It's a Wonderful Life - Supplement

While we try to cover as much as we can in our episodes, there's always more to see, hear, and read about a movie that can enhance your viewing experience. If you enjoyed our episode on It's a Wonderful Life, here's a few extra bits you might find interesting...

Here's the original trailer, which manages to give audiences no real clue as to what the movie is actually about:

It's a Wonderful Life has the distinction of being the first and probably the only movie based on a greeting card. The card was sent out to friends and family by author Philip Van Doren Stern and contained the text of his short story "The Greatest Gift," which he had been unable to get published. You can listen to the full story here:

The year after appearing in the movie, James Stewart and Donna Reed reprised their roles for the radio adaptation from the Lux Radio Theater. Listen to it here:

Here's the Massachusetts State Lottery Mistledough commercial we discussed that uses clips from the film. We're not sure Joseph would approve:

We mentioned the classic Saturday Night Live sketch from the 1986 season depicting the "lost" ending of the movie. You can check it out below:

And if you're interested in visiting Bedford Falls, the closest you may be able to come is Seneca Falls, New York, which claims to be the inspiration for Capra's fictional town. Take a look at the town's website and some of their events related to the movie here:

Thanks for listening!