I can’t believe I’d never read the short story that “It’s a Wonderful Life” is based on! Obviously, a lot is different in the movie, but the core theme remains the same. I loved that this edition includes the background of the author coming up with the whole idea in a dream, and the director Frank Capra happening to get a hold of one of 200 copies that was sent out as a Christmas card in 1943. We truly never know how many lives we’ve touched. ( )

Double Review for "Wonderful Memories of It's A Wonderful Life" and "The Greatest Gift."

A fan of this heartwarming movie that only grows into an even bigger worldwide love every year, I picked up the first as an audio to listen to during this season. It gave me all the information about it that I never knew about. How the first story was written as a Christmas Card, the process of it becoming a movie, behind the scene adorable pieces, and how RKO made the snow we use in movies still today.

During the middle of this listen, I ordered my own copy of "The Greatest Gift," the short story the movie is based on. It did not disappoint and warmed my heart with the reading of its genesis, too. ( )

Husband, father, and small-town bank clerk George Pratt feels that while other men out there are leading exciting lives, his own work is dull and his life is pretty useless. Just when he's contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve, a mysterious stranger comes and stops George in The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip Van Doren Stern.

It's been years now since I first heard of this short story upon which the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life is based. I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me before to actually look up and read this original tale. But I do know it can be something of a letdown when you've got a beloved story embedded in your soul and then you check out another version of it, and it isn't the same.

Well. Although I can say that I do prefer the fuller development of the plot and characters in the classic motion picture that's one of my all-time favorite films, I'm pleased that I didn't picture George Pratt here as George Bailey, or the mysterious stranger as Clarence Odbody, George Bailey's guardian angel. For the most part, I enjoyed this short fantasy fiction tale for what it is: a short fantasy fiction tale. Not just a precursor to a movie.

And what George Pratt learns about the life he's been given is truly an uplifting and timeless message. ( )

This book was the basis for the movie, It's A Wonderful Life starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. The book was sent as a pamphlet Christmas card by the author to friends. It is very similar but not exactly the same as the plot in the movie.
The short story is wonderful, but I like the expanded version of the movie better. I really enjoyed the afterword by the author's daughter. It really brought the book and the subsequent following due to the movie to life.
This is a perfect holiday read. ( )

Its amazing to think how Capra and the screenwriters were able to build such a full story in the movie while retaining the heart of this original story. ( )