[NYer]

Ronald J. Rychlak is the associate dean and MDLA Professor of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is the author of Hitler, the War, and the Pope (2000) and Righteous Gentiles (2005).

[NYer]

Fascinating to learn the difference in reactions to colorized vs black and white.

[cvq3842]

Interesting story!

I must admit, I do like the colorized version of Laurel and Hardy’s “March of the Wooden Soldiers” and even the 1951 version of “A Christmas Carol,” but “It’s a Wonderful Life” always looked awful to me in color - cartoonish.

To each his own, I guess.

[the invisib1e hand]

someone ought to make a movie about what would have happened if they hadn’t made it.

[Cowboy Bob]

I remember back in the late '70s, someone did a remake of Its a Wonderful Life. In the roll of George Bailey, they used Marlo Thomas.

The movie was so horrible, that I don't believe it was ever shown again. (or at least I've never seen mention of it again in the TV guides)

[VOA]

My mother told me once that she and her husband-to-be (and my father-to-be)
went to see “It’s A Wonderful Life” in the original release.

And that they liked it, but it had been not a roaring success.

Reading about Stewart returning (somewhat traumatized) from his
tour of duty in B-17s over Europe...I guess he was somewhat despirited
by the less-than-stellar success of the film.

But all I can say is thanks to Mr. Stewart, Mr. Capra and everyone
that made the film.
I can be pretty cynical, but I admit I got a bit misty when I saw the
film the first time during it’s “unprotected” period on TV.
Stewart’s most desparate moments during the film have the authenticity
of a man that had seen such ugly things in war that death/suicide
sounds like a perfectly rational and soothing option.

It’s a heck of a film, and amazing honest and blunt about
the struggle for an “American dream” when it runs up against the
soul-free and ethics-free bad-boys of commerce, as embodied by “Mr. Potter”.

[Mr. Bird]

The movie was nominated for five Oscars, but it didn't win any, nor did it meet its financial break-even point.

I've heard the general story several times, and don't doubt it. But, under the studio system, did a film that was nominated five times truly lose money? That's a bigger surprise, if true.

The film's history would not be sullied if it had been a hit at the time. Can anyone confirm its "flop" status?

[an amused spectator]

As a result, one of the great Christmas films of all time is once again protected by the law -- ironic, considering that it became a classic in significant part because it was legally unprotected. But God works in mysterious ways -- and sometimes the law does, too.

I'll never understand lawyer "logic" - other than the only way to sort it out is with a street sweeper and a drum magazine.

I can't figure out if he thinks it's a good thing that they managed to twist the law into a pretzel to get what they wanted. If the dog-in-the-manger types had had their way, the movie's unremembered and unmourned silver nitrate prints would be rotting in a backlot warehouse somewhere, and all our lives would be a little bit poorer.

I guess that Scrooge would be a lawyer in a new Dickens' America...

[Vaquero]

I am a big fan of Jimmy Stewart et al. but I have never liked this movie. Neither problems nor solutions are as simple as was portrayed in this movie.

[ContraryMary]

I watched it on Christmas Eve. That and White Christmas are my favorite Christmas movies.

[Non-Sequitur]

You may have noticed that, in recent years, It's a Wonderful Life comes on only once or twice per Christmas season, and only on a major network (NBC).

Before that happened it used to be on time and time again. I think one December in Chicago it was shown 25 times on 4 different channels over the cours of the month.