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The Evolution of "It's a Wonderful Life" (Updated)
December 1943
Philip Van Doren Stern sends Christmas cards to friends and encloses a 21-page, 4,000-word short story, "The Greatest Gift."
April 1944
RKO buys the film rights for $10,000, after pressure from George Bailey wannabe Cary Grant. Later, Frank Capra snags the rights from RKO.
December 21, 1946
The studio rushes the film to the box office because it lacks enough copies of planned holiday release, "Sinbad The Sailor."
December, 1946
Critical reception is lukewarm. The New York Times: "The weakness of this picture ... is the sentimentality of it-its illusory concept of life."
January 7, 1947
The studio earns a mere $3.3 million from the release (production and distribution cost was $3.8 million), and nabs five Oscar nominations but zero wins.
Late 1940s
Capra becomes informant for House Un-American Activities Committee; seven of the film's other eight writers end up blacklisted.
Late 1960s
More than 20 years after its release, the film gains modest followings in collegiate film societies.
1970
CBS begins to air the film about once a year in the days before Christmas.
1971
Capra memoir and museum retrospective set off craze. John Cassavetes says, "Maybe there really wasn't an America, maybe it was only Frank Capra."
1974
Copyright owner Republic Pictures fails to renew rights; local TV stations use it as low-cost holiday fare throughout the next half decade.
December 11, 1977
Time for a gender-bender TV remake: Marlo Thomas stars as Mary Bailey Hatch in "It Happened One Christmas."
1980s
Now a TV mainstay in the weeks before Christmas, the movie is sold on tape by more than 100 distributors during the VHS revolution.
December 1986
James Wolcott asserts, "It's the perfect film for the Reagan era, celebrating the old-fashioned values of home and hearth that everyone knows ... have eroded."
1989
Seneca Falls, NY - the town that claims it's the "real-life" Bedford Falls - hosts the first annual "It's a Wonderful Life" weekend.
1993
Republic Pictures wrestles the copyright back and inks deal with NBC for exclusive broadcast rights.
June 14, 2006
The American Film Institute puts the film at No.1 on its list of the 100 most inspiring films of all time.
2010
Seneca Falls opens the "It's a Wonderful Life" museum with a walking tour that includes 13 stops based on scenes from the movie.
 3   Bonus Feature - TV Variations/Adaptations - Its a Miserable Life - Golden Girls - 1986 Its a Wonderful Job - Moonlighting - 1986 Its a Blunderful life - Charles In Charge - 1989 Its a Bundyful Life - Married With Children - 1989 Its a Wonderful Life - Designing Women - 1990 Its a Wonderful Zorro - Zorro - 1990 Hey Harry, F'Crying Out Loud - It is a Wonderful Life ... Sorta - Night Court - 1991 Its a Wonderful Wife - Cheers - 1991 Its a Wonderful Afterlife - Beetlejuice - 1991 Its a Wondeful Laugh - Doogie Howser - 1991 Its a Wonderful Leap - Quantum Leap - 1992 Chuckie's Wonderful Life - Rugrats - 1994 Its a Wonderful Lie - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - 1995 Its a Miserable Life - Beavis and Butthead - Dec 19 1995 Its a Wonderful Life (Without You) - Weird Science -1996 Its a Wonderful Cake - Good Eats - 1999 Its a Wonderful Life - That 70's Show - 2001 Its a Wonderful Wife - Bernie Mac - 2004 |
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Comments
Michael M
Posted: 1 year, 5 months ago at Jan 17 11:18
Terrific list for one of the greatest movies ever made.
blankend
Posted: 10 months, 1 week ago at Aug 12 18:07
Thanks for pointing out the Beavis and Butt-head omossion. I will add it to the list, I am sure there are others that I have missed as well.
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