Book Review - It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book

In my book reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I read. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. I could go into detail about what the book is about, but a lot of people have already done that. You can read their descriptions of the book, plus the official description on Amazon.

 It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book, by Stephen Cox. 2005.

This book is fantastic. It includes rarely-seen photos, still photos and bits of script from scenes that were cut for the film, and interviews with all of the Bailey children. There are interviews with descriptions of several of the other actors, as well.

This book is worth the investment, effort and look. It's a fast read, but it's full of new information....at least it was new in 2005.

4.5 stars out of 5.

News Clips Part 2 - After all these years, it's still a wonderful life

Here is another story I wrote about It's a Wonderful Life that was published in the Sentinel-Tribune newspaper when I was on staff there. Click on the images to read the story.

Here is the full-page layout

A new book about It's a Wonderful Life

I'm a little excited and a little nervous about the prospect of there being a new book on the way about It's a Wonderful Life.

That's right...a new book. I learned about it from the one and only Richard Goodson, who seems to have an inside track about all things Wonderful Life. It's uncanny. And I am so very grateful to be under the umbrella of his sharing tree.

Last week, he told me about a new book coming out in May. It's called "Zuzu's Petals," and is by a high school AP English teacher named Jeff Jarot. This book doesn't examine the film (like my book), and it doesn't retell the story of It's a Wonderful Life if something had changed, like The Last Temptation of Clarence Oddbody by John Jughead Pierson.

Instead, this book looks at a modern family in which the father has a bit of an unhealthy obsession with It's a Wonderful Life. It hits a little close to home. In fact, I joked with Goodson when he told me about it. My response was, "Sooooooo......Is this book about you or about me? And is that an honor or is that offensive?"

But all ego aside, this book looks to be a great examination of obsession and love. Where does interest cross the line of hobby? Where does hobby cross the line of obsession? When does obsession cross the line to insanity?

You can read more about the book and about the author here.

You can get a feel for what his book will feel like by downloading his thesis and dissertation here.

I'm really looking forward to the book. What do you think?

My Collection Part 9 - CD-Rom

Here is a copy of It's a Wonderful Life on CD-Rom. It runs on a PC, and from it you can watch the film, read the script, and I think you can even read The Greatest Gift. I don't remember now. It's been a while since I got it out.

It's a two-disc set. I have two copies of it. I bought one in the late 1990s. I stumbled across another copy in the bargain dump bin at a local computer shop in the early 2000s for $5 or something, and I snatched up that copy, as well.

Front of the box, liner notes, and CD-Rom.
Source: Blogger's collection

Back of the box.
Source: Blogger's collection

My Collection Part 3 - Research Paper Abstract

When I was a college sophomore, I already knew what I wanted my junior/senior research paper to be about. I was a double-major in both English and Communication, so I could choose either of those to focus on. They were offered on opposite years, with English being offered my freshman and junior years, and communication offered my sophomore or senior years.

I couldn't fathom researching an English topic. That just sounded boring to me. But the option of communication seemed wide open and offered more opportunities. I told some friends of mine that I was going to complete my communication research project as a senior, and that I was going to write about It's a Wonderful Life.

Add a year and a half of interceding college effort, drama, and hijinks, my senior year finally came around....and I forgot the plan. So I spent a week or two writing up notes about how I was going to compare print journalism reporting of the Civil War to coverage of the Gulf War. I was only half-feeling it and kind of dreading the project.

Part of the requirement was to present your proposal in front of the class. As I sat in the classroom that night waiting for the professor to arrive, we were sharing our topics in broad terms. I told about my news reporting idea, and one of my friends, Jay, spoke up: "I thought you were going to do this about It's a Wonderful Life."

I was shell-shocked. How could I have forgotten????!!!!! I uttered a short, vulgar phrase that shows surprise and the realization that I wasn't prepared to present on that. I thanked him profusely, turned around in my seat, grabbed a piece of paper and proceeded to ignore the first two or three presenters and I madly brainstormed and framed out my idea.

I present to you, that page:

I got up in front of the class that night, presented this as if I had planned it all along, and got some excited and encouraging feedback from my professor. I took that back to my dorm, started the film on my VCR (this was before DVD, let alone Blu-Ray), and wrote the full abstract, dated March 3, 1997:

This paper has gone through many versions, including the 46-page college paper that I turned in for a grade, a hastily-written book version that wasn't much more than a slightly expanded version of the college paper. I recently finished my 7th draft of a greatly-expanded, carefully-considered 250 (or so) page book. It has been declined by one publishing house with promising feedback about how it didn't quite fit their publishing vision, but was well-written, and a book proposal is currently with another publishing house under review and consideration.

And even though the book is complete, it's so tempting to go back and re-write it an eighth time. I have made a habit of it for the last 18 years. Old habits are hard to break, not to mention how much fun I have doing it!

