It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book

by Stephen Cox, Bob Anderson (Foreword)

Few motion pictures have enjoyed a renaissance like the 1946 Frank Capra masterpiece It's a Wonderful Life. Nominated for Five Academy Awards, it was dismissed as syrupy Christmas fare and fell into obscurity until television gave it new life. Today it's an American tradition. With It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book, any fan of the classic film can further appreciate its magic and legacy. The warm reminiscences of the film's cast are supported by excellent photographs, providing the perfect companion for any fan of the film--or anyone who believes in miracles and angels. The book features dozens of interviews and rare behind the-scenes photographs that allow readers to see how the movie was created. Comments from Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart, Bobbie Anderson, Jimmy Hawkins, Karen Grimes, and many more make the story come alive. More than a dozen brief biographies of the prominent cast members detail how It's a Wonderful Life affected their lives and careers. Then and now photographs supplement the career highlights of Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi, Gloria Grahame, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, and others. Like George Bailey himself, It's a Wonderful Life was rescued from oblivion in the late 1970s when it was discovered that the film's copyright had not been renewed and the motion picture fell into the public domain. Television stations nationwide began freely airing the film. From film remakes and marvelous merchandise to cast reunions and Saturday Night Live's hilarious parody, this book explores the adoration of generations of viewers who have fallen under its spell.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christmas

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Greg Van Vorhis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fantastic includes rarely-seen photos, still photos and bits of script from scenes that were cut for the film, and interviews with all of the Bailey children. There are interviews with descriptions of several of the other actors, as well.

This book is worth the investment, effort and look. It's a fast read, but it's full of new information....at least it was new when it was originally in 2003.

I wish I could give half stars. I would bump it up to 4.5.

[Eileen W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of this movie and older Hollywood movies in general, and I love “behind the scenes” stuff. For me, it was a very enjoyable read! I would have taken 1/2 star off for the fact that sometimes things were inserted in the middle of the text that necessitated jumping ahead a couple pages to finish reading the sentence. So, the layout was sometimes a bit annoying.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," this is a fun read. It truly is "a memory book," meaning it is more a collection of memories by those who were a part of the movie, movie reviews, as well as insights into scenes and original script ideas that were cut. I originally purchased this book to give me information on the movie that I could share with a movie class I teach, and it did provide me with some interesting material. However, I freely admit that I was a bit disappointed there wasn't more information. However, considering that it was written by someone who was not involved in the production of the movie, but who is just a big fan of it like myself, it was pretty well put together. Cox accumulated a collection of interesting tidbits and assembled them into what truly is "a memory book."

[Roger Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great many insights into the movie making business and history through Capra's iconic Christmas story, It's a Wonderful Life...both praised and cursed by reviewers but loved by the movie going public and this "memory book" by Stephen Cox well exceeds expectations...I think I hear a bell...Zu Zu, "Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."

[Michele Pfrogner · Rating 5 out of 5]

More, please! I love the film and love all of the info. in this "scrapbook" of memories!

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The organization of the narrative of this book and the general layout (extraneous sections inserted right in the middle of text, so you have to flip through several pages to find the endings of sentences) is a little funky. But still, this is an enjoyable book because of the behind the scenes look it gives to the holiday classic and one of my all-time favorite movies. I enjoyed learning how the story was developed, how the movie was cast, and how it was received when it was released in December, 1946. The background information on the stars was fun to read and the extensive collection of photos was interesting to see, too. All in all, a good book to read at this time of the year, especially if It's a Wonderful Life is one of your favorites, too.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book overall. Four and a half stars because it was an interesting peek into old Hollywood and how motion pictures got made but, there were some annoying formatting issues that should have been done with more finesse. I am probably a cynic, but the film itself is not my cup of tea, however the book was gifted to me and I did enjoy the historical aspects of it. If you like this movie, you will enjoy reading the backstory of it. However, if you'd just rather learn about the history of early American film, this book is a worthy read.