It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

 Production Company : Liberty Films

Directed : Frank Capra

Starring : James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Plot : George Bailey (played by James Stewart), a man who has given up his personal dreams in order to help others in his community and whose thoughts of suicide on Christmas Eve bring about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (played by Henry Travers).Clarence shows George all the lives he touched and what the world would be like if he did not exist.

Trivia : *This was the first and last time that Frank Capra produced, financed, directed and co-wrote one of his films.Frank Capra often said that this was his favorite of all his films.

*Films made prior to this one used cornflakes painted white for the falling snow effect. Because the cornflakes were so loud, dialogue had to be dubbed in later. Director Frank Capra wanted to record the sound live, so a new snow effect was developed using foamite (a fire-fighting chemical), soap, and water. This mixture was then pumped at high pressure through a wind machine to create the silent, falling snow. 6,000 gallons of the new snow were used in the film.

*James Stewart was nervous about the phone kiss scene because it was his first onscreen kiss since his return to Hollywood after the war. Under director Frank Capra's watchful eye, Stewart filmed the scene in only one unrehearsed take, and it worked so well that part of the embrace was cut because it was too passionate to pass the censors.