My Collection Part 2 - Magazine ad

On or about Nov. 3, 2015 (just last week, that is), I reached up on top of a 6-foot tall bookshelf to get something I needed. When I pulled it down, a flat piece of cardboard in  plastic sleeve pulled away from its safe, resting position. As I looked up at in from my 5'-10" vantage point, I had no idea what it was.

So imagine my surprise when I pulled it down and discovered that I own this:

Source: Blogger's collection.

It's a magazine ad (Life maybe?) dating to 1946. I had forgotten I own this. I was so excited to rediscover this.

Book Review - A Novel Idea

It’s a Wonderful Life, by M.C. Bolin. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1996.

In my book reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I read. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. I could go into detail about what the book is about, but a lot of people have already done that. You can read their descriptions of the book, plus the official description on Amazon.

My copy of the novelization of the film.

As with many popular films, someone writes a book that tells the same story that we see on the screen. Sometimes, as with The Help, the films are based on the books. In other situations, such as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the film came first, followed by the book, which is based on the film.

That is the case with It's a Wonderful Life, the book by M.C. Bolin, and released for the film's 50th anniversary.

It is pretty mundane, describing the actions that you see on the screen and the lines that are said in the film. But every once in a while, you get moments of brilliance when Bolin gets into the heads of the characters, and describes their thoughts and emotions.

One example of this occurs during the bank run when George thinks to himself, “What was it his mother had said not so long before about Mary’s having all the answers?” (Bolin 70)

2.5 out of 5

Virginia Patton Birthday June 25, 1926

So I just learned something really cool: I live less than an hour and a half away from Virginia Patton.

Source: http://goo.gl/9urqsM

Patton, who lives in Ann Arbor, MI, portrayed Ruth ("Ruth Dakin-Bailey, if you don't mind"), George Bailey's sister-in-law.

Some people (including me when I'm feeling salty, I must admit), unfairly blame Ruth for Harry leaving his brother to run the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan. They/we insist that Harry should have picked up the reigns and flew the ship while George went to college instead of taking a job with Ruth's father.

But now I'm just mixing my metaphors.

Virginia Patton was born June 25, 1926, in Portland, OR, which is less than three hours away from where Karolyn "Zuzu" Grimes currently lives.

Patton appeared in 15 films, including It's a Wonderful Life. I am embarrassed to say that I haven't seen any of the other 14 films. I will have to fix that.

Today, she turns 89. Instead of talking about her any more, I will let her speak for herself. Happy birthday, Ms. Patton!

Rhetorical Analysis is a Bit of a Cluster

In researching It's a Wonderful Life in mid-1990s, I found a Master's Thesis by James T. Coon, titled "Frank Capra and It's a Wonderful Life: A Burkean Cluster Analysis of a Rhetorically Self-Expressive Film." Dated May, 1989, it was part of his graduate requirements at Bowling Green State University, which just so happens to be in my back yard.

But what, you ask, is a Burkean Cluster Analysis? For the simplest description, I will begrudgingly refer to Wikipedia:

Kenneth Burke (May 5, 1897 – November 19, 1993) was a literary theorist best known for his analyses based on the nature of knowledge. He was one of the first individuals to stray away from traditional rhetoric and view literature as "symbolic action."

Burke was unorthodox, concerning himself not only with literary texts, but with the elements of the text that interacted with the audience: social, historical, political background, author biography, etc.

For a deeper exploration of Burkean Cluster Analysis methodology and theory, click here.

I'll start with the issues first. In this thesis, Coon:

• Repeatedly refers to Violet Bick as Violet Bicks.
• Incorrectly states that the man who pushes Potter around in the wheelchair also drives his coach.
• Makes numerous errors in quotes taken directly from the film. Copying a quote from a script, or transcribing the words directly from the film should not produce this many errors.

Having said that, this thesis is not by any means bad. I'm not sure it's worthy of a master's degree, though.

Coon draws some very interesting comparisons and contrasts, looking at the symbolism of locations and moons and other themes that recur throughout the film. It's definitely worth a read for any Life scholar.

Here is some more information about the thesis.

Blogging From A to Z - O is for "O Come All Ye Faithful"

 

Source: http://www.sermoncentral.com/MediaVault/Detail.asp?
MediaVaultID=1219&rewrite=t&MultimediaTypeID=24

Welcome to the It's A Wonderful Blog's Blogging From A to Z April (2015) Challenge. For this challenge, I will post every day in April (except for Sundays) about topics related to the Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart film, It's a Wonderful Life.

While the opening credits of It’s a Wonderful Life begin to the soft strain of a string performance of "Buffalo Gals," the real action of the film begins with another song. 

