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IMDbPro

It's a Wonderful Life

  • 19461946
  • PGPG
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
466K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
872
292
James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Home Video Trailer from Artisan
Play trailer1:00
13 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaFamilyFantasy
An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
466K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
872
292
    • Frank Capra
  • Writers
    • Frances Goodrich(screenplay by)
    • Albert Hackett(screenplay by)
    • Frank Capra(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • Donna Reed
    • Lionel Barrymore
    • Frank Capra
  • Writers
    • Frances Goodrich(screenplay by)
    • Albert Hackett(screenplay by)
    • Frank Capra(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • Donna Reed
    • Lionel Barrymore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 202Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #21
    • Nominated for 5 Oscars

    Videos13

    It's a Wonderful Life
    Trailer 1:00
    Watch It's a Wonderful Life
    Holiday Movie or Not?
    Clip 3:12
    Watch Holiday Movie or Not?
    Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman Find Hope in Powerful, Eclectic Films
    Clip 8:43
    Watch Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman Find Hope in Powerful, Eclectic Films
    What to Watch: Holiday Movies on Prime Video for the Whole Family
    Clip 2:09
    Watch What to Watch: Holiday Movies on Prime Video for the Whole Family
    Holiday Movies and TV Specials That Get You in the Spirit
    Clip 2:06
    Watch Holiday Movies and TV Specials That Get You in the Spirit
    It's a Wonderful Life
    Clip 0:37
    Watch It's a Wonderful Life
    It's a Wonderful Life
    Clip 0:46
    Watch It's a Wonderful Life
    It's a Wonderful Life
    Clip 1:07
    Watch It's a Wonderful Life
    It's a Wonderful Life
    Clip 0:55
    Watch It's a Wonderful Life
    What to Watch: "The Expanse" and Expensive Explosions
    Full Episode 3:39
    Watch What to Watch: "The Expanse" and Expensive Explosions
    What Are These Stars Watching This Holiday Season?
    Full Episode 3:11
    Watch What Are These Stars Watching This Holiday Season?
    What's Your Favorite Scene From a Holiday Movie?
    Video 3:33
    Watch What's Your Favorite Scene From a Holiday Movie?

    Photos206

    Frank Capra and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Donna Reed, Carol Coombs, Karolyn Grimes, Jimmy Hawkins, and Larry Simms in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Donna Reed, Carol Coombs, Jimmy Hawkins, and Larry Simms in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Thomas Mitchell, Mary Treen, and Charles Williams in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Ernie Adams, Ellen Corby, and Jimmy the Crow in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart and Henry Travers in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Donna Reed, Carol Coombs, Karolyn Grimes, and Jimmy Hawkins in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Ward Bond, Donna Reed, Gloria Grahame, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Todd Karns, Thomas Mitchell, Lillian Randolph, H.B. Warner, and Charles Williams in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart and Karolyn Grimes in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    James Stewart, Donna Reed, Carol Coombs, Karolyn Grimes, Jimmy Hawkins, and Larry Simms in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Stewart
    James Stewart
    • George Bailey
    Donna Reed
    Donna Reed
    • Mary Hatch
    Lionel Barrymore
    Lionel Barrymore
    • Mr. Potter
    Thomas Mitchell
    Thomas Mitchell
    • Uncle Billy
    Henry Travers
    Henry Travers
    • Clarence
    Beulah Bondi
    Beulah Bondi
    • Mrs. Bailey
    Frank Faylen
    Frank Faylen
    • Ernie
    Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    • Bert
    Gloria Grahame
    Gloria Grahame
    • Violet
    H.B. Warner
    H.B. Warner
    • Mr. Gower
    Frank Albertson
    Frank Albertson
    • Sam Wainwright
    Todd Karns
    Todd Karns
    • Harry Bailey
    Samuel S. Hinds
    Samuel S. Hinds
    • Pa Bailey
    Mary Treen
    Mary Treen
    • Cousin Tilly
    Virginia Patton
    Virginia Patton
    • Ruth Dakin
    Charles Williams
    • Cousin Eustace
    Sarah Edwards
    Sarah Edwards
    • Mrs. Hatch
    • (as Sara Edwards)
    William Edmunds
    • Mr. Martini
    • (as Bill Edmunds)
      • Frank Capra
    • Writers
      • Frances Goodrich(screenplay by)
      • Albert Hackett(screenplay by)
      • Frank Capra(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the scene that required Donna Reed to throw a rock through the window of the Granville house, director Frank Capra hired a marksman to shoot it out on cue. To everyone's amazement, Reed broke the window by herself. She had played baseball in high school and had a strong throwing arm.
    • Goofs
      At one point George (James Stewart) calls Violet (Gloria Grahame), Gloria.
    • Quotes

      Clarence: Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?

    • Crazy credits
      A ringing facsimile of the Liberty Bell (without the crack) forms the backdrop for the studio logo, which is Liberty Films, and the opening credits are in a scrapbook with Christmas decorations. The bell reappears before the end credits, and the end credits have a Christmas card picture as a backdrop.
    • Alternate versions
      Pre-2006 home entertainment releases and NBC broadcasts had the 1994 version of Republic Pictures logo (in color) at the start.
    • Connections
      Edited into Have Rocket -- Will Travel (1959)
    • Soundtracks
      Buffalo Gal (Won't You Come Out Tonight)
      (uncredited)

      Written by William Cool White

    User reviews1.1K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A Great Influence...
    No movie ever made has influenced me more than this classic. I had the honor of doing a play version of it about 5 years ago. I had seen the film thousands of times, had loved it, but I never really knew what it meant. During the course of the production, I suddenly felt alive. I felt that I wasn't having enough fun. I felt that I wasn't doing enough in my life. Crazy things, like kissing my mother or my father. I hadn't really hugged one of them in a while. It makes you think. It's more of a thinking person's film than a mere Christmas film. If you think it's just a Christmas film, I insist you watch it again and again, until you get the message.

    Stewart gives the finest performance of his career, in one of the most difficult characters ever portrayed. A character all of us are familiar with...a person looking to find himself/herself. It's the great struggle for finding what it is in life you really want to do. George Bailey teaches us so lessons throughout the film and in the end he teaches us the most important lesson of all, that life, although a long and winding road, truly is (for lack of a better word) wonderful...
    helpful•420
    52
    • Coxer99
    • Mar 4, 1999

    FAQ15

    • Assuming Harry followed George to the hill. If George was never born, then why would Harry be sledding on that hill?
    • Why would the board members side with Potter if George refused to take over the Building & Loan?
    • What if Uncle Billy was the one who wanted to commit suicide? Would Clarence have been like, "yeah, Bedford Falls would've been better off if you hadn't lost the $8,000?"

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 7, 1947 (United States)
      • United States
      • Facebook
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • RKO Encino Ranch - Balboa Boulevard & Burbank Boulevard, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Liberty Films (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 10 minutes
      • Black and White

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