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Wonderful Books for The 80th Anniversary of the Classic Movie
- Jul 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 27
Eighty years ago, the cameras stopped rolling on one of the most beloved films ever made. After nearly 90 days of filming, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life completed production during July, 1946 on one of Hollywood's most ambitious movie sets. At RKO Studios in Culver City and the famous RKO Ranch in Encino, California, an entire town was built from the ground up to become Bedford Falls.
The sprawling four-acre set featured three city blocks of businesses, a residential neighborhood, a working bank, dozens of storefronts, mature oak trees, and even wandering cats, dogs, and pigeons to make the town feel authentic. Long before computer-generated effects, Bedford Falls was a real place where actors and filmmakers spent three months creating what would become one of cinema's most enduring stories.
Ironically, few could have predicted what would happen next.
When It's a Wonderful Life premiered in December 1946, it received strong reviews and several Academy Award nominations but disappointed at the box office. It was promoted as lighthearted romance, and it was not. For years, the movie was simply regarded as another Frank Capra film. Then something remarkable happened that caused the movie's destiny to be realized.
Television introduced the movie to new generations. Families watched it together every Christmas. Parents shared it with their children. Grandparents shared it with their grandchildren. What began as a single motion picture gradually became one of the world's most cherished holiday traditions.
Today, George Bailey's story resonates because it speaks to something universal.
George dreams of traveling the world to seek real adventure, but spends his life helping others in the small town where he grew up. When hardship convinces him his life has amounted to little, an angel named Clarence reveals the extraordinary impact one ordinary person can have on countless lives. The story may remind readers of A Christmas Carol by Charles DIckens. Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, who must change his heart, George Bailey discovers that his heart has always been in the right place. What changes is his understanding of his own significance.
Perhaps that's why the film has endured for eight decades.
Every generation recognizes a little of itself in George Bailey. We all wonder whether our work matters, whether our sacrifices count, and whether our lives have made any real difference. Every generation also recognizes the steadfast love of Mary Bailey, whose quiet faith, unwavering support, and belief in George remind us that the people who love us often see our worth long before we do.
It's a Wonderful Life kindly reminds us that the answer is often far greater than we realize.
Five Wonderful Books for Every It's a Wonderful Life Fan
The five-time-Academy-Award®-nominated Frank Capra film, It’s A Wonderful Life, is hailed
as one of the Top 100 Greatest American Films of All Time. If someone in your life never misses the annual Christmas viewing, these books make thoughtful gifts that deepen the experience beyond the movie.
It's a Wonderful Life: The Original Screenplay
Frank Capra
Reading the screenplay offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how Capra constructed one of Hollywood's greatest films. Watching the movie while following the original script gives readers a new appreciation for the performances, dialogue, and storytelling that transformed words on a page into an enduring classic.
In Search of Donna Reed
Jay Fultz
An Oscar® and Golden Globe® winner, Donna Reed made 40+ movies. Donna's portrayal of Mary Bailey remains one of the most beloved performances in cinema. This thoughtful biography explores the remarkable woman behind the role—from her Iowa farm childhood to Hollywood success, family life, and later political activism. Readers discover the woman who became an acclaimed industry pioneer, earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is recognized as one of the first women in film to own a television production company, star in her own Emmy-nominated, hit TV series.
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
Starr Smith
Before returning to Hollywood to portray George Bailey, Jimmy Stewart served as a decorated bomber pilot during World War II, flying combat missions over Europe and rising to command a bomber squadron. Understanding Stewart's wartime experiences adds powerful new depth to one of the most authentic performances in American film history.
The Heart of It's a Wonderful Life
Jimmy Hawkins
Jimmy Hawkins, who played young Tommy Bailey in the film, shares memories from a lifetime connected to the movie. Filled with personal stories, rare photographs, screenplay excerpts, and insights from Frank Capra himself, this warm and engaging book celebrates why the film continues to inspire audiences around the world.
Coming This Fall: Frank Capra: A Life
Sam Wasson
One of this year's most anticipated film biographies, Sam Wasson's comprehensive new look at Frank Capra explores the immigrant who became one of America's defining filmmakers. Drawing extensively from Capra's personal archives, the biography promises fresh insight into the visionary who gave the world It's a Wonderful Life.
The Perfect Gift
Great movies stay with us. Great books help us understand why.
Eighty years after filming wrapped, Bedford Falls still welcomes visitors through every viewing, every conversation, and every generation that discovers the story of George and Mary Bailey. These books are the perfect gift for anyone who believes that ordinary lives, lived with friends, love, and purpose, are the ones that leave the greatest legacy.
The Heart Of It's A Wonderful Life by Jimmy Hawkins
In Search of Donna Reed by Jay Fultz
Frank Capra: A Life by Sam Wasson
It's a Wonderful Life: The Original Screenplay by Frank Capra, Scott W. Thompson
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith, Walter Cronkite (Foreword)
