THIS WONDERFUL LIFE

BY STEVE MURRAY

ABOUT THE PLAY

Instead of staying home and watching It's a Wonderful Life for the 57th time, come to Luna Stage and marvel as actress Erica Bradshaw inhabits every single role of this stage adaptation of the iconic holiday film. Celebrate the holiday season by rejoicing in the utter goodness of mankind at its best, as THIS WONDERFUL LIFE hits you right in the heart just like the movie does. But it also includes a few subversive winks here and there, especially since Erica's not exactly your typical resident of Bedford Falls...

(pictured right: Erica Bradshaw as Narrator in This Wonderful Life, portraying Mr. Gower, photo by Christopher Drukker)

INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES OF INTEREST

A Brief History of It's a Wonderful Life

Frank Capra’s iconic film, It’s a Wonderful Life, based on Phillip Van Doren’s short story “The Greatest Gift”, premiered in 1946 but was a commercial failure at the time of its release. Despite some glowing reviews that praised Capra’s storytelling and directing ability, other critics wrote the movie off. How, exactly, did the movie become a major cultural phenomenon that has become an integral part of thousands of families’ holiday celebrations, then?

Strangely enough, copyright law played an essential role. The original owners of the movie, Republic Pictures, let the copyright lapse after 28 years due to a stipulation in United States copyright law that guaranteed a finite period of copyright protection unless the holder of those rights chooses to extend it. Because of the film’s lack of success, Republic Pictures did not feel that it was worth renewing the copyright and chose to allow the film to enter the public domain in 1974.

Television stations saw this as an opportunity, as they had become desperate for inexpensive content to play during the holiday season. The movie was shown almost constantly on various television networks and quickly found an audience, evolving into the holiday icon we know of today. Of the film’s belated popularity, Capra said, “It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. The film has a life of its own now and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I’m like a parent whose kid grows up to be president. I’m proud . . . but it’s the kid who did the work. I didn’t even think of it as a Christmas story when I first ran across it. I just liked the idea.”

In the midst of this sudden popularity, however, the Red Scare and a 13,533-page file entitled “Communist Infiltration of the Motion Picture Industry” put It’s a Wonderful Life in jeopardy. The film was under suspicion of promoting Communist values because of the values of its screenwriters and the values identified within the story, which were thought to demonize bankers and promote class warfare. Ultimately, nothing came of this investigation, but it’s yet another strange footnote in the history of the movie.

The film’s rise to fame and subsequent investigation were not the only unusual things about It’s a Wonderful Life. Frank Capra is responsible for several technical innovations that revolutionized the film industry. Chiefly, Capra replaced the painted cornflakes used in other holiday films with a mix of sugar, water, and foamite (the material used in fire extinguishers). This innovation was not only quieter for actors to walk on and interact with, but also made scenic shots of snowfalls and snow-covered buildings more convincing and more beautiful. The snow is even more convincing in light of the fact that the movie was shot in the summer of 1946, on a series of 90-degree days.

Because of Capra and special effects engineer Russell Sherman’s new method of creating fake snow, the sound for It’s a Wonderful Life was recorded live on set, rather than being dubbed in afterwards, which was a common practice in many films before 1946. This gave Capra’s film a sense of authenticity and made the finished film experience more seamless, which was another technical step forward for American cinema.

The set itself, beneath Capra’s snow, was a marvel as well. It was an enormous undertaking and remains one of the longest sets ever constructed for a film in America – the town of Bedford Falls spanned 4 acres and included 75 buildings, a tree-lined highway with 20 fully grown oak trees, and separate factory districts and residential neighborhoods. Main Street alone was the length of 3 full city blocks. All told, the film cost $3.7 million to make, which was an unprecedented amount for the film industry in the 1940s and ultimately doomed Capra’s career for the next three decades, since the movie only made $3.3 million in the box office.

Although It’s a Wonderful Life may not have seemed so wonderful to 1940s audiences, it is a well-known and well-loved Christmas tradition for many, and has warmed many hearts over the years. Even though it no longer plays nearly constantly on American television networks, it plays yearly in thousands of homes and offers countless families an opportunity to bond with one another and consider the value of their own life to their community.

(Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed rehearsing the Charleston)

PHOTOS

photos of the physical context room

VIDEOS

Here are some videos that explore the history and comedy of It's a Wonderful Life, a film with deep cultural significance and a long and storied history.

An exploration of the film's message.

A more humorous take (mature language warning!)

A look at the film that's a bit more subversive.

If you're ready for another scholarly treatment of the film, here's a look at the copyright issues surrounding the movie's history.

Saturday Night Live's look at other possibilities for the film's story.

FUN IN OUR PHOTOBOOTH

An interview with Artistic Director Cheryl Katz about Luna's unique approach to the classic film.