Today in Film History (December 20th, 1946): "Its a Wonderful Life" Premieres to a Limited Audience!

On December 20th, 1947, the classic Christmas film, "Its a Wonderful Life", premiered to a limited release. The film was directed by Frank Capra, and starred James Stewart as the main character, George Bailey. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, although it was very unsuccessful at the box office. The film's break-even point was around $6.3 million, about twice the cost to produce the film, but did not even come close to that during its initial theatrical release. In 1974, the film entered the public domain, where it began to be broadcast on television, at which point it became a Christmas classic! Today, "Its a Wonderful Life" is considered one of the greatest films ever made, and has appeared on the American Film Institute's "100 Best American Films Ever Made" lists.