041 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Retro Grade Podcast

“DEAR GEORGE, REMEMBER NO MAN IS A FAILURE WHO HAS FRIENDS.“

On this episode, we revisit a Christmas Classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, and starring James Stewart. Released in the winter of 1946, this holiday classic has been adored by critics and audiences for decades, almost becoming an essential viewing during the holidays. Strangely, however, when the film was released, it was a box office bomb, while also receiving middling reviews from critics. And what was thought to be a film that would disappear to the bottom of the bargain bin would eventually become an American classic that many consider to be one of the greatest films of all time. How does a film that have one of the biggest actors of the time, with a big name director helming the project, be a flop at release, and yet come back adored more than any other film released that same year? That’s what we go into in this week’s episode. We talk about the reception from critics, and why audiences may not have been too keen to see a film about a struggling business owner.

We first dive into the story, the general premise about George Bailey at the brink of suicide, and how an angel in sent to save him and show him just how bad the city of Bedford Falls would be without it. We talk about the overall morals of the film, and how whether laced with good intentions, how some of those ideals don’t hold up in the modern world. Speaking of things that don’t hold up, we cover some of the filmmaking practices from the film that haven’t aged well, including the assault of a child actor causing his ear to bleed, and the only person of color being casted as a maid.

We also go into one of the most despicable characters ever put to film, Mr. Potter, the power-hungry businessman set on controlling Bedford Falls and stripping George Bailey of his business and ensuring the people of the town always stay poor. Despicable to most viewers, but seen as sympathetic through the FBI at the time, so much so that they considered his character wrongly represented in the film, and who were convinced that the film may have had a communist agenda. It is as dumb as it sounds, but we go over this as well as many more things from this American classic, which is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary this year. So sit back, relax, grab your drink of choice, and enjoy this week’s episode into It’s a Wonderful Life.

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o