It's a Wonderful Life - actors, characters and roles
All actors and their roles in the film "It's a Wonderful Life"
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Timing:
2:11 (131 min)
8.3/10
4853
4853
8.447/10
93070
93070
8.6/10
553000
553000
Actors and characters
Robert J. Anderson
Character Little George
Jeanne Gail
Character Little Mary
Danny Mummert
Character Little Marty Hatch
Georgie Nokes
Character Little Harry Bailey
Larry Simms
Character Pete Bailey
Monya Andre
Character Elderly Woman (uncredited)
Jack Bailey
Character One of Vi's Suitors (uncredited)
Louise Bates
Character Building & Loan Depositor (uncredited)
Mary Bayless
Character Townswoman (uncredited)
Beth Belden
Character Young Girl (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard
Character Townsman (uncredited)
Buz Buckley
Character Young Boy (uncredited)
Marian Carr
Character Jane Wainwright (uncredited)
Michael Chapin
Character Young George's Friend (uncredited)
Jack Cheatham
Character Cop Arresting Violet (uncredited)
Harry Cheshire
Character Dr. Campbell (uncredited)
Edward Clark
Character Building & Loan Board Member (uncredited)
Tom Coleman
Character Building & Loan Customer (uncredited)
Bryn Davis
Character Elderly Woman (uncredited)
Lew Davis
Character Teacher at Poolside (uncredited)
Harry Denny
Character (uncredited)
Helen Dickson
Character Woman at Graduation Dance (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston
Character Horace (uncredited)
Lee Frederick
Character (uncredited)
Dick Gordon
Character Photographer with Sheriff (uncredited)
Jack Gordon
Character Bar Patron (uncredited)
Herschel Graham
Character Townsman (uncredited)
Joseph Granby
Character Elderly Man (voice) (uncredited)
Carl Eric Hansen
Character (uncredited)
Harry Holman
Character Mr. Partridge (uncredited)
Art Howard
Character Building & Loan Board Member (uncredited)
Bert Howard
Character Building & Loan Board Member (uncredited)
Eddie Kane
Character Building & Loan Depositor (uncredited)
Carl Kent
Character Townsman (uncredited)
Effie Laird
Character Townswoman (uncredited)
Mike Lally
Character Building & Loan Customer (uncredited)
Harold Landon
Character Marty Hatch (uncredited)
Meade 'Lux' Lewis
Character Pianist in Nick's Place (uncredited)
Irene Mack
Character Townswoman (uncredited)
Charles Meakin
Character Elderly Man (uncredited)
Priscilla Montgomery
Character Student in Gym (uncredited)
Evelyn Moriarty
Character Bar Patron (uncredited)
Philip Morris
Character Building & Loan Customer (uncredited)
Bob O'Connor
Character Bar Patron (uncredited)
Lynn O'Leary-Jameson
Character Infant Janie Bailey (uncredited)
Garry Owen
Character Billposter (uncredited)
Netta Packer
Character Elderly Woman (uncredited)
Franklin Parker
Character Photographer / Reporter (uncredited)
Cy Schindell
Character Nick's Bouncer (uncredited)
Almira Sessions
Character Potter's Secretary (uncredited)
Cedric Stevens
Character Townsman (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan
Character Man in Fantasy (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan
Character Nick's Bartender (uncredited)
Larry Wheat
Character Building & Loan Board Member (uncredited)
Finn Zirzow
Character Bar Patron (uncredited)
What's left behind the scenes
- Since the 1970s, the film has been regularly shown on major US television channels on Christmas Eve.
- In one scene, Donna Reed (1921-1986) was required to break a window with a stone, and director Frank Capra (1897-1991) hired a sniper to shoot the window on cue. To everyone's surprise, Reed broke the window herself. She had played baseball in school, so she had a good throwing arm.
- Director Frank Capra paid close attention to every shot. In a key scene in the film, a desperate George sits in a bar and prays to God to save him. By that time, James Stewart (1908-1997), who played the role, was already close to a breakdown, had a fit, and burst into tears. Capra did not expect this at all, and the cameras were set up at a decent distance from the actor. Stewart's emotions impressed the director so much that he asked the actor to play the scene exactly the same way again so he could film it in close-up. Stewart refused, saying that the tears were not acted, but real. Ultimately, Capra took the film to a laboratory, where he endlessly cut and enlarged frames until he got a close-up. This is why this scene looks so “grainy” compared to all the other scenes in the film.
- When Thomas Mitchell’s (1892-1962) drunken character leaves the house, judging by the sounds, he stumbled over trash cans on the sidewalk. In reality, someone on the set dropped an entire tray of props just as Mitchell walked out of frame. Stewart burst out laughing, to which Mitchell responded with “I’m alright,” which was not in the script. Director Frank Capra decided to leave the take in the film and gave the person who dropped the tray $10 as a bonus.
- James Stewart was very worried about the kissing scene, as it was his first on-screen kiss after returning from the war to Hollywood. They decided to film it without rehearsals. Stewart played the scene so well on the first take that the passionate embrace accompanying the kiss had to be cut due to censors.
- The entire gym hall slides apart, revealing a swimming pool below. This scene was filmed at a school in the Beverly Hills area, which – along with the swimming pool – is still in operation today.
- Before filming this movie, falling snow on screen was depicted using white-painted cornflakes. Their fall was quite noisy, so the dialogue had to be recorded afterward and dubbed onto the footage. Director Frank Capra wanted to record the sound live, so they began 'making' snow for the filming using foamite (a fire-extinguishing foam compound), soap, and water. Afterwards, for filming silent snowfall, the resulting mixture was passed through a wind machine under high pressure. Over 22,000 liters of the new compound were used for filming this movie. The American Film Academy awarded the special effects department of RKO Pictures a prize for