The Greatest Gift book

In the 2011 Christmas episode "Holidays of Future Passed" on The Simpsons you'll find one of my favorite holiday jokes.  Homer finds himself contemplating what his life would be like if he'd never seen the movie It's A Wonderful Life.  Not only have we all seen the classic Jimmy Stewart movie umpteen times, but many of us have seen the endless re-makes, adaptations, and re-tellings of the familiar story told each year on television episodes, specials and movies.  Some of them are done creatively and inspire viewers to re-visit the original meaning of the movie.  And, some of the re-makes are done so poorly, it inspires viewers to change the channel.  Were you aware that it all began with a short story entitled The Greatest Gift?

cover of deluxe edition from Penguin Books

The Greatest Gift is a short story written by Philip Van Doren Stern.  It was originally given out as a Christmas card by the author in 1943 and then he sold the movie rights.  Several years later, director Frank Capra read it and saw the potential for a movie he'd like to make.  The rest is Hollywood history.  The original short story has since become a book.  If you get a copy of the deluxe edition from Penguin Books published in 1996 on the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie It's A Wonderful Life, you'll be able to read an afterword by Marguerite Stern Robinson, the daughter of the author, who provides some history behind her father's great short story and its legacy.

George Bailey on the edge of the bridge contemplating life.

Fans of It's A Wonderful Life will surely love to read the original inspiration for the movie.  It's also quite interesting to see how efficient the short story is compared to the full-length movie that is filled with many small details and more characters.  The short story begins on the bridge on Christmas Eve with our character George contemplating killing himself when he meets his guardian angel.  When George confesses he wished he'd never been born, the stranger helps him by making his wish come true.  Then George is sent on his way, no longer having to worry about his troubles, his responsibilities, his wife or his children any longer.  The stranger also hands him a bag filled with cleaning brushes from The World Cleaning Company (think door-to-door brush salesman)--to help make it easier for George to start conversations with a town full of people who no longer know him.  Obviously, what George discovers is that his life meant something to those whom he met and worked with.  George learns he made a difference in the world and everyone's life touches everyone else's whether we recognize it or not.  It is essentially the same story as the much-beloved Christmas movie.

Clarence gives George a book

But there are a few differences.  Besides being boiled down (you can easily read it less than an hour), the short story also has a few structural differences.  The long back history in the movie of George Bailey's life growing up in Bedford Falls is gone.  The story starts with George standing on the edge of the bridge wanting to jump.  But another difference is worth noting--the brushes he's given by his magical stranger seem to replace Clarence's gift of the book from the movie. Even if you're not a big fan of It's a Wonderful Life, it's still fascinating to read the story that started it all.

Have you read this short story before?  What other Christmas books do you like to read?

Do You Remember...The Little Rascal's Christmas Special?

The 1979 animated half-hour special features everybody's favorite characters from the theatrical short films of the Our Gang comedies also known as The Little Rascals. The animated Christmas special also takes place in the Depression-era 1930s. Here, Spanky and his little brother Porky desperately want a Blue Comet electric train for Christmas. They overhear their mother ordering one from the department store on the phone and assume it’s for them--but she was ordering it for the Vanderhoff family for whom she works as a maid. She discovers that her sons are expecting the electric train and so she sells her winter coat in order to afford the train. When Spanky and Porky see her without a decent coat, they decide to earn the money to buy her one for Christmas. But their efforts fail--there’s no snowfall to earn money shoveling snow, their baking doesn’t look appetizing and their musical show doesn’t have enough of a paying audience. They even try to return the Blue Comet train set in order to afford the new coat but it gets stolen by street thugs before they reach the store. Fortunately, the Santa Claus on the street has been watching the activities of these little boys and knows that their hearts are in the right place.

The animated special also features the voice talent of Darla Hood and Matthew 'Stymie' Beard, two of the original child actors from the original series of Little Rascals shorts. Both lend their voices to grown up characters, with Darla Hood as the character of the mother and Stymie Beard as the butcher.

Or, watch it for yourself. Part 1



Part 2:



Part 3:




If that's not enough Little Rascals Christmas fun for you, then you should re-watch the 1946 original It's a Wonderful Life movie with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. In the scene at Harry Bailey's graduation when George Bailey (Stewart) and Mary (Reed) first lay eyes on one another, someone is talking to Mary. That same someone, Freddie Othello, later pushes the button that opens the floor under the dance contest, spilling George and Mary into the swimming pool. The jealous Othello is played by actor Carl Switzer, also known as Alfalfa from the Little Rascals.

From the Big Screen to the Little Screen, Part 2

Okay, I'm running a little late to end my tribute to the Oscars...so let's just call this March 32nd.

In Part Two, I wanted to acknowledge Oscar-honored Christmas films that have inspired television re-makes. 1946's It's A Wonderful Life was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. However, it was interpreted as a made-for-TV movie in 1977 as It Happened One Christmas starring Marlo Thomas as the story's female lead Mary Bailey, Orson Welles as Harry Potter and Wayne Rogers as the husband, George Bailey. This movie is very rare and as far as I can tell, hasn't re-aired on television in decades. Though many critics didn't like it, I'm dying to see how they re-interpreted the story to fit a female lead.





1947's Miracle on 34th Street was nominated for Best Picture but won three Oscars (Best Actor: Gwenn, Best Screenplay: Seaton, Best Original Story: Davies). The story was adapted several times for television anthology series episodes. However, it was also a 1973 made-for-TV movie starring Sebastian Cabot as Kris Kringle. This version has never charmed the critics but it is still worth seeing. The last several years, it has seen a resurgence in popularity and has been re-broadcast nationally at Christmas time.

And, 1944's Going My Way starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald won seven Oscars. Okay, I know, I know--this film is NOT Christmas-themed however, it has been broadcast nationally on TV at Christmas time for decades. (It does contain a scene with Bing Crosby singing 'Silent Night' with his boys choir.) With the sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's, these two films share a very close association with Christmas. Anyway, the movie inspired a TV series also entitled Going My Way with Gene Kelly in the role of Father O'Malley. This program appears to have a Christmas episode, 1962's 'Keep an Eye on Santa Claus.' I'd love to see the holiday installment of this rare series.

Contest Entry #4!!!!

Here we have entry no. 4 from my good friend Ronda! Enjoy!

Ronda writes,

My favorite Christmas Movie is “ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE”. Yes, I know its sappy. But what kind of movie gives you a look at what your life would be like had you not been in it? Growing up in the same home town never getting a chance to move out...always putting others in front of your needs, keeping the family together at all cost. Giving up on your dreams so that you can help others reach theirs.

If everyone would just take a few life lessons from good ‘ole George, just think what kind of happier world we would live in. Do I hear a bell ringing Clarence?

Nothing sappy about this now-classic movie. It’s good watching anytime of the year! And, hello, Jimmy Stewart? Classic. Thanks Ronda!

Incidentally, here’s a great Frank Capra-directed Christmas double-feature: Meet John Doe (1941), starring the ever-awesome Barbara Stanwyck & Gary Cooper, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Every emotion, from the highest triumphant high, to the lowest, saddest low, is covered right here in just 2 films!