Double Feature
It’s A Wonderful Life
After a lifetime of helping others, it’s George Bailey (James Stewart) who now needs saving. Clarence (Henry Travers), a prospective guardian angel, descends from Heaven to intervene in George’s potential suicide after he’s pushed to the brink of personal ruin. Having witnessed all of the heroic and charitable acts he has accomplished over the course of his life, Clarence transports George to an alternate timeline in which he never existed, and he subsequently realizes the impact his actions had on both his family and community. With a renewed sense of self-worth and duty to his loved ones, George must go find what awaits him back home with the firm appreciation that It’s a Wonderful Life.
“Director Capra’s inventiveness, humor and affection for human beings keep it glowing with life and excitement.” – TIME Magazine
“What is remarkable about It’s a Wonderful Life is how well it holds up over the years; it’s one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age. Some movies, even good ones, should only be seen once. When we know how they turn out, they’ve surrendered their mystery and appeal. Other movies can be viewed an indefinite number of times. Like great music, they improve with familiarity. It’s a Wonderful Life falls in the second category.” – Roger Ebert
Kim Morgan discusses It’s A Wonderful Life on the New Beverly blog.
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Writer
- Screen play by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and Frank Capra, additional scenes by Jo Swerling, based on a story by Philip Van Doren Stern
- Starring
- James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen
- Year
- 1946
- Country
- USA
- Format
- 35mm
- Running Time
- 130 minutes
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
As he does every winter, hobo Aloysius T. McKeever (Victor Moore) moves into a mansion on New York City’s 5th Avenue while its owners are away for the winter and invites all his hobo friends in from the cold. But this Christmas, Mary O’Connor (Ann Harding) comes home unexpectedly after a quarrel with her boyfriend to find her house occupied by jovial street dwellers. To make matters even worse, her father (Charles Ruggles) disguises himself as a hobo to get an invitation to stay in his own home — and keeps his identity secret in this perennial Christmas favorite about rediscovering family and the joy of being together. (Warner Bros)
- Director
- Roy Del Ruth
- Writer
- Screen play by Everett Freeman, Original Story by Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani
- Starring
- Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charlie Ruggles, Victor Moore, Gale Storm
- Year
- 1947
- Country
- USA
- Format
- 35mm
- Running Time
- 116 minutes