We recognize it. The song is “O Come All Ye Faithful,” a traditional Christmas tune that is about the birth of Jesus. It is played gently on what sounds like a xylophone … an instrument commonly found in elementary school music rooms.

As the song plays, the audience is shown streetscapes. The scene serves to introduce us to the town of Bedford Falls. We also are being introduced to the residents of Bedford Falls. But instead of seeing them, we only hear their voices.

They are all praying for George Bailey. From them, we learn that George:

·      is well-liked.

·      cares for those around him.

·      cares for his community.

·      has a mother who is worried.

·      has a wife who is worried.

·      has children who is worried.

·      someone is indebted to him for “everything,” which indicates something more important than money.

·      is selfless.

Source: http://www.hymnary.org/
hymn/WAR2003/182

The scene is extremely short, but it teaches us so much. We know a lot about George before we really know anything about him.

The fact that these prayers are being said during a Christian song that includes the word “faithful” is significant. This film is about faith. It’s not about religion. It is about faith. There IS a difference. The song is inviting us to watch what eventually becomes George Bailey’s rebirth in faith. It is also a rebirth of his trust in God, his family, his community, his business, and himself.

A belief in God is not required, but it is helpful in the effort to fully understand the depths and meanings of this film.

If you don't believe in God, please join the conversation! Do you enjoy this film anyway? What messages do you take away from it?

If you do believe in God, does this film strengthen your faith? If so, how? If not, why not?

It's a Wonderful Travelogue Part 2: Seneca Falls, NY

On August 6, 2014, I visited Seneca Falls, NY with my family. It's about an hour or so east of Niagra Falls, so it makes for a nice trip.

Seneca Falls claims the title of "The Real Bedford Falls," which is the setting of the film It's a Wonderful Life. Residents claim that the town - which Frank Capra was known to have visit - was his inspiration for the design of Bedford Falls. The Web site www.therealbedfordfalls.com tells that story.

To tell the truth, I have read the argument, yet I remained skeptical. I felt like it was an attempt to grab some good PR based on a couple of weird coincidences. And yet, when I got there, I was really impressed. Read the argument at the link above and check out some of the pictures below.

As an added bonus, Seneca Falls has the It's a Wonderful Life Museum. I was amazed at the collections I found there. They were so much fun, and the collection was growing. A group was traveling around the country picking memorabilia from key collectors, including Karolyn "Zuzu" Grimes and The Goodson Collection to bring back to the museum. Learn more about the museum at www.wonderfullifemuseum.com.

Have you been to Senca Falls? Do you want to go? Do you believe their claim? Comment below!

Here are photos of our trip from my personal collection:

This mill looks like the mill that can be seen in the background when the Martini family packs up their cars to move out of Potter's Field.

Another photo of the mill.

The bridge that started it all.

Me near the bridge.

The approach to the bridge...complete with a pedestrian walkway and a story of one person's sacrifice to save another.

George Bailey wasn't the only one to jump from a bridge to save someone's life. Antonio Varacalli did it in real life. He lost his life.

A plaque on the bridge identifies the connection to It's a Wonderful Life.

Even the streets are appropriately named.

These streets are in It's a Wonderful Life, as well.But you have to pay attention to catch that detail.

This is one of two houses that reportedly inspired the Granville House.

This is one of two houses that reportedly inspired the Granville House.

Same house, different angle. 

The train depot can be seen in the distance, left-center. 

Me in front of the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

I wish I had purchased these dolls when they were sold at Target. They are worth a small fortune now. These dolls are at the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

I have seen these Zuzu dolls selling for big money on eBay, but never in real life. This was in the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

This really cool model of Potter's carriage can be found on display at the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

An IAWL-themed quilt on display at the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

A painting of Clarence that hangs in the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

This incorrectly-quoted line from It's a Wonderful Life is a close-up detail of a larger painting of Clarence. This was on display at the It's a Wonderful Life Museum,

This cigar lighter, seen in the It's a Wonderful Life Museum, is like the one George Bailey wished on.

I totally wish I had a million dollars. It didn't work...yet.

I have never seen this train set until I found it on display at the It's a Wonderful Life Museum,

I inspected every square inch of every collectible inside the It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

George Lassos the Moon, without the lettering, but signed by Jimmy Stewart. SO COOL! On display at The It's a Wonderful Life Museum.

Seneca Falls is also the home of the Women's Rights National Historical Park. The park tells the story of the first Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls in 1948.

Still Making Discoveries After 800 Views

Source: http://gctnetwork.com/christian-themes-in-its-a-wonderful-life/

People have a hard time believing me when I say I have watched It's a Wonderful Life more than 800 times. I wrote a college paper about the film and watched it two or three times every day my senior year of college to help in that effort.

