![]() ![]() Maybe it is a wonderful life after all - at least in the movies. It is comforting to know the Bailey family is still with us, even during a pandemic and dark times, spreading joys of the season and keeping us from jumping off the bridge. ![]() At best, those other 1946 Oscar nominees are seen on TCM occasionally and not given nearly the level of love this film has developed since its modest release. This is an annual tradition for the network, which acquired rights to it in the 1990s and has made it a holiday-season tradition. On top of all this, NBC is airing the film Saturday night, devoting the entire primetime schedule to the three-quarters-of-a-century-old black-and-white movie, with a promise to do it again later in the month. After years of struggling to make ends meet, George Bailey contemplates. It’s about the struggling owner of a small-town savings and loan company who discovers, with the help of a quirky angel named Clarence, that he’s the richest man in the world. I mean, how many copies of The Yearling or The Best Years of Our Lives are on Walmart shelves? IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE is the Christmas movie classic, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. A look at the title on Amazon sees numerous video versions on the market over the years including a 4K restoration. Of course that Bailey family also includes Donna Reed, Stewart’s co-star, who would later win an Oscar for Supporting Actress in From Here to Eternity.Īnd if you think this is just a one-off repackaging of the movie, actually Paramount mistakenly sent everyone on its press list the 70th anniversary Blu-ray by mistake and had to resend the 75th. All this is designed for you to eat just like the Baileys did (“for anyone who has ever wanted to spend Christmas in Bedford Falls,” as the ad line says). ![]() None of the above mentioned Oscar winners are getting any official recognition of their 75th anniversary, but the big loser of that night is seeing Paramount Home Entertainment release a lavish Blu-ray commemorating the occasion with both the restored original version and a, ahem, colorized edition of the black-and-white classic included, plus with them you get a series of collectible cards and detailed recipes for each item on the menu of “Bailey Family Holiday Recipes” (Pastry Snails, “He’s Bats” Minestrone, Home Blessing Salad, Corn Muffins, Glazed Holiday Ham, Classic Holiday Roast Turkey, Clarence’s Angel Food Cake, Vanilla Moonbeam Pies, Homemade Eggnog, Mama and Papa Dollar cocktails).įurther proof of it being the only 1946 Best Picture nominee still generating major merchandising opportunities: there is a new book out for the anniversary, It’s a Wonderful Life: The Official Bailey Family Cookbook. Alas, it was not a “wonderful” evening for It’s A Wonderful Life. But Capra’s masterpiece would have the last laugh. And the fifth Best Pic nominee, Henry V, won an Honorary Oscar for its star, director and producer Laurence Olivier. The Yearling took a child Oscar for Claude Jarman and Color Cinematography. The Razor’s Edge landed Anne Baxter the Supporting Actress win. The Best Years of Our Lives took Best Picture and six other competitive wins plus an honorary award for co-star Harold Russell, who also won for Best Supporting Actor. In fact, it was the only one of the five Best Picture nominees to receive zero wins on that night. ![]()
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