Filming It's a Wonderful Life

capra produced film independent ephemeral motion picture production company liberty films.

it s wonderful life shot @ rko radio pictures studio in culver city, california, , 89 acre rko movie ranch in encino, bedford falls consisted of art director max ree s oscar-winning sets designed 1931 epic film cimarron covered 4 acres (1.6 ha), assembled 3 separate parts, main street stretching 300 yards (three city blocks), 75 stores , buildings, , residential neighborhood. s wonderful life capra built working bank set, added tree-lined center parkway, , planted 20 full grown oak trees existing sets.

pigeons, cats, , dogs allowed roam mammoth set in order give town lived-in feel. due requirement film in alternate universe setting during different seasons, set extremely adaptable. rko created chemical snow film in order avoid need dubbed dialogue when actors walked across earlier type of movie snow, made of crushed cornflakes. filming started on april 15, 1946 , ended on july 27, 1946, on deadline 90-day principal photography schedule.

rko s movie ranch in encino, filming location of bedford falls , razed in 1954. there 2 surviving locations film. first swimming pool unveiled during famous dance scene george courts mary. located in gymnasium @ beverly hills high school , still in operation of 2013. second martini home , in la cañada flintridge, california.

during filming, in scene uncle billy gets drunk @ harry , ruth s welcome home/newlyweds party, george points him in right direction home. camera focuses on george, smiling @ uncle staggering away, crash heard in distance , uncle billy yells, m right! m right! equipment on set had been accidentally knocked over; capra left in thomas mitchell s impromptu ad lib (although crashing noise augmented added sound effects).

dimitri tiomkin had written death telegram , gower s deliverance drugstore scenes, in editing room capra elected go no music scenes. changes, along others, led falling out between tiomkin , capra. tiomkin had worked on lot of capra s previous films, , saddened capra decided have music pared or toned down, moved, or cut entirely. felt though work being seen mere suggestion. in autobiography please don t hate me, said of incident, around scissors job .

young george (bobby anderson) mary , violet in mr. gower s drugstore

the products , advertisements featured in mr. gower s drugstore include coca-cola, paterson tobacco pipes, la unica cigars, camel cigarettes, lucky strike cigarettes, chesterfield cigarettes, sweet caporal cigarettes (with sign says ask dad knows plays role in plot), vaseline hair tonic, penetro cough syrup, pepto-bismol, bayer aspirin ( colds , influenza ), , saturday evening post.

in earlier draft of script, scene george saves brother harry child different. scene had boys playing ice hockey on river (which on potter s property) potter watches disdain. george shoots puck, goes astray , breaks no trespassing sign , lands in potter s yard. potter becomes irate, , gardener releases attack dogs, causes boys flee. harry falls in ice, , george saves him same results.

another scene in earlier version of script had young george visiting father @ work. after george tells off mr. potter , closes door, considers asking uncle billy drugstore dilemma. billy talking on phone bank examiner, , lights cigar , throws match in wastebasket. scene explains tilly (short matilda) , eustace both cousins (not billy s kids though), , tilly on phone friend martha , says, potter s here, bank examiner s coming. s day of judgment. george interrupt tilly on phone, billy cries , tilly runs in , puts fire out pot of coffee. george decides better off dealing situation himself.

capra had filmed number of sequences subsequently cut, remnants remaining being rare stills have been unearthed. number of alternative endings considered, capra s first script having bailey falling knees reciting lord s prayer (the script called opening scene townspeople in prayer). feeling overly religious tone did not have emotional impact of family , friends rushing rescue george bailey, closing scenes rewritten.

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