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It's A Fantastic Life (1946) began as a short story called "The Greatest Gift". Writer Prince Philip Avant Garde Doren Stern was not able to sell it to a publisher, so he sent the narrative out as a long Christmastide card to friends. His agent subsequently sold the fabrication to RKO pictures, where it went through respective transformations. In one version a losing political campaigner contemplated suicide, only to have got an angel convert him to lodge around and make good works. Finally it drop into the hands of Director Frank Frank Frank Capra who cried when he read it, said it was the story he had been looking for all his life, and purchased it to be the first undertaking for his new production company, Autonomy Films.

To play the retiring nest egg and loan clerk, Capra wanted Jimmy Jimmy Stewart who he had previously worked with in You Can't Take It With You (1938) and Mr. Ian Smith Goes To American Capital (1939). But coming back from World War II, the thirty-seven twelvemonth old Jimmy Stewart was no longer the easy departure adult male about town he had been in the thirties. The former Academy Award winner for The City Of Brotherly Love Story (1940) had led a thousand work force in bombardment missionary posts in the European theatre in difficult to steer B-24s. The loud engines damaged his hearing, in later old age people when people would greet him and he would neglect to respond, some would error his deafness for a cold personality. He was unsure after five old age away from the silver screen if he still wanted to be in the movies. Sometimes the community seemed so humiliating. In 1943 when Jimmy Stewart had tried to remain in the best hotel in Madrid, he was turned away because he was an actor. He went back to the air military unit base, got his Lieutenant Colonel's uniform and then they allow him in.

When he returned to Southern Golden State in 1945 Jimmy Stewart took things easy. He refused to re-sign with his old studio MGM, despite tearful petitions to make so from the hammy Joe Louis B. Mayer. He was content to pass time flying kites and edifice theoretical account airplanes with Henry Fonda. When Frank Capra came to do his pitch Jimmy Stewart looked bored, out of it, causing the Director to lose confidence. "Well Jim, it's about a nest egg and loan clerk who desires to perpetrate suicide. There's an angel named Clarence who demoes him what life would have got been like without him. aw bury it, it's a stupid idea." Frank Capra was turning to go forth when Jimmy Stewart set his manus on his shoulder. "Frank, if you desire me, I'm your man." Astatine least that's how the film's publicizers told it.

Stewart was morose and insecure as filming began. Since he went off to serve, Hollywood had establish new prima work force like Kirk Douglas and Gregory Xiii Batch who were seven old age little than he was. Some scenes called for the now graying histrion to still be in high school. He felt pathetic and considered plastic surgery. But he was helped greatly by his co-star Donna Reed who encouraged him throughout. In the romanticist scene where Saint George (Stewart) and Virgin Mary (Reed) declared their love for each other, Frank Capra joked that Jimmy Jimmy Stewart was so nervous he wrapped a telephone chord around them so he wouldn't run away. Jesse James was also helped by the film's scoundrel Lionel John Barrymore who was confined to wheelchair because of disabling arthritis. "Son, I desire you to hearten up. Don't you cognize you do people happier beingness a film star than you ever did shooting at them in a plane."

In the 1930's Frank Capra had toiled at Columbia River Pictures which was ruled by the autocratical Harry Cohn, long considered the meanest adult male in Hollywood. The Moghul kept the full studio electronically bugged, displayed a immense portrait of Benito Mussolini in his office, and used an electrified chair to give unsuspicious victims sudden jolts. Frank Capra had sat in it once, received a daze and angrily smashed the chair to bits. When filming began on It's A Fantastic Life, Frank Capra was happy to be free of Cohn, but nervous. Now his ain money was portion of the investment. Known for making film sets merriment places to work, he was at first crabbed and irritable with his cast of characters and crew. Filming a snowy, Christmastide film in over one hundred grade heat energy in Encino did not assist morale. Many of the heavily dressed histrions fainted. But there were nice moments. One scene required Virgin Mary to throw a stone through an old mansion window and do a wish. Frank Capra had a sharpshooter ready off photographic camera but to his delectation Reed shattered the glass on her own. She turned to him and said," Why so surprised? Don't you believe an Ioway farm miss would cognize how to play baseball?"

As the shoot progressed Frank Capra regained his confidence. He disdained particular personal effects when Clarence Oddbody the angel (Henry Travers) did his magic, preferring to state the story through his actor's faces. The Director started to believe he was making the top film ever. As his temper lightened the Company enjoyed field days and vocalizing on the set which were trademarks of Capra's earlier films.

Too dark, the Country wanted comedy like Dean St Martin and Kraut Lewis. Too dated, Fantastic Life came off like a depression film rather than a station warfare movie. For whatever ground the three million dollar production failed to do its money back. Frank Capra chose to fold up his collapsible shelter shortly after the movie's release career Autonomy Films," The quickest manner to travel bust a adult male ever devised." Jimmy Stewart panicked. The ex-war hero received a telephone phone call from his agent. "Donna Reed loved working with you. She desires to make it again." "No way. That miss is jinxed." June Allyson became his prima lady of pick playing his married woman five times. Decades later he would praise the public presentation of a deep in thought Donna Reed for making Fantastic Life great. "My God," she told her friends. "He sure didn't state that when it came out."

Years passed. From that point on Capra, unwilling to either hazard his ain money or work for person else directed very few movies . Jimmy Stewart decided to portray a stronger mental image on screen. He refused to play in warfare movies saying they were unrealistic, choosing instead hard, farinaceous Westerns like The Man From Laramie (1954) which helped to do him rich and excel Toilet John Wayne as the nation's figure 1 box business office star. Reed restored her calling by winning an Academy Award for playing a cocotte in From Here To Eternity (1953) and then became one of television's most wholesome mothers. And It's A Fantastic Life drop into the public sphere in 1973 because no 1 renewed it's copyright. The forgotten movie was shown repeatedly on almost every cablegram telecasting station, finally got a immense viewership, and became a perennial Christmastide Classic.