Since then, I have worked on changing that 40-page paper into a 257-page book. It's finished. I'm looking for a publisher. But in order to do it, I watched the film multiple times every single year. And I graduated from college a long time ago.

During the National Geographic scene in Gower's Drug Store when George and Mary are kids, Mary comments about the magazine, "I never saw it before." To which George replies, "Of course you never."

I felt the same as Mary when I watched It's a Wonderful Life in color for the first time on Feb. 28, 2015. Every time I watch it, I find one or two details that I had never noticed before. But less than 10 minutes into my maiden voyage with the newest colorized version, my mind was ready to explode with 13 new discoveries. And they just kept coming. Those discoveries are listed here:

• There are Christmas lights on the the tree outside of Martini's bar.
• There is a skull and crossbones on George's hat during the sledding scene.
• I have read bout a sign next to the sledding hill, but I had never seen it until I watched the colorized version. The sign says: 

NO TRESPASSING

Violators will be 

prosecuted to the fullest extent 

of the law 

Henry F. Potter

• There are Camel cigarettes on the counter behind the cigar lighter.
• The business names during the street scenes are clearly visible.
• I got a better feeling for the layout of the Gower's Drug Store.
• There is a piece of tape on the counter when Mary leans down to whisper in George's ear. Is that a marker for the actor?
• The carpet pattern on the floor in the back room of Gower's Drug Store is beautiful.
• I think there is a picture of Jimmy Stewart as a child on a trike on Peter's desk. I remember seeing that same photo in one of Stewart's biographies. There also appears to be a picture of the child actor (Bobby Anderson) who plays the young George Bailey, on Peter's desk.
• There is an American soldier outside of the window when George is in the luggage store.
• Most of the transportation in Bedford Falls is by automobile. The only exceptions to that are Potter's carriage and a horse-drawn wagon that passes by when George is in the luggage store.
• There is a traffic cop at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Genesee Street.
• Bert the Cop is reading a newspaper with a banner headline that reads "Smith wins nomination." Not sure if that is referring to something in true American History, or if it is a reference to another Capra/Stewart film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
• Annie carries plates of salad into the Bailey dining room during the last supper scene.
• There is a picture of Annie on the wall beneath the stairs in George and Mary's wedding scene.
• The interior walls of the Building and Loan are dirty and have a lot of water damage.
• Potter has gas-lit chandeliers in his office (seen during the bank run).
• There is a stock certificate on Potter's desk during the bank run scene.
• Potter's office looks even more ornate in color
• George says "this thing isn't as black as it appears." Just then, the sirens go past and you can see George deflate.
• Bert the cop and the travel agency employee take travel posters out of the paddy wagon.
• There is an advertisement poster for Fisk Tires (picture of a toddler carrying a tire and a candle at the bottom of the staircase next to the first floor bedroom at 320 Sycamore on their honeymoon night. I have put a photo of the poster at the bottom of this page.
• The honeymoon suite at 320 Sycamore later becomes the dining room, seen when Tommy follows George around the house saying, "'Scuse me."
• There are TWO huge pictures of Potter. One in the bank lobby and another one - a duplicate of the same painting - in his office at the bank.
• There is a baby crib in Zuzu's bedroom for Tommy. They share a room.
• George's tie looks tattered or like it has fringe on it after he kicks over his work area on Christmas Eve. At minimum, the back of the tie hangs lower than the front of the tie.
• There is a hutch with plates on it in the background at Martini's bar, giving it the feel of a dining room or restaurant instead of a bar.
• George doesn't have his headlights on when he crashes into the tree.
• There is a sign on the bridge's toll booth that says "Avoid delay. Have exact fare ready."
• It's late at night on Christmas Eve and the gates are not pulled across the entrance at the Bailey Building and Loan when George returns from Pottersville.

The Fisk Tire sign at the foot of the stairs of the Granville House during the honeymoon scene. Romantic.

Here is a similar poster I found online.
Source: http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2006/08/01/hmn_feature15.html

Here is another poster that I found on Google.
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/gtrg40/tires-and-wheels/

A Pox Upon Me for a Clumsy Lout

Photo credit: http://lies.tumblr.com/post/
71144213373/a-pox-upon-me-for-a-clumsy-lout

I have failed you, faithful reader.

I promised you a weekly blog entry and I have failed you. For 25 months, I have failed you.

A lot has happened since then. I coached my second year of t-ball. We moved. We celebrated two Christmases. I finished writing my book. I started writing my second book. And I have watched It's a Wonderful Life more times than I care to admit.

I'm sorry.

But a few things have come into clarity for me in the last several weeks that have made me yearn to blog again.

• First, the scope of my first book did not allow me the space or the variety of topics I wish to cover related to It's a Wonderful Life. Hence the second book. 

