'Wonderful Life' 75th anniversary has Seneca Falls buzzing. Plus, 9 fun facts about the movie

SENECA FALLS, NY — On Dec. 20, 1946, "It's A Wonderful Life" premiered at the Globe Theatre in New York City.

Now after 75 years, the residents of Seneca Falls — which often is cited as a possible inspiration for the movie's town of Bedford Falls — are preparing for a bigger-than-usual celebration to commemorate the special anniversary.

Typically only running for three days beginning on Dec. 8, the festival has been extended for two more days, ending on Dec. 12 to make room for the additional activities, according to Anwei Law. The director of the museum dedicated to the movie also added that the message of the film may explain the current popularity for this year's activities.

"I think people are looking to get out. Someone came in and said people are starving for this message right now. I think it’s the right time for this movie to get this kind of attention. We’ve had a lot more people coming through than before," she said, noting that some of the events have been sold out, including a dinner with Director Frank Capra's granddaughter Dec. 10 at Del Lago Resort & Casino in nearby Tyre.

Beginning Wednesday morning, Dec. 8, at 10:30 a.m. will be the festival's official Welcome Reception and Launch event at Bonadent Drive, complete with seven cast members from the original film. Attendees will also be able to see the 1919 Dodge Touring Car used by Jimmy Stewart in the movie, on display at the James Chrysler Dodge Jeep & Ram dealership beginning at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 8.

With many of the speakers and guests being older — including Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey in the movie and has been a frequent guest at the festival — Law said safety has been of paramount importance, with many events featuring the former child actors requiring attendees to show proof of completed vaccination.

"We're doing a lot to provide a safe environment," she said, adding that so far "we've received no pushback."

Aside from autograph-signing sessions with the actors, the festival will also boast a 5k run Saturday afternoon, with proceeds from the run benefiting the Seneca County House of Concern and other local charities. The movie itself will be screened at the Trinity Church Saturday night, with an introduction by Grimes and actor Jimmy Hawkins, who played Tommy Bailey in the movie.

The film's plot: Financial peril with the family's savings and loan business causes George Bailey to contemplate suicide. But his guardian angel (Clarence) helps him see what his small town would be like without him and the impact he has had on so many lives.

"Maybe there's a little George Bailey in (all of us)," Hawkins told the Democrat and Chronicle in a 2016 interview. The 76-year-old has written a handful of books on the movie, including a trivia book in 1992 that far exceeded its publisher's first-run expectations. "They ended up publishing 10 times the amount," he said.

Here are 10 interesting facts about the movie:

1. Why Seneca Falls?

There's no real proof that Capra's vision of Bedford Falls was derived from Seneca Falls. But the bridge a despondent George Bailey jumps off to save Clarence, the angel, and the quaint little downtown look a lot like Seneca Falls. It's also known that Capra stayed in Seneca Falls in 1945 en route to New York City. His uncle was a barber there, Hawkins said, and Capra was there for a visit. "It could very well be true," Hawkins said. "The nice thing about it is they're keeping the legend of 'It's a Wonderful Life' alive throughout this whole town."

2. Idea wasn't Capra's

Capra, who was 94 when he died in 1991, bought the rights to the script after it was rewritten a few times and couldn't get the green light as a movie. The original version was a short story called "The Greatest Gift," by Philip Van Doren Stern. He decided to use it as a 21-page Christmas card for close friends and sent out 200 copies. David Hempstead, a producer at RKO Pictures, bought the rights for $10,000.

3. Where was the movie shot?

Culver City, California. It took 12 days to shoot scenes with the Bailey kids, Hawkins said, and there was a heat wave during filming. "It's 90 degrees outside and here we have snow outside the Bailey house," said the native of Sherman Oaks.

4. Award-winning snow

The movie was nominated for five Oscars but won only a technical award for special effects. More precisely, the award was for snow. Capra thought the way fake snow was done previously — crunchy cornflakes painted white — would be too noisy and obscure dialogue during live filming. So a new material made of soap, water and a chemical called Foamite (found in fire extinguishers) was used. A fan to blow it around did the trick.

5. Jimmy in, Cary out

When RKO owned the rights to the script, it wanted Cary Grant to play George Bailey. Once Capra bought the rights, he went after Stewart, with whom he had worked with on "You Can't Take it With You" (1938) and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939). For Donna Reed, the actress who played George Bailey's wife Mary Hatch, the movie was a breakthrough to starring roles.

6. Box-office dud

Believe it or not, moviegoers in the 1940s didn't make the movie a hit. In fact, Capra reportedly took a $500,000 loss, which was also the figure Hawkins mentioned. The movie cost approximately $3.8 million, a big budget back then, and brought in only $3.3 million during its first run in early 1947 (it was originally released on Dec. 20, 1946) but then hit theaters on a widespread level a few weeks later.

7. A hit by mistake

TV actually turned "It's a Wonderful Life" into a hit. Republic Pictures made a mistake and let its copyright expire in 1974. That made the movie available as "public domain" for the next 20 years, meaning any network could show it without paying royalties and they took full advantage. The movie used to air all the time in the 1980s. "One day on Christmas Eve a station in Los Angeles played it 11 straight times," Hawkins said. A Supreme Court ruling in 1993 gave control back to Republic, and it signed a long-term deal with NBC in 1994 to the exclusive broadcast rights.

8. When is it on this year?

NBC will show the movie on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. and again on Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. You can also buy the DVD on Amazon for just $8.

9. When did the movie get colorized?

Since the mid-1980s, three colorized versions have been released. Stewart, who died in 1997, was so against that for "It's a Wonderful Life" and other classics that he told Congress in 1987: "I tried to look at the colorized version, but I had to switch it off — it made me feel sick."

Hawkins said he's OK with it.

"Kids don't want to see black and white," he said. "I'm glad that Paramount colorized it so the younger kids get the message of 'It's a Wonderful Life,' too."

Other events at the 'It's a Wonderful Life' festival in Seneca Falls, NY

Guests will be able to vote in a gingerbread house contest throughout the entire festival at the Seneca Falls Visitor Center or see the "It's A Wonderful Life" Christmas tree from California at The Shop Around the Corner on 60 Fall St.

Attendees will also be able to eat roasted chestnuts near the Gould Hotel Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. before catching a presentation on Capra by Monica Capra Hodges at 10:45 a.m. at the Trinity Church.

Guests can also attend a groundbreaking ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday at the It's A Wonderful Life Museum, where cast members will help ring in Phase I of the museum's planned expansion.

There will also be the annual parade down Fall Street Saturday at 1 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 'It's A Wonderful Life' 75th anniversary: Seneca Falls NY festival guide