“It’s a Wonderful Life” is probably my favorite Christmas movie of all-time.
I feel that the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a story frozen in time, however.
If the movie were to be remade today, I believe the basic concept of the movie could be redone, but the story itself, as we know it, would become almost unrecognizable.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” was made in 1945 and released in 1946. In this movie we see George Bailey’s life from roughly World War I (1914-1918), George Bailey was born in 1907, through to the period just after the end of World War II (1945). Two world wars, an influenza epidemic, and a devastating economic depression…, it definitely wasn’t the easiest of times. George’s breakdown happens on Christmas Eve of 1945.
We see how the Great Depression of 1929 causes a run on the banks and threatens the Building and Loan. During World War II, George acts as an air-raid warden and keeps serving the community, while his brother Harry becomes a Navy pilot.
An uplifting story like “It’s a Wonderful Life” was just the thing for the hearts of people who’d just been through difficult and trying times during World War II.
There aren’t many people still alive today who really know what “difficult and trying times” are!
Difficult and trying times these days equates to Donald Trump being elected, breaking your smart phone or your smartphone’s battery dying on you!
But I digress.
Firstly, it would be tough to remake “It’s a Wonderful Life” because there just isn’t another actor around like Jimmy Stewart anymore.
There wasn’t another Jimmy Stewart then and there isn’t one now.
If I was forced to make a short list of actors who I thought could conceivably play the role of George Bailey, the list would include (not in any particular order):
John Krasinski
Robert Downey Jr.
Jim Carrey
Denzel Washington
and Tom Hanks
Second, a bank or a savings and loan just aren’t family type businesses anymore. That whole storyline would have to change…, but change into what? And that would take away to whole “run on the bank” part of the story away as well. The closest thing I could imagine for a more current version of the story would be a stock market crash, or something along those lines.
Third, there aren’t any tollhouse keepers on bridges anymore, and in any case, 911 would have been called, the EMTs would have been there, and then it would have been off to the hospital. End of story.
Also, as far as George crashing his car into a tree after drowning his sorrows at Martini’s bar, he probably would have gotten a DUI ticket and taken into custody, thus ending the story as well.
In addition, a lot of the suspense in the story would be lost, as communications are just a lot better now. There would be no telegrams, or the inability to get ahold of anyone.
Like I said at the top of the article, if “It’s a Wonderful Life” were to be remade today, “The basic concept of the movie could be redone, but the story itself, as we know it, would become almost unrecognizable.”
Please be my guest and view a related article about “It’s a Wonderful Life” at:
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/its-a-wonderful-life-karolyn-grimes-jimmy-hawkins-tell-all
Or view the original movie trailer at:
I value your feedback and I’d love to hear from you!
If you’re not already “following” me and you liked my blog(s) today, please “click” on the comment icon just to the right of the date at the bottom of this article. From there you can let me know you “like” my blog, leave a comment or click the white “FOLLOW” button at the bottom of that page, which will keep you up to date on all of my latest posts.
Thank you, MrEricksonRules.
Mr. Erickson Rules! 
Leave a Reply