Classic Christmas movie is about community

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is my favorite Christmas movie. It takes me back to a simpler time I have never experienced, but love to revel in nonetheless, if even for a couple of hours. There’s something special, and timeless, about the way the characters treat each other and the way the community rallies to help a man through his most trying time.

This film, that director Frank Capra didn’t consider a Christmas movie at the time, is now ranked #1 on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) list of the Top 100 Christmas Movies of All Time. In second place is Die Hard, which blows my mind!

Bedford Falls, the small town where It’s a Wonderful Life is set, isn’t much different from New Rockford or Carrington, despite the decades. I’ve watched over the past couple of months as the New Rockford community has showered Randy Reisenauer and his family with prayers and support as he battled COVID-19. In Carrington, neighbors lift up Jason Guthmiller as he undergoes treatment for aplastic anemia, which involves blood transfusions every other day, multiple medications daily, a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy.

I’m also watching one-year-old Kipp Kouba, who got a glowing follow-up report from his cardiologist last month. His bright smile and little sweatshirt that says “My cardiologist is better than yours” warms my heart.

I remember writing about Kipp when he was a newborn, prior to his open heart surgery last fall. The outpouring of love and support for the Koubas, and the “Heart Warrior” tees and mugs so many people purchased and wore, are a reminder of how grateful I am to live in a community that cares.

These are the stories that make my work most fulfilling as a community journalist.

I digress. It was 75 years ago today, Dec. 20, 1946, that “It’s a Wonderful Life” was first released in the U.S., just one year removed from the turmoil of World War II.

My daughters and I purchased matching Christmas pajamas to wear on the big day this year, and you can bet there will be popcorn, hot cocoa and a viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in our holiday plans.

Here are 12 things you may not have known about this Christmas classic that reminds us of the importance of community, as compiled by Melissa Locker for Southern Living magazine.

1. It all started with a Christmas card: The movie is actually adapted from a short story titled “The Greatest Gift” written by Philip Van Doren Stern. Like many authors, he ended up self-publishing it, but in the form of a 21-page Christmas card. One of those cards found its way to Frank Capra, who shared it with David Hempstead, a producer at RKO Pictures. The company purchased the movie rights for $10,000.

2. It was supposed to star Cary Grant: When RKO Pictures bought the rights to the film, they hoped their star Cary Grant would take the leading role of George Bailey. However when Capra came on-board, he brought Jimmy Stewart along with him. As for Mary Hatch Bailey, the role was reportedly offered to Jean Arthur, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Dvorak, and Ginger Rogers, who called the character “too bland.” Ultimately, of course, the part went to Donna Reed for her first starring role.

3. Frank Capra didn’t think of it as a Christmas movie: "I didn't even think of it as a Christmas story when I first ran across it. I just liked the idea," Capra told The Wall Street Journal in 1984.

4. They invented a new type of snow for the film: Special effects artists had to be creative during that time, so they used painted cornflakes as stand-ins for snowflakes. Capra, however, wasn’t fond of the crunching noise when actors stepped on the cereal. He and special effects supervisor Russell Shearman engineered a new type of artificial snow made of fire extinguisher foam mixed with soap, sugar and water. The substance was blown through a wind machine to create a more realistic effect.

5. ZuZu didn’t see the film for 40 years: Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played George Bailey's youngest daughter ZuZu in the film, didn’t actually watch the film until 1980. “I never took the time to see the movie,” she told Detroit’s WWJ in 2013. “I never just sat down and watched the film.” She reportedly has now seen it over 500 times.

6. There was supposed to be a sequel: Then 73-year-old Grimes was ready to reprise the role of ZuZu in a sequel called, It's A Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story. The sequel, which was evidently going to center around Zuzu’s grandson, was squashed by Paramount Pictures, the company who currently holds the rights to the film.

7. You can visit Bedford Falls—sort of: Even though the Bedford Falls in the film was actually a four-acre set in Encino, California, it was reportedly inspired by two separate towns in New York—Bedford Hills and Seneca Falls. The community of Seneca Falls set up a website, The Real Bedford Falls, that points out the numerous similarities between the two towns. They also opened an It’s A Wonderful Life Museum, have organized a walking tour, and host an It’s A Wonderful Life Festival each year. For more on Seneca Falls, go to https://therealbedfordfalls.com/.

8. The Little Rascals’ Alfalfa had a small role: Earl “Alfalfa” Switzer played Freddie, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it part as Mary’s date to the school dance. The scene—and Switzer’s role—ended in the famous scene where the school’s dance floor opens up into a swimming pool.

9. The gym floor swimming pool is real! While most of the film was shot on a set, the director wanted to use a real life high school for the dance scene. The dance at the gym was filmed on location at Beverly Hills High School, which actually has a retractable gym floor nicknamed the Swim Gym that moves to reveal a swimming pool.

10. Dorothy Parker helped write the movie: The famous founder of the Algonquin Round Table worked on the script. Although her contributions were uncredited when the film was first released, the Academy now recognizes her role.

11. The FBI considered the film to be Communist propaganda: Back then, when Hollywood was “enemy no. 1,” the FBI considered the film’s populist, anti-banker message problematic. A 1947 FBI memo titled “Communist Infiltration of the Motion Picture Industry” references the movie.

12. It was Frank Capra’s favorite film: "I thought it was the greatest film I ever made,” Capra said. “Better yet, I thought it was the greatest film anybody ever made. It wasn't made for the oh-so-bored critics or the oh-so-jaded literati. It was my kind of film for my kind of people."

Merry Christmas to you and yours!