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From The Greatest Gift to It's A Wonderful Life!
The 1946 holiday classic film It's a Wonderful Life first appeared as a short story, The Greatest Gift, a Christmas Tale, published seventy-five years ago by American author, editor, and Civil War historian Philip Van Doren Stern. In the story, an angel comes to earth to save a despairing family man from a Christmas Eve suicide attempt, restoring his joy of living by helping him realize his value to those around him. After its 1946 release, the film won a Golden Globe Award for best director and received five Academy Award nominations. It also won a scientific achievement award for innovations in simulating snow. Today the snow is wildly popular and financially successful, and can be found on numerous "best movie" lists. In 1990 the Librarian of Congress added it to the National Film Registry. |