Thursday Thirteen #8
December 5th, 2007 at 5:22pm |
- Films made prior to this one used cornflakes painted white for the falling snow effect. Because the cornflakes were so loud, dialogue had to be dubbed in later. Frank Cappra wanted to record the sound live, so a new snow effect was developed using foamite (a fire-fighting chemical) and soap and water. This mixture was then pumped at high pressure through a wind machine to create the silent, falling snow. 6000 gallons of the new snow were used in the film. The RKO Effects Department received a special award from the Motion Picture Academy for the development of the new film snow.
- The movie drew fierce criticism for its political statements about post-WWII society when it was released in 1946. Even the FBI labeled it a “subversive” movie and charged that its use of a nasty, Scrooge-like businessman “was a common trick used by communists”.
- The gym floor that opens up to reveal a swimming pool was real and was located at Beverly Hills High School in Los Angeles.
- The Motion Picture Association of America’s strict production code in 1946 censored such phrases and words as “nuts to you”, “impotent”, “dang”, “lousy”, and “jerk”. But Capra managed to bypass the production code stipulating that criminals be punished for their crime: Potter never met justice for stealing the $8,000. Capra noted several times that he had received more mail about this point than anything else in the film.(boy have times changed)
- The set for Bedford Falls was constructed in two months and was one of the longest sets that had ever been made for an American movie. It covered four acres of the RKO’s Encino Ranch. It included 75 stores and buildings, main street, factory district and a large residential and slum area. The Main Street was 300 yards long, three whole city blocks!
- The film has two lines of “secret dialog” - spoken quietly through a door. (They can be heard when amplifying the volume, and are also explicitly depicted in the closed-captioning.) The lines occur at the end of the scene set in Bailey’s private office with Bailey and his son George, and Potter and his goon present. After George raves to Potter that “you can’t say that about my father”, he is ushered out of the room by his father, then George is shown standing outside the office door. At that moment, George overhears the following two lines of dialog through the glass pane of the door behind him: POTTER: What’s the answer? BAILEY: Potter, you just humiliated me in front of my son.
- Pharmacist Gower’s son’s death at college is attributed to “Influenza” in the telegram that Young George reads, dated May 3, 1919. This is probably a reference to the “Spanish Flu” worldwide epidemic that killed millions of people around that time, and would have still been fresh in many people’s minds when the movie was first released.
- At $3.7 million, this was a very expensive independent production. In its initial box office run, it only earned $3.3 million.
- The instant that George says “God” on the bridge, it starts snowing, showing that he is back in the real world.
- While filming the scene where George prays in the bar, James Stewart has said that he was so overcome that he began to sob right then and there. Later, Frank Capra reframed the shot so it looked like a much closer shot than was actually filmed because he wanted to catch that expression on Stewart’s face.
- The Bells of St. Marys (1945) is showing at the movie house as George runs down the street in Bedford Falls. Henry Travers, who plays Clarence, the angel, starred in that film as Horace P. Bogardus.
- When Officer Bert shoots at George, the “s” in the electric “Pottersville” sign far away in the distance, goes out.
- Ranked as the #1 Most Powerful Movie of All Time by the American Film Institute
I hope this list makes you want to see this Holiday Classic again.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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- Sandy Carlson
- Tink
- ShesAWriter
- Robin
- EllenB
- Pussreboots
- Nicholas
- Chelle Y
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- Janet
- OnALimbWithClaudia
- SJ Reidhead
- JourneyWoman
- Lori
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- maryt/theteach
- Sue
- Holly
- Malcolm
- Grace
- Denise
- Linda at 2nd cup
- Susan Helene Gottfried
- Nap Warden
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- The Gal Herself
- Damozel
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Posted in Thursday Thirteen
Great Thursday post! Come see mine before everyone drinks it!
I’m going to watch this tonight. It’s a powerful flick, to be sure. God and snow–I will look out for that scene on the bridge.
Communist! Hah. Just goes to show, you have to follow your heart and let the pundits have their day in the sewer.
I love the classics and this is a favourite for sure!
Thanks for visiting my animation TT.
