It’s a Wonderful Life

Although It’s A Wonderful Life has long been thought to be an American classic, it was not a hit with original audiences. It wasn’t until the copyright (accidentally) lapsed in 1974, which made it available royalty-free, that it gained a new audience. It became a holiday staple during that time, and though the free ride ended around 1994, the die was cast and it became a Christmas staple. The story of It’s A Wonderful Life started off as a short story, written by Phillip Van Doren Stern and titled The Greatest Gift. He attempted for years to get his story published, to no avail. Finally, he decided to gift his tale to 200 of his friends in the form of a 21-page Christmas card, and eventually, that card found its way to RKO Pictures producer David Hempstead. In 1944, RKO bought the story as a vehicle for Cary Grant, but as the script was written and re-written, Grant went on to make a different Christmas film, The Bishop's Wife.