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 shor t stor y 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.
Va r ious adaptat ions 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 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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