It’s a Wonderful Life was based on a Christmas card short story by Philip Van Doren Stern, which was originally sent out to around 200 of Stern’s friends and family in December of 1943.
The short story was called “The Greatest Gift” and was inspired by a dream Stern had one night in the 1930s.
Stern, already an accomplished author at this point, albeit a historical author, then proceeded to write the 4,000 word short story about a man named George who was going to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, but was stopped when someone happened by and struck up a conversation with him.
Stern initially sought to find a publisher for his short, 21-page story, but failed in this endeavor, so decided to make a Christmas card style gift out of it and printed 200 copies which he sent out to friends and family in December of 1943.
This ended up being a gift that gave back, as the work eventually found its way into the hands of producer David Hempstead who worked for RKO Pictures. RKO pictures then paid Stern $10,000 (around $124,000 today) for the motion picture rights to the story, just four months after Stern had sent it out.
Various adaptations were then written before the screenplay version of the story was sold to Frank Capra’s production company in 1945, also for $10,000. Capra’s company subsequently adapted the story further and ultimately made it into It’s a Wonderful Life, which debuted in 1946.
Bonus facts:
• When the motion picture rights of the story were first sold to RKO, Cary Grant had been slated to play the lead role of George.
• It’s a Wonderful Life was the first film Jimmy Stewart did after serving in World War II.
• On Jan. 5, 1992, It’s a Wonderful Life became the first American program ever to be broadcast on Russian television.
• It’s a Wonderful Life was largely considered a flop after it was released, partially due to this film’s poor showing at the box office. It cost $3.7 million to make (about $44 million today) and only took in $3.3 million in its initial run in theaters.
• It’s a Wonderful Life was nominated for five academy awards, though it didn’t win any. Today it is considered one of the great classics in movie history.
• Donna Reed really did manage to hit the window in the first take of the scene where she makes a wish and throws a rock at the window.
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