• Second, I miss deep thinking. It's so easy to get wrapped up in every-day life and stop thinking critically about what matters to you. There is a lot that matters to me, and I can relate most of it back to It's a Wonderful Life in some manner.

Which is EXACTLY what I propose to do now. My goal is to use this blog to:

• Expand the thoughts in my book. 

• Discuss open-ended questions with YOU. 

• Discuss other Capra and Stewart films.

• I will listen to feedback if you have conflicting ideas....as long as you are respectful about it. 

• Relate lessons from It's a Wonderful Life to my life, and hopefully to your life, as well.

• Attempt characters studies.

• Share exciting news.

• Share personal experiences; Some deeply meaningful, some just for fun.

• Discuss IAWL-collecting.

I hope that you join me. You can be my Buffalo Gal. We can find adventure in our own back yards. There are so many lessons to learn here. I don't want to just teach them to you. I want YOU to teach them to ME. So please, join the discussion by subscribing to this blog. You can find the link on the right side of this page; In this column, right over here -------------------------------------------->

You can get in on the discussion right now by sending me a topic request. My only stipulation is that it has to relate somehow to It's a Wonderful Life, Capra or Stewart.

You can also join the discussion right now by posting either your favorite film, or why you love It's a Wonderful Life in the comments below. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you.

My lesson in faith and the meaning of Christmas

These are news stories I wrote, which appeared in the Dec. 21, 2000 issue of the Sentinel-Tribune, a Bowling Green, Ohio newspaper. The second story references "It's a Wonderful Life," but read the first story first to get the necessary background.

Come One, Come All

One year ago Wednesday, fire destroyed the home of Kevin and Faith Olson, located on the corner of (address deleted). One year later, they held a party to show their new house and to thank everyone who has helped them.


The invitation was general; family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike were welcome. Faith Olson also invited students from her past three semesters of health education for elementary school teachers class at Bowling Green State University. "I've said from the first day 'there's a party at my house on the last day of class.'"


Kevin Olson was sick and could not attend the party, but their daughters, Tanaya and April, were there.
Visitors parked at City Park and were taken to the house by a horse-drawn wagon hired by the Olsons for the evening. Even though last year's fire was caused by an unattended candle, the family didn't shy away from their use and luminaries met visitors along the walkway to the front door. "They're outside," Faith said about this year's candles.


Inside, visitors were met by members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, of which the Olsons are members, and could watch a video of the old house being town down and browse through a photo album of the old home.


On the walls were signs thanking and recognizing businesses and individuals who were involved in the construction of the house and who provided services for the party, along with messages drawn by several children. One message from a girl who signed her name only as Chelsea wrote "I hope you never have another fire. I hope you have Merry Christmas."


As a thank you gift for all of the help they received in the aftermath of the fire, the Olsons gave everyone a copy of "Mr. Krueger's Christmas," a film starring James Stewart and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that was produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (see related story below). "I thought what can we give people to thank them for what they've done for us," said Faith of the videos and the open house.


She thought the film was appropriate as the family does not watch R-rated movies and the message of the film was appropriate to show their thanks.


The family had a lot to be thankful for. When their home burned down last year, the Olsons lost everything except the clothes on their back and some jewelry that belonged to Faith's mother.


In response, neighbors banded together to help them out. Jerry Ricahrdson, who lives a block away, was on his way home from a BGSU basketball game when the fire was still raging. He stopped down and talked to the Olsons. "Faith said she knew me," but Richardson didn't remember her. Since then, they have become close friends.


The morning following the fire, Richardson visited another neighbor, Jean Blechschmidt. "I said 'we've got to do something.'" Richardson and Blechschmidt began talking and came up with two ideas. Richardson went out and opened a bank account for the Olsons. The banker that helped him set up the account "kicked in $50 of his own," said Richardson. "I don't think he even knew (the Olsons)."
Blechschmidt hosted a collection for the family, where they collected money and food and other necessities. Other neighbors also got involved in helping out.


The night of the fire still haunts Richardson. While driving over to the party from the east side of town, he saw a fire truck with its lights and sirens running. "I though 'oh no, not tonight.'"


The new house, which is smaller than their old house, is expected to be completed by the end of February. For now, there still are bricks piled outside and scaffolding reaching up to the ceiling inside. The drywall still needs tape and mud.


When completed, the house will include a finished basement and an open loft that overlooks the great room where she plans to sit and grade papers and look out the large windows onto the city park and golf course.


"I can't wait until it's done," said Olson. "I'm going to have a party every night. It will be so much fun."
The party also gave her an opportunity to find some potential problems in the house, such as the draft in the great room as visitors opened the front door. "Maybe the door should be open the other way," she said.


Olson needs to pay attention to details. Not only does she own the house, but "I'm the general contractor," she said. She decided to serve as her own general contractor in order to save money and to hire the contractors she wanted for each specific job. "I'm pretty sequential," she said.


