property -- including films, writings, photographs, and recordings -- are protected by law for a certain period of time after they are created. If a radio station wants to play a recording, or a network wants to broadcast a film, the holder of the copyright is entitled to receive a royalty. After an extended period of time -- which varies depending upon the medium, but which certainly spans several decades -- intellectual property can lose its protection. When a song or movie remains popular and profitable, the copyright holder can extend the copyright, but many movies and songs are permitted to fall into the public domain.

 

That's what happened to It's a Wonderful Life. The movie had not yet become a Christmas classic when, in 1974, its copyright protection was allowed to expire. That meant that television stations could air it over and over without paying full royalties. (There were still some smaller, derivative royalties due on the storyline, but it is not clear that they were always paid.) For a period of time from the mid-1970s into the 1990s, It's a Wonderful Life seemed to be on several stations, several times each week during the Christmas season. In fact, one episode of the old television series Cheers even dealt with the movie's frequent airings.

 

These repeated showings, made possible by the termination of copyright protection, turned It's a Wonderful Life into the Christmas tradition that it is today. That, in turn, sent people searching for ways to capitalize on the film.

 

Videotapes of It's a Wonderful Life were produced by several different manufacturers. Since they did not have to pay full royalties or even get permission to use the images, any VHS producer could bring the popular movie to market, and numerous ones did.

 

The lack of copyright protection also made It's A Wonderful Life one of the most notorious subjects of colorization. It was originally produced in black and white, but by the 1980s, computer graphics could add color. The new colorized film could then be copyrighted. It's a Wonderful Life was released in three different colorized versions. Of course, colorization was an abomination to true movie buffs. I still remember reading the short blurbs in the Chicago Tribune TV section, back when Gene Siskel was the paper's main critic: Blurbs for the black-and-white version called it a heart-warming Christmas classic; those for the colorized version talked about despondency and attempted suicide.

 

 

You may have noticed that, in recent years, It's a Wonderful Life comes on only once or twice per Christmas season, and only on a major network (NBC). The original copyright holders managed to reassert their rights, something that is virtually unheard of. But the rights associated with the background music, as well as the copyright protection stemming from the short story on which the movie was based, had not yet expired. That gave Republic Pictures the hook in needed to reassert its control of the film. (Apparently, there was some attempt by other groups to avoid paying royalties by running the film without music, but it was disallowed by the courts.)

 

As a result, one of the great Christmas films of all time is once again protected by the law -- ironic, considering that it became a classic in significant part because it was legally unprotected. But God works in mysterious ways -- and sometimes the law does, too.

 

From Mississippi, best wishes for a blessed and merry Christmas.

[patriot08]

.
While ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is my favorite Christmas movie, I want to call your attention to another wonderful Christmas movie that’s often overlooked; ‘The Bishop’s Wife’.

This is the sort of nice old fashioned film that Hollywood did so well decades ago. This is a truly a touching and heartwarming movie, something almost inconceivable in this day and age.
A delightful script, excellent acting, along with beautiful sets- the snow, the frozen pond, the magical skating sequence and all the other aspects of the film just set the perfect mood .

Think, first, what it has going for it—David Niven, Cary Grant, Elsa Lanchester, Gladys Cooper, Loretta Young, and Monty Wooley—the sort of cast one can only dream about these days.
Add to it an unusually sensitive and beautiful script, and handsome photography, and you have what I would have to call a masterpiece, although it is by no means as well known as other Christmas movies.
I keep finding nuances and layers of meaning every time I watch. The film is replete with subtle symbolism that doesn’t announce itself with bells and whistles, but quietly sinks into the consciousness and warms your heart.

Cary Grant gives a relaxed and polished turn as the slightly devilish angel. He fairly oozes charm, seemingly effortlessly, with a presence that is captivating to the other characters as well as to the audience; From the moment Cary Grant appears as Dudley, the all too human angel on a mission, we are riveted to the screen.
He’s out to teach Reverend Henry Brougham (David Niven), a thing or two about Christian charity, and as we all know, “charity begins at home.”
It seems that in the process of trying to raise funds for a new cathedral, the good Reverend has been neglecting his charming wife, played in her sweet, dignified way by the beautiful Loretta Young.
But Reverend Brougham has also forgotten that his flock needs more than a new cathedral- they need hope, faith and charity and his ministry, which he has forsaken in his quest to court the richest lady in town to donate funds for the new cathedral. Cary’s Dudley is out to bring these truths home to him.

But Dudley doesn’t just touch the Reverend’s life, he brings joy and hope into everyone’s life that he comes into contact with.

The Bishop’s Wife is a holiday film which slips you its Christmas moral slyly and delicately. Layers upon layers and full of understated magic and charm, you just cannot argue with its logic and message of faith.

.

[Old Seadog]

“Additional Details
Also Known As:Laurel and Hardy in Toyland
March of the Wooden Soldiers (USA) (reissue title)
Revenge Is Sweet
Wooden Soldiers
more
Parents Guide:Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:77 min | USA:73 min (re-release)
Country:USA
Language:English
Color:Black and White
Aspect Ratio:1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:Spain:T | Australia:G | Finland:S
Filming Locations:Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA “

The above info is from imbD and shows the movie was released in black and white.

[Edgewood Pilot]

Just a great, great, movie.

All these Christmas movies really make the season for me.

[Edgewood Pilot]

Thanks for this review and info !!!

[iowamark]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/business

“Budget $3,180,000 (estimated)
Rentals $3,300,000 (USA)”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/trivia
“The set for Bedford Falls was constructed in two months and was one of the longest sets that had ever been made for an American movie. It covered four acres of the RKO’s Encino Ranch. It included 75 stores and buildings, main street, factory district and a large residential and slum area. The Main Street was 300 yards long, three whole city blocks!”

[widdle_wabbit]

Its still there, thanks. Mr Gower is safe for another year.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

Yup, I’ve seen it..while good, IMHO it is still beaten by the ‘51 release..

There was also one with henry winkler who plays a modern day scrooge (he invents “payments” in lieu of cash for the purchase of furniture, then is “scrooge” when he goes out to repossess)..

[patriot08]

You’re welcome.
Just love that movie

[ContraryMary]

I watched it on Christmas Eve. That and White Christmas are my favorite Christmas movies.

[apocalypto]

I’ve to look up “The Nativity Story.” Glad you mentioned it. I have not seen it.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Of course today not many people remember Best Years of Their Lives .

That is a shame, if true. Thanks to TCM a lot more people are familiar with the movie than would be the case without their frequent airings of it.

[apocalypto]

cute idea.

[tajgirvan]

Thank you for posting the link!

[Non-Sequitur]

You may have noticed that, in recent years, It's a Wonderful Life comes on only once or twice per Christmas season, and only on a major network (NBC).

Before that happened it used to be on time and time again. I think one December in Chicago it was shown 25 times on 4 different channels over the cours of the month.

[apocalypto]

It’s one film our family watches every year.