How It’s a Wonderful Life went from box office failure to Christmas classic

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “When we were pretty far along in the script but not done, our agent called and said, ‘Capra wants to know how soon you'll be finished.’ Frances said, ‘We're finished right now.’ We put our pens down and never went back to it.” The pair were still given final credit, but it was Capra, with uncredited help from writers such as Jo Swerling, Michael Wilson, and Dorothy Parker, who finally cobbled together the rest of the screenplay. “Better yet, I thought it was the greatest film anybody ever made.” The world didn’t agree. As Jeanine Basinger, author of The “It’s a Wonderful Life” Book, pointed out, this was the first full Christmas after the war, and cinema-goers were looking for undemanding optimism. “By the end of 1947,” said Stewart, “the film was quietly put on the shelf.” open image in gallery It's A Wonderful Life The enduring appeal of Frank Capra’s yuletide movie lies in its toughness.