Her holiday spirit even extended to her housing inspectors. "People complain about the inspectors but they've been wonderful for me," she said. "If there's a problem, they point it out and I fix it."

---

Everything good about Christmas
A commentary

Following the loss of their home last year, the neighbors of Kevin and Faith Olson banded together for a collection to help them. 


It was a scene reminiscent of the final scene in the classic holiday film "It's a Wonderful Life," when family and friends gather at the home of George Bailey (played by James Stewart) to give him money to save his failing business and to proclaim him the richest man in town.


George was not the richest in terms of money, however. Henry F. Potter (portrayed by Lionel Barrymore) was the Scrooge-like old, mean, rich man in the film who did not have any friends. Instead, "It's a Wonderful Life" portrayed George Bailey as rich in family, friends, faith and hope, which, in my opinion, makes "It's a Wonderful Life" the best movie ever made.


On Wednesday, a year after the fire, the Olsons held an open house at their new home to thank their family, friends, neighbors and strangers for their help. As a token of their thanks, they presented each visitor with a copy of another James Stewart movie, "Mr. Krueger's Christmas."


This 1980 film produced for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is less than half an hour long, but it has a message just as powerful as the message in "It's a Wonderful Life."


A religious movie, "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" does not try to hide its religious tone. Instead, it bathes itself in religion.


Stewart, portrays a poor widowed janitor named Willy Krueger who lives in the basement of the building he maintains. He has a cat named George, harkening back to his role in "It's a Wonderful Life."

He is a lonely man and imagines himself in different situations to escape his lonely life. In one scene, he imagines himself conducting the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In another scene, he fancies himself as a rich man of culture.


On Christmas Eve, carolers begin singing outside of his basement apartment and he invites them in. Krueger is drawn to a little girl named Clarissa, who is with the carolers. Clarissa, who is about six years old, inadvertently leaves her mittens at his home when they leave to do more caroling.


Mr. Krueger finds her mittens and places them on his tree, which is a tree Charlie Brown would be proud of. He then escapes into another daydream where he visits Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem.


In an emotional scene that likely reflects the feelings of the Olsons toward those who helped them after the fire, Mr. Krueger talks directly to baby Jesus.


"Thank you for everything you've done for me," Mr. Krueger tells Jesus in a stuttering, awed, and humbled voice. "As long as I can remember, you've been right by my side...I've always been able to count on you when I've felt dark inside. You're right there every time...even when I didn't feel good about myself."


It is a message similar to how George felt toward those who gave him money to save his business after he had considered suicide.


Clarissa and her mom return, waking Mr. Krueger from this daydream. Clarissa sees her mittens on the tree and asks Mr. Krueger about it. 


"You remind me of everything good about Christmas," he tells her.


Clarissa invites Mr. Krueger to sing with the carolers and he snatches his coat. "I love you," Clarissa tells Mr. Krueger when they get outside. 


"I love you," says the narrator. "That's what Christmas is all about."


Two movies, vastly different in length, similar in sentiment, similar in message, representative of the spirit found in the Olsons, their neighbors and in the hearts of strangers.


Merry Christmas!

Me and Zuzu over a cup of coffee

This blog entry covers my experience with "It's a Wonderful Life," and my visit with Karolyn "Zuzu" Grimes-Wilkerson on Nov. 29, 1997.

My interest in "It's a Wonderful Life" began sometime in the 1980s. My uncle Tod told his wife, my aunt Lora, about an old film called "It's a Wonderful Life." She loves old movies, so she watched it one year and liked it, so she told my mom about it.


My mom is a Christmas junkie. She buys books of Christmas stories she will never read and decorates for the holidays like a real pro. Additionally, she likes old Christmas movies, and if it has anything to do with angels, she has it. In fact, she has an angel Christmas tree ornament that she had as a child that she insists must be hung on the very front of the tree at eye level. That is okay except for one minor detail. The angel is stark naked!


Since the movie is so old, and she likes angels, she fell in love with the movie. Clarence reminded her of my Grandfather, who later died in 1995 of cancer. Clarence did, in fact, remind me a lot of Grandpa in both looks and actions. When he died, we put a guardian angel near his headstone and named it Chloe, a combination, I guess of Clarence and Cloyce, my Grandpa's name. Grandpa is my Clarence.


Since my mom is a sentimentalist, she made her family sit down and watch it on television with her. My father likes it a little. My brother, who hates movies, likes it enough to tolerate it, but I fell in love with it. When the film was in public domain, my mom and I would sit and watch it over and over, scanning the channels when one was over for a new one that still had the most remaining to watch.


