Lawmakers Visit Lincoln Hills, Facts About “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Income Inequality Among Cities

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• Little Known Facts About Christmas Classic 'It's A Wonderful Life'

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  The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” is ubiquitous with the Christmas season. While it is perhaps the most popular and well-known holiday film there is today, many remain unaware of the behind-the-scenes stories of the film’s making.

  Writer Jennifer Wood pointed to some of the most fun stories in her latest post “25 Wonderful Facts About ‘It’s a Wonderful Life‘” for Mental Floss. She shared some of her favorite facts of George Bailey’s story:

  It wasn’t a big hit

  Despite being nominated for several Academy Awards, “It’s a Wonderful Life” mostly bombed at the box office when it was released in 1946. The film originally put the producer at a loss of more than half a million dollars, jeopardizing future projects. It wasn’t until the copyrights lapsed about 30 years later that it became a holiday classic. Between 1974 and 1994, TV stations could run the movie without paying royalties. That ended when Paramount renewed ownership rights.

  It started as a Christmas card

  The film as we know it today is an adaptation of Philip Van Doren Stern’s short story, “The Greatest Gift.” The writer shopped the story to movie execs for years, but no one was interested. He decided to print out a couple hundred copies and send them as a kind of Christmas newsletter to friends and family. It just so happened to land in the hands of a film producer at RKO Pictures, who loved it so much he bought it for about $10,000 at the time.

  Cary Grant was to be the leading man

  It’s hard to imagine George Bailey as anyone other than actor Jimmy Stewart. The original plan was to have Cary Grant star in the film. But in 1945, the film was bought by director Frank Capra and he tapped Stewart to be the lead actor.

  The Algonquin Round Table shaped the script

  About half a dozen screenwriters pitched in to help adapt the original story, including famed Algonquin Round Table writers Dorothy Parker and Marc Connelly. Other well-known writers who helped on the script included Dalton Trumbo and Clifford Odets.

  “I think that’s to a large degree why it is such a layered and complex movie,” Wood said.

  It was filmed in the summer

  Winter’s classic movie wasn’t only filmed in the summer, but during an intense heat wave. The film crew was careful to take breaks to keep their equipment and their actors from overheating.

  Wood said eagle-eyed viewers can notice beads of sweat forming on Jimmy Stewart’s forehead throughout the movie.

  Pioneered fake snow

  Until “It’s a Wonderful Life” came around, most Hollywood sets relied on painted corn flakes to create fake snow.

  Before becoming a film producer, Capra was a trained engineer. He mixed sugar and water with the foamite found inside fire extinguishers to create a more realistic snowfall.

  There’s a real Bedford Falls

  While Bedford Falls was definitely a staged set, Seneca Falls, New York, is believed to have been the inspiration for the town portrayed in the movie.

  People from around the country visit the small town of about 10,000 people each year to participate with its many “It’s a Wonderful Life” events — all of which are listed on the website therealbedfordfalls.com.

  Watch the film’s original trailer below:

• State Lawmaker Visits Lincoln Hills School Amid Allegations Of Abuse

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  Two state lawmakers toured Lincoln Hills school on Monday in the wake of allegations of widespread physical abuse at the school for juvenile inmates. We talk one of the lawmakers abouw his visit and what he’d like to see done about the alleged abuse at Lincoln Hills.

• “It’s a Wonderful Life” has turned into a holiday film classic. A guest pop culture writer tells some of the surprising stories behind the movie.

• Rich City, Poor City: Income Inequality In Different Parts Of The U.S.

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  There’s been a lot of attention to income inequality among people–but a demographer says we should also pay attention to a widening gap between different American cities, and the policies that led from a general economic prosperity to a nation of have and have-not communities.