Classic film released in 1946. Directed by Frank Capra and written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, and Capra, based on Philip Van Doren Stern's story "The Greatest Gift." Starred James Stewart as George Bailey, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch, Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter, Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy, and Henry Travers as Clarence.
Is there anyone out there who doesn't know this story? George Bailey stays in his small hometown to run the family's Building and Loan, despite a desire to see the world. When he's about to lose everything one Christmas, thanks to the machinations of the evil Mr. Potter, George plans to kill himself, but a sad-sack angel named Clarence shows him what the world would've been like if George had never been born.
The movie originally flopped at the box office, but it became more popular over the decades after its copyright was allowed to expire. The film was aired repeatedly on American television, especially around the holidays. Capra never saw a penny in royalties, but the movie's popularity skyrocketed until it became acknowledged as a Christmas classic.
Fave line: "A toast to my big brother George -- the richest man in town."