In 2006, the prestigious American Film Institute released its list of the 100 most inspirational films. Fans of Frank Capra and James Stewart won’t be surprised to learn
that AFI gave the top spot to 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life. What may surprise folks are details of the movie’s unusual saga. Based on an
unpublished short story that was sent to its author’s friends as a Christmas present, the script was hammered out by numerous writers—including Clifford Odets, Dalton
Trumbo and Dorothy Parker.  Not an initial box-office success, Life was nominated for five Academy Awards and won just a single technical Oscar—for snow effects!
How the film eventually became a Christmas classic partly involves a copyright lapse that allowed free showings for many years. But of course, there’s more to the
story—and you can learn that and much more at  the James V. Brown Library on Dec. 11.

Join local speaker, critic and film prof Joseph W. Smith III at 5:30 that evening for a discussion of this “wonderful” film.  

Joseph W. Smith III has a MA from New York University in English and American Literature and has many publications such as: "How To Write a Research Paper", "The Best of Doug Smith", and "The Best Movies You Never Saw".  Joe is currently a writer for Webb Weekly, West Branch Life, Northcentralpa.com and more. 

For questions about this program, please email Sheila at showarth@jvbrown.edu