It’s a Wonderful Life / World
Very little FOOD served here.
I just realized this post does not have anything to do about FOOD.
But I can always bring it back around to something delicious, so don't fret.
I listened to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World during my mix of Christmas Carols. It is so beautiful.
Sometimes the carols can get to be too much. Especially,
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
NO, just NO, Bah Humbug.
Nope.
But until December 26th, I listen to carols.
Also, during the season, I watch Elf, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and IF I can find Charly Brown's Christmas, that's A MUST for the music alone.
YES! I just found the soundtrack on Spotify.
And… I watch It's a Wonderful Life.
It got me thinking there's no music in It's A Wonderful Life, OR is there???
It ends with Auld Lang Syne, right?
And I recall Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight.
But after some research, I found 19 songs in the movie. With The Best Things in Life are Free being one
I need to watch the movie soon (SUNDAY). I don't remember that.
Doesn't it seem like What Wonderful World should have been in the movie? But that's not possible.
Here's a Rabbit Hole.
What A Wonderful World" sounds like a classic 1940s song. It could have been released in 1946, along with It's a Wonderful Life. But the song was recorded and released in 1967.
The same year "Daydream Believer" (OH The Monkees!) and The Doors "Light My Fire" were big hits.
Weird
What a Wonderful World is one of the most optimistic and uplifting songs ever conceived. It was written by Bob Thiele and George Weiss. Thiele was a producer for ABC Records, which had recently signed Louis Armstrong.
So if you didn’t know, What a Wonderful World ended up being recorded by Louie Armstrong. He was well known for his #1 US hit with "Hello, Dolly!" which knocked The Beatles from the top spot they had held for 3 1/2 months!
Weird
Louie Armstrong
"What A Wonderful World" became Louie Armstrong's signature song. Louie Armstrong is known for jazz and was probably the most famous trumpet player in history. But he didn't play his trumpet; he just held it during live performances of What a Wonderful World.
Louie Armstrong recorded It's a Wonderful World in Las Vegas on April 16th, 1967, after he played a midnight show at the Tropicana. It was recorded live with the orchestra at a session at United Recording Studio, lasting from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
When Louie recorded "What A Wonderful World," he was 66 years old and near the end of his career; he died in 1971 of heart failure at 69.
Crawling out of the Rabbit Hole feeling good, but, melancholy.
In It’s a Wonderful Life, Buffalo Gals Can't You Come out Tonight was sung by George and Mary when they were on their way home from a school dance. As it turned out, they fell into a pool because the dance floor had a retractable basketball court that opened and a hidden swimming pool underneath it. As George and Mary are dancing, they don't notice the floor begin to open. They danced right or over the edge and plunged into the pool!
Could there have been a Little Rascal responsible for pressing the button that opened the pool?
Yep, that rascal that opens the pool that swallows George and Mary up was played by Carl Switzer, who later played Alfalfa of The Little Rascals.
Alfalfa of The Little Rascals.
"It's a Wonderful Life" is one of those ageless movies, one we will never tire of.
The director Frank Capra never intended It's a Wonderful Life to be a "Christmas picture". But it did end up being an iconic Christmas movie. And get this, It's a Wonderful Life was actually shot in the summer of 1946 during a heat wave!
Another cool little tidbit is they ended up engineering a new type of artificial snow for the film. Guess what? When snow was needed, they used painted cornflakes.
Hey, cornflakes, when frosted, are GGGGreat.
But frosted flakes were loud when they fell. So they used a mix of foamite (the stuff you find in fire extinguishers) with sugar and water to create a less noisy option.
Handsome Cary Grant was set to play Geoge Bailey. Instead, Frank Capra quickly recruited Jimmy Stewart to play George, knowing he was perfect for the role.
In the movie, George's brother is a war hero, but in reality, Jimmy Stewart was a decorated war hero. He was part of the Army Air Corps during WWII and flew nearly two dozen combat bombing missions over Europe. In addition, Stewart remained active in the military for decades. Eventually, he retired in 1968 as a brigadier general — making him America's highest-ranking actor.
Jimmy Stewart could also could play the accordion.
Donna Reed played George's wife, Mary, and even though she had done many rolls before the movie, this was her first starring role.
Donna Reed was born Donnabelle Mullenger— in Denison, Iowa. She was a farm girl, and Lionel Barrymore (a.k.a. Mr. Potter) didn't believe it. So he bet $50 that she couldn't milk a cow; she did. So I guess there was a cow on set.
The set was elaborate for the time. It was four acres and set at the RKO ranch in Encino, California. It had 3 full-size city blocks and 75 stores.
Lots of towns claim to be the real Bedford Falls. Especially Seneca Falls, New York, which celebrates with all sorts of It's A Wonderful Life programs. There is also an It's a Wonderful Life museum.
However, there's no solid proof that Seneca Falls was Capra's inspiration. Though he did visit,
I believe., I believe, it's silly, but I believe. Another movie, another time.
It's a Wonderful Life actually bombed at the box office.
Later it was television that gave It's a Wonderful Life, life. When its copyright lapsed in 1974, it became available royalty-free to anyone who wanted to show it for the next 20 years.
It's a Wonderful Life's enduring legacy was surprising to Frank Capra.
"It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen," Capra said of the film's classic status. "The film has a life of its own now, and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I'm like a parent whose kid grows up to be president. I'm proud… but it's the kid who did the work. I didn't even think of it as a Christmas story when I first ran across it. I just liked the idea."
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. And when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" — Clarence.
As promised, my segway to food. So here it is.
I was shopping as one does in December at Bed Bath and Beyond.
I saw someone in line I hadn't seen in a while; we waved and wished each other a Merry Christmas. He went on his way, and I moved up in line!
A few minutes later, he was back in the door. Oh, oh, forgot a gift for someone...
But he came up to me and wanted to just let me know how much he appreciated all we had done at ZZest. He said he knew how much work it all was. He wanted to tell me it didn't go unnoticed and is sorely missed. Plus, he mentioned how delicious it was, (we catered a Christmas parties for him several years).
Damn, we were good!
What a Wonder Life and World!
"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends." — Clarence.