The undeniable Christmas classic It’s A Wonderful Life is celebrating its diamond anniversary this season. Believe it or not, it has been 75 years since its release in December 1946.
Considering it has become the classic of classics for the yuletide season, this irresistible film starring James Stewart as George Bailey, a suicidal man who receives a visit from an angel to show him what life would have been like if he had never existed, was basically a box office flop upon its release after it was rushed into theaters to replace a film that wasn’t ready in time. Costing reportedly $3.7 million to make but only earning back $3.3 million, initially at least, it was the first significant return to acting for Stewart after serving in World War II, and originally planned at one time to star Cary Grant.
It was only many years later, thanks largely to television, that it...
Considering it has become the classic of classics for the yuletide season, this irresistible film starring James Stewart as George Bailey, a suicidal man who receives a visit from an angel to show him what life would have been like if he had never existed, was basically a box office flop upon its release after it was rushed into theaters to replace a film that wasn’t ready in time. Costing reportedly $3.7 million to make but only earning back $3.3 million, initially at least, it was the first significant return to acting for Stewart after serving in World War II, and originally planned at one time to star Cary Grant.
It was only many years later, thanks largely to television, that it...
- 12/3/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
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