Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

    I assume you mean "It's a Wonderful Life"  :-)
    
    I loved it, as always, and took the opportunity to tape it (along with
    the mostly content-free comments by tele-celebs).  It was odd to see
    the editing disclaimer at the beginning, though ("this film has been
    edited to fit the time slot for broadcast", more or less) since their
    broadcast was being touted as a FULL, uncut, restored,
    best-you've-ever-seen version.  Looked like the same movie to me... can
    anyone point out scenes, or even lines, that in previous years were
    cut?
    
    Leslie

    
    	I saw it for the first time ever, and I actually liked it.
    
    	I watched it with my mother, who at 49+ had never seen it
    	either, and didn't even know what it was until I told her
    	that I thought it was "It's a Wonderful Life".
    
    	And she also didn't believe me when I told her I was pretty	
    	sure that Donna Reed had taken over for Barbara Bel Geddes as
    	Miss Ellie on "Dallas", her favorite show at the time, for a
    	year or 2.  And of course I was right again.  8^)
    
    							GTI
    

  This movie is well acted but it's just a bit too smaltzy to be a "great" film
in my book. A very good film yes, but there are several versions of Dicken's
Christmas Carol that I look forward to more at this time of year. 

  Anyway since I'd seen the movie before I did some channel surfing that was
great fun. It turns out that one of the cable stations was running the Marlo
Thomas version at about the same time. I started switching back and forth to
compare the two movies scene by scene. 

  For the most part the Jimmy Stewert version was better. In many places it was
obvious that not only the script was the same word for word but it was even
blocked the same way (same movements by the actors). 

  In the Stewert version, the star is George Bailey and Donna Reed plays his
girlfriend Mary. In the Marlo Thomas version, the star is Mary Bailey and the
guy who played Trapper John in the TV version of MASH was her boyfriend George.

  One scene that was very different was that in Stewert's version, he dove off
the bridge to save Clarance. In her version, the angel fell through the ice
near the edge of the river, she ran back and got the guy from the shed and slid
down into the water to save the angel. 

  Also her version was shorter. She started an hour behind and picked up a lot
of ground between the time their brother went off to war and the bridge scene.
She caught up just about the time her and the angle came back to the bar (where
nobody knew his/her name) and she finished about 5 minutes earlier. Her "The
End" was right about the time he was heading back to the bridge. 

  So it was good fun. NBC had more commercials near the end than the Cable
station. Also it was fun seeing the cast members from ER and Homicide tell
their favorite parts but they lacked a bit in credibility. What a coincidence
that so many people from the two hottest shows would just happen to have such
fond memories of the same movie. 

  Great performance by Jimmy Stewert. Ok performance by Marlo. The old banker
in her film was Orison Wells.

  Now If they only run Alister Simms and George C Scott together I can play my
irritating game again. 

  George 

    
    I have never seen this show.  I love Christmas shows and I would love
    to see this movie.  Can I borrow a tape if someone has taped it?
    
    Louisa Pierce
    AKO1-1/E11
    
    Thanks.

    you can rent it at almost any video rental store I'd bet...

    re .2 - I can't beleive you'd never seen this movie.  I was pretty
    convinced you had seen everything ever made!  Glad you got to see it.
    
    I love this movie.  I have a copy on video (it was a stocking stuffer
    some years back so I can watch it complete/uncut/commercial free
    whenever I want, but I tend to watch it only once a year...on Christmas
    Eve whilst wrapping presents with my Mom.  We have a midnight marathon
    with IAWL, Miracle and White Christmas.  I love it!
    
    Happy Holidays!
    
    MJ

    
    	Well, it's not really my kind of movie, so I never went out of my
    	way to see it.  Actually I only watched it because I happened to
    	be at my mother's and it came on while we were setting up her tree.
    
    	As my father says, "No blood, no gore, no severed body parts, so
    	you wouldn't like it".
    
    	8^)
    
    							GTI
    

    
    Can someone tell me how NBC was able to take IAWL from the public
    domain?  Thanks.
    

    .7
    
    Must be something about mothers and this movie.  My mother usually
    gives me the same gripe about the gore.  I quote, "watch out!  What you
    meditate on you become!"  Guess they'll find me atop a book depository
    some day...
    
    he-he  
    
    MJ

> Can someone tell me how NBC was able to take IAWL from the public
> domain?  Thanks.

	This was originally discussed in the original Movies (or TV)
	conference.  I believe the original (well actually their heirs
	obviously) copyright owner(s) were able to renew the copyright.

	Like any other movie NBC simply must of been the highest bidder
	for exclusive rights to broadcast the film this year (my guess).

	I personally was hoping for a theatrical re-release of the restored
	film......

If you enjoy this film you may want to check out some of Frank Capra's other
films, such as; _It Happened One Night_, Mr Deeds Goes to Town_, Mr Smith Goes
to Washington_, _Meet John Doe_, _Arsenic and Old Lace_, etc.


Randy

Re: .11

	.... and don't forget his war propaganda films he made during
	WW II ....

re .12

Yes, his "Why We Fight" documentaries, excellent but hard to find usually.


Randy

    Didn't want to start a new topic.....but 
    
    Does anyone know when Its A Wonderful Life will be shown on tv this year?
    I don't care what network will show it; it used to be on seven hundred
    (I'm exagerating) times in December until Turner got his hands on it
    and only showed it 3 times last year.  So, does anyone have an idea?
    
    thanks
      

I found out on the world wide web page for NBC (http://www.nbc.com)
that it will be on this Saturday, Dec. 16 from 8-11 pm.  

And it will be the non-colorized version. :-)

Ann

    It's on NBC Sat night.  They've had promos at the end of some of the
    shows during the past week or so with actors and actresses telling what
    their favorite parts are.
    
    Cheryl

> And it will be the non-colorized version. :-)

	At least that's good.  However I still find commercials ruin the
	flow of this (and most) movie(s) in particular and miss the PBS
	showings of it .......

  How about the two Christmas Carol's, the one with George Scott and the one
with Alister Sims. Anyone know when they will be on? Those are my favorite
Christmas movies. Also, how about the Wizard of Oz?

  I was never that big a fan of "It's a Wonderful Life" but one time both
versions, the one with Jimmy Stewert and the one with Marlo Thomas, were
running at the same time and for fun I was channel surfing back and forth.

  I think the Jimmy Stewert version was longer. Marlo started a good hour
later but finished a few minutes earlier. It was weird, for a time they were
going scene for scene.

  George

    I think the Wizard of Oz is usually aired during February sweeps week.
    
    Leslie

    
    well, I did it!  I watched It's a Wonderful life for the FIRST TIME
    EVER!  and I must say, I did enjoy it very much.
    
    I was watching the snipits inbetween the show - and the stars were
    saying how they cried at this part or that part - and I said to my
    self. "I like the movie, but I don't think I'll cry"
    
    well, when the end came and all of George's friends came in w/ all the
    cash - I had tears pouring out of my eyes.
    
    Super Movie!  I will add it to my yearly must watch list along w/
    Gone w/the Wind, Sound of Music & the Kind and I
    
    L