From Jonathan Klotz
| Published
People can debate whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or whether Hallmark or Lifetime has the better Christmas catalog, but there is no doubt that there is nothing like it when it comes to Christmas It’s a wonderful life. The 1946 film starring Jimmy Stewart has been a staple of Christmas viewing for generations and is not just the greatest Christmas film of all time, but one of the greatest films ever made. And yet it would have been lost forever if copyright had not expired in the 1970s during the television boom.
A box office disaster
It’s an ironic twist that the film about a man who feels like he has nothing left to live for until his guardian angel saves him and shows what a difference he’s made in the world was also on the verge of being forgotten advised. Instead of Clarence the Angel coming to the rescue, it was desperate network executives looking for a cheap way to fill airtime and if the copyright for It’s a wonderful life expired, it could be played multiple times each holiday season and cost next to nothing (just royalties for the adaptation of the original story on which it was based, The greatest gift). Before the constant re-airings and networks glorifying the film as a Christmas classic, it was considered a box office flop.
It’s a wonderful life Losses for the RKO production company, over $500,000 in 1946, or over $8 million adjusted for inflation. The film grossed $3 million at the box office, narrowly surpassing other Christmas classics Miracle on 34th Street. Given the esteem in which the film is held today, it’s amazing to look back and realize that no one cared about it in 1946.
Hated by critics
Over the years It’s a wonderful life has gone through ups and downs in the eyes of the public, every few years a backlash forms that argues the film really isn’t any good at all, and then it gets re-evaluated and then torn down again in a never-ending cycle of criticism and cynicism. Critics in 1946 felt the same, with most praising both Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed for their performances but also criticizing the film for its optimism and a schmaltzy plot that was supposedly too far in just a year after the end of the most devastating conflict sentimentality has drifted away in human history.
It’s a wonderful life is actually a pretty dark film to begin with, as we follow Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey as he clashes with evil banker Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, and yes, he is Drew Barryome’s great uncle, over a lack of money and land rights. That’s most of the film, a bold decision that pays off when George wishes he had never been born and Clarence the angel gets his wish. Now we see that the world was worse off without George, no matter how hard his life seemed, and no matter how you feel about the film itself, the message behind it is important.
One person makes the difference
Christmas Time can be joyful and a time to be with loved ones, but it is also one of the most depressing times of the year for people who feel like they have no family or friends and may wonder what the world is like would look good without them. It’s a wonderful life tackles it head-on and in the end it’s clear that one person can make a difference and the world is a better place with George Bailey in it. No matter what year, no matter what has happened since 1946, the message that you matter, that you make a difference, and that the world is better with you will still have meaning.
Although It’s a wonderful life After being rescued from the trash heap and artificially marketed as a Christmas classic by managers at the stingy network, it was eventually recognized as one of the greatest films of all time. The 1970s marketing campaign wasn’t a lie; it was simply ahead of its time.
You can stream It’s a wonderful life free today, including a shortened version Amazon Primeor the full version The Roku Channel.
