In awe of the spirit of Christmas – Bits & Pieces author Paula Johnson c. 1948.
by Paula Johnson
I am a sucker for the Christmas season and all that comes with it – food, decorations, movies, music, traditions, and more. I like to think that my enamored feelings began when I was 3 ½ at the Galesburg Armory’s annual Christmas event.
Although It’s A Wonderful Life is considered an all-time Christmas season flick – it wasn’t meant to be that way.
The script is set for Christmas Eve, but RKO Studios had planned to release the picture in late January of 1947. The fair-haired star, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in Sinbad the Sailor had been the original Christmas release. Problems with its Technicolor bumped the black-and-white movie into the holiday spotlight.
Now days, it is difficult to even imagine this movie as NOT a Christmas movie.
Another not-to-be Christmas film hit is White Christmas. Irving Berlin wrote the song as almost a throw-away for the movie Holiday Inn in 1942. Berlin expected his theme song “Be Careful, it’s My Heart” to be the big hit.
Not only was Crosby’s crooned “White Christmas” an Oscar winner in 1943, but his USO performances demanded the song and propelled it into perpetuity. It never stopped being a Christmas hit, and in 1954, the movie of the same name was fueled. Not until Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” was it surpassed as a best-selling single.
Judy Garland’s famous “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from Meet Me in St. Louis, was a trash can retrieve. Garland still wasn’t pleased with the original dark lyrics. More upbeat but somber changes were made to satisfy not only Garland, but director Minnelli (her husband). Thirteen years later, Sinatra reworked the lyrics for something even more upbeat or “jolly.”
Back to It’s A Wonderful Life. Producing a picture of one season while filming in a location of the opposing season has its challenges.
The snow scenes in the record-breaking heat of California created many headaches. One was making a quiet snow. At the time, snow was usually painted corn flakes. But corn flakes crunch and make noise when stepped on.
And, I can still see George tromping through snow piles. It probable would have sounded like running through piles of dry raked leaves in fall. So, after many re-takes of multiple scenes, a new process was developed.
Just as special teams in football come to the rescue, so did the special effects team of It’s A Wonderful Life. A new kind of fake snow was created using soap flakes and foam from a fire extinguisher.
Another special Christmas song is now known as “Jingle Bells.” It was written in Georgia. Don’t know how many sleigh rides happen in that state. The title was copyrighted by J. Pierpont (uncle of J.P. Morgan bank fame) in 1857 with the original title intended as “One Horse Open Sleigh.” It never achieved great renown, but in 1965 became the only music recorded in space.
When I taught U.S. History to my eighth graders, I tried to end the time before winter break with a test (so they wouldn’t have to remember too much after we returned in two weeks. My extra credit question was usually: “Who went down in history because of his nose?” I did it as gimme, but often had Cyrano De Bergerac or Pinocchio as the answer. I am sure you know that it is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
No matter your preference in movies or music, have yourself a “Merry Little Christmas.” I wish you all 12 more months of little Christmases of cheer, love in your hearts, skip in your step and Rudolph as your guide.
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