That has to be one of my favorites, and each year I mean to buy the dvd but always forget. happy tt!
My Thursday Thirteen #3
Painted cornflakes? I never would have guessed.
What interesting facts about that movie! Happy TT to you…
It’s been ages since I’ve seen this film. Happy TT.
It’s hard to believe that creativity was so stifled by so-called codes that forbade the use of “jerk” and “lousy” among other things. Censorship is the greatest obscenity. Times have changed for the better
I know this film comes round every year at this time, but I have never seen it.
I love this movie! It made my list this week, but this was interesting facts that I have never before known.
http://www.chelleyoung.com/index.php/archive/thursday-thirteen-86-thirteen-favorite-christmas-shows/
It’s a Wonderful Movie! It was one of my 13 last week. These are very interesting bits of information about this film. Thank you. I’m going to watch it tonight!
Wonderful list!! For one of the most wonderful movies!
I love this movie and I really enjoyed reading about it…thanks!
I always wondered about the God = snow connection! Thanks for straightening me out!
I do love this movie!
Happy TT!
Great details. I’ll have to send my hubby this link so he can read it at work tomorrow. A Wonderful Life is his favorite movie.
I have never seen this movie! Yep - strange but true.
The Pink Flamingo
GREAT list.
I love this movie, and I didn’t know about some of this. It is one of my favorite movies in life.
What cool information. Happy TT and thanks for stopping by:)
I really need to see that movie again…it’s been years!
My Thursday Thirteen is up too!
I know most everybody says this - but this is one of my favorite movies! I’m sure its earned back it’s $3.7M by now
Great list - I’ll be looking for those things next time I watch it!
Greatfullivin, love that piece of info about noisy cornflakes. Great post! And the secret dialogue…now I HAVE to watch it again.
I sooo have to watch this film again after reading through your list. Happy TT
Totally interesting post. I LOVE posts with unknown facts about things I THOUGHT I knew about.
Happy TT-13!
Smiles,
Holly
http://theabundanceplace.com
Thanks for sharing these facts about “It’s A Wonderful Life”. This list does make me want to watch it again because it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it.
This makes me want to see the movie. Happy TT.
I love this movie. It is a timeless treasure. And, I didn’t know some of this - i.e. the gym floor, and how they made the snow. Very interesting.
Happy TT!
http://denisesden.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much for this interesting info about my favorite film. I’m a classics fan, and this is the pinnacle of them all. Great, absolutely great, TT!
Confession time: I’ve never seen this movie! I’m not entirely certain I ever will, either. I hear it’s wonderful but … it just doesn’t do much for me.
Shhh… let’s not let that get out!
Happy TT!
I hate to say it, but I know nothing about this movie…I have seen it, just don’t know anything about it, until now!
I think I’ll have to rent this next on Netflix. Great list!
Loved this list! Especially the Bells of St. Mary’s reference. I remember that’s the movie on the marquee, but I forgot Clarence was in that one, too. (Thanks for visiting my TT)
I am fascinated that the film was seen as having political implications. That’s something I never knew before. I haven’t seen the film in ages…..really since I was a child. I should watch it again this year and see how well it’s aged….
Thanks so much for visiting ours!
Great, classic movie!
Happy TT!
I love this movie. It is one of those movies that you can watch again and again and it still touches you.
I loved all this “behind the scene” information. Thanks for sharing it and thanks for coming by my T13.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time — the black and white version, not the colorized — but I’ve never heard any of this trivia before. Thanks for sharing it.
Oh, and the fact that Potter got away with the money has always bothered me.
I may have to watch it again tonight while I’m knitting. Happy belated TT!
I loved the bit about the cornflakes! I had no idea.
I have three TTs this week:
http://www.ravensroads.com/index.php/useless-emotions
13 emotions we could do without
http://www.ravensrv.com/tt13-lodi-california/
13 things about Lodi, California
http://www.ravensrides.com/thursday-thirteen-2-13-sayings-from-the-biking-community
13 sayings from the biker community
Hello…I Googled for nicole austin, but found your page about thursday Thirteen #8…and have to say thanks. nice read.