It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The most beloved Christmas film ever made.
George Bailey has spent his whole life putting the people of Bedford Falls before himself — and on one desperate Christmas Eve, he decides the world would be better without him. A gentle angel named Clarence is sent to show him exactly what his town, his family, and his friends would have become without him. Few films anywhere earn their final scene the way this one does.
The famous miracle of this film is that it was a flop first. Audiences in 1946 stayed away, the studio lost money, and Frank Capra's career never fully recovered. Then a clerical lapse let the copyright expire in 1974, television stations could air it for free, and they did — constantly. A generation grew up with George Bailey's despair and Clarence's rescue as a December ritual, and the flop became America's defining Christmas movie. The bank-run scene, Zuzu's petals, and James Stewart's raw, postwar performance now feel inseparable from the holiday itself.
From the Film
The Facts
- Year
- 1946
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Genres
- Drama, Fantasy, Family, Classic
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| James Stewart | George Bailey |
| Donna Reed | Mary Hatch Bailey |
| Lionel Barrymore | Henry F. Potter |
| Thomas Mitchell | Uncle Billy Bailey |
| Henry Travers | Clarence Odbody |
| Beulah Bondi | Ma Bailey |
Good to know: Nominated for five Academy Awards and selected for the United States National Film Registry in 1990.
Where to watch It's a Wonderful Life
Streaming lineups change every season, so check the current options to stream, rent, or own it:
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More from the 1940s — or browse the full A–Z catalog.