It got to the point that my mother and I would dialogue with the film, answering each other in character. One day when shopping, back when VHS was king, the Internet as we know it didn't exist, and old movies were not readily available, Mom found a copy of the film at a dollar store. She bought two copies and gave one to me. At that time, I didn't even have a television of my own.


I imagine I watched the film at least once a month, and at least once a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every time I watch it, I find something new. My viewing of the film and frequency with which I view it changed drastically during my college career.


When I was in college, Republic bought the underlying rights to the film and limited its viewing from nonstop during the Christmas season to only once a year on NBC. My friends at college thought I was nuts when I would tell them to shut up while I was watching the movie. I don't blame them, especially considering my hypocrisy. I think I turned more than one friend away from the movie, or at least toward duct tape because I kept saying all of the lines in character. It drove them nuts.


Also during my sophomore year, I found the movie on CD ROM. Between my mother and I, I think we have nearly 10 copies of the film floating around. I myself have five.


During my senior year, I had to do a year-long research paper on a subject pertaining to communication. Early in my college career, I knew I wanted to write it on this film, but by the time I got to the class, I forgot. So during a brainstorming session, I decided to research Civil War and World War II newspapers, comparing the language used during the two wars.


When I took my notes back to the class to discuss them and hash out different ideas in a large-group setting, a floor mate of mine said, "I thought you were going to do your paper on "It's a Wonderful Life." He had a better memory than I did ! Within ten minutes, I had written a page of notes for a reader-response paper about the film. I presented both ideas to the class, stressing my want to do the "It's a Wonderful Life" project, and my classmates and professor loved it. They said they would prefer to read something about the movie than about the Civil War. That suited me fine.


One of the suggestions my professor had (one of many, may I add) was that I change the focus of the film from reader response to an examination of the representation of money and social class. I kind of blew it off at first. I didn't want to write a paper for him; I wanted to write it for me. But I thought about the film more and I realized that I couldn't get away from money and social class when writing my paper. 


Curiosity got the best of me, so one night I put on my rhetorical/analytical thinking cap and sat down to analyze the movie with money and social class in mind. I found that I had to pause the movie numerous times to take notes. Every scene in the movie has something to do with money, whether it is on the surface or somewhere deep below the surface that effects the thoughts, actions and speech of the characters. The more times I watched it, the more things I found.


I even found a number of conflicting facts. In all of my reading, I every reference to the kissing scene states it was shot in one take. Everything I read told me that, but my eyes and ears told me different. The answer lay in the movie's trailer. Simply stated, it was different from what was in the movie. The inflection is different, George's actions are different, and the stress is on different words in the trailer than in the film.


The paper is finished and I still find something new each time I watch it. On November 1, 1997, I noticed that Mary touches her stomach like pregnant women often do, two scenes before she tells George she is pregnant. Capra's attention to detail is precise and unfailing.


By the time I was finished with the paper, it was 36 pages long with six pages of bibliography, including between 40 and 60 sources. I have expanded it into a book, and hope to publish it one day.


While researching the paper, I ran across an interview with Karolyn Grimes-Wilkerson, who played George and Mary's youngest daughter, Zuzu. In the interview, which I had clipped from the newspaper nearly three years prior, she said that she often got fan mail, saying that the envelopes were often simply addressed to "Zuzu, Stillwell, Kansas." (She has since moved, so this won't work anymore)


Again, curiosity got the best of me, so I wrote a letter to her. I told her I didn't want anything from her and I explained my paper and what I was trying to do with it. Two or three weeks later, I got a response from her on an "It's a Wonderful Life" greeting card designed by Todd Karns, who played Harry Bailey. She said she wanted to read my paper when I finished it and thanked me for not wanting anything.


To be honest, I thought someone else may have written the letter, not knowing if she read the mail herself, or if she had someone else reading letters and responding to them. I knew that she was a busy woman.


I wrote back to her, anyway, hoping that just maybe she was really reading them. This time, however, I did ask her for something. It was a simple request, but one that I expected to be denied, just the same. I asked for Jimmy Stewart's address. I told her that I wanted to send him a letter similar to my first one to her, explaining my paper and love of the film. To my surprise, she sent it to me. I filed the letter away, finished the paper, graduated, and moved back to my parent's house. I printed five copies of my paper, using an entire ink cartridge in my printer. I gave one to my mother, sent one to Karolyn, and kept three for myself.


After finding a job just two days graduated from college, I continued living at home until my Cleveland-area girlfriend and I decided to move in together in an apartment in my hometown, Bowling Green, Ohio. Interestingly enough, we moved just down the street from my parents, making us the fourth Van Vorhis household on the street. The other three were my parents, my great uncle, and a man with the same first name as my dad, so the mail carrier was quite confused, I'm sure. We moved into the apartment in June, just two days before I started my new job as the religion and auto editor at the local newspaper.


