Description:
Eighty years ago, a little boy was cast in a movie with some of Hollywood's brightest stars. The movie: It's a Wonderful Life; the boy: Jimmy Hawkins; today, he tells his story.
When the movie It's a Wonderful Life opened in December 1946, it captured five Academy Award nominations. It also captured the hearts of millions of Americans. Over the past eighty years, It's a Wonderful Life has become as much a holiday tradition as Thanksgiving dinner and the Christmas tree. For many people, Christmas just isn't complete until they see Jimmy Stewart running down Main Street yelling, "Merry Christmas!" It's a Wonderful Life has become the American version of A Christmas Carol, with its own timeless message of innocence, personal struggle, and hope.
Now listeners can hear about the making of this film firsthand from the memories of actor Jimmy Hawkins, who played four-year-old Tommy Bailey in the film, as well as archived interviews with Jimmy Stewart, director Frank Capra, and many others who were part of the filming of this treasured holiday classic.
Brief description: Frank Capra was an Italian-American film director, producer, and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award winning films of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Italy and raised in Los Angeles from the age of five, his rags-to-riches story has led film historians such as Ian Freer to consider him the "American dream personified." Capra became one of America's most influential directors during the 1930s, winning three Oscars from his six nominations as Best Director, along with three other Oscar wins from nine nominations in other categories. Among his leading films were It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); Capra was nominated as Best Director and as producer for Academy Award for Best Picture on all three films, winning both awards on the first two. He died in 1991.
Review Quotes:
"In a way that only audiobooks can capture, this tape becomes a kind of spiritual sequel to a cherished institution."
--AudiobooksToday.com