I was soon to learn a hard lesson about not putting off until tomorrow what I can do today. On July 1, 1997, I was sitting, probably working on my computer, when I realized that I hadn't yet written to Jimmy, even though I had his address for nearly two months. It was late, so I decided to write to him the next day. As you may recall, he died July 2, 1997: the day I was going to write to him. That was a rough day for me.


I wrote to Karolyn again, offering my sympathy. She wrote back a letter that was lengthy for her, thanking me for my thoughts. Soon after, she wrote again, responding to my paper, giving it a thumbs-up. She told me she had let other people also read it and that they thought it was accurate.


We kept in touch, writing to each other usually once a month. Out of the blue, I received a letter from her inviting me to Cleveland to meet her. She said she would be in town November 28-30, 1997 for the opening night of the "A Wonderful Life" musical and at a book signing. I jumped on the chance to go. I got my tickets a week before the show, so opening night was sold out. I settled for Saturday evening tickets, hoping that I would get the chance to meet Karolyn at the book signing.


In the meantime, Karolyn began e-mailing me. We wrote back and forth quite often, trying to organize a meeting in Cleveland. Nothing seemed to be working out, so she asked for my phone number, saying she would call me when she arrived in Cleveland.


My work schedule got hectic that week, and I was forced to schedule a meeting that Friday afternoon. Karolyn hadn't received my last e-mail telling her my schedule, so on Friday morning, she called the phone number I gave her.


For better or worse, I gave her the wrong number. Instead of my home phone number, I gave her my parent's phone number. My mother took the call at 7:50 Friday morning. Mom called me at work immediately after to tell me about her discussion. Suffice it to say that having Zuzu call the house made her day.


I got to Cleveland late Friday evening and was forced to stew around my girlfriend's parent's house until noon the next morning. While we were sleeping, her cat jumped on the bed, catching my nose with its claws. I had a sizable scratch on my nose when I got to meet Karolyn. I felt like a putz.


I know I was a bear to deal with for that 17-hour period when I knew Karolyn was less than an hour away from where we were staying. Danielle made me well aware of that fact. I had hoped to take Karolyn out for dinner and spend some time talking, but although we tried, we hadn't figured out how to make it work.


We finally got to Borders for the book signing about ten minutes before it started. Karolyn was no more than ten yards in front of me as I stood in line. I kept wanting to walk up to her and introduce myself, but I remained calm and stayed in line.

This was Karolyn's reaction when I told her my name.

When I finally got up to the front of the line to meet her, I handed her a book to sign. She commented on my tie, and I asked her if she was tired yet, not telling her my name. When she asked who to sign the book to, I told her my name, and you should have seen the look on her face. It was a mix between recognition, surprise and excitement ... a lot more dramatic that I had expected. She jumped up and gave me a hug and asked me how I was. We talked for a while and she signed a book for myself, a copy for my mother, and a copy of the Zuzu newsletter that she published one of my letters in.


I gave her Danielle's cell phone number and told her we would be around the area and to call me when she was finished. She agreed to have a cup of coffee with us.


We went shopping for a little while, until the ants in my pants drug us back to Borders. We sat in the cafe for over an hour, waiting for Karolyn to finish. After a long and as patient a wait as I could manage, she came over with her friend Chris, to talk. I bought all of us something to drink, and we spent about an hour talking about the movie, my paper, and careers.


She gave me some wonderful insight about the film and we discussed the film on big screen and movie rights, referring a number of times to what she calls the "Potter-like Republic pictures." She told me that "It's a Wonderful Life" would be on the big screen in Cleveland at Cedar-Lee Cinema around December 12-14.


We also talked about the musical, which I am glad we did. She told me about the main differences between the film and the musical, including the fact that George tries to throw himself in front of a train instead of jumping off of a bridge.

Karolyn and I after coffee in Borders bookstore, Cleveland

We left and I thanked her for everything, and we were off to the musical. We got lost and had to call the theatre to get directions from where we were, which was right by Gund Arena and Jacob's Field. We arrived at the Cleveland Playhouse just as the lights were dimming.


The tickets were $39 apiece, but they were well-worth it. I enjoyed it a lot, and as a rule, I hate musicals. I think they interrupt the plot and prevent the story from moving forward at an understandable pace. However, I will say that I enjoyed this production and would pay the money to go again.


One last side note about the musical: the children were played by different children each night. Emily Krassen, who played Zuzu the night Danielle and I saw the production is absolutely an adorable child. When she came onstage and said that she was feeling better, she said her temperature was normal, back to 68 degrees. It was so cute.


While I hope to eventually spend more time with Karolyn, talking about the movie and more about each other, my experience that weekend was a chance of a lifetime (you hear me, the chance of a lifetime!!) and I'm glad I got it.


Visit Karolyn's site at www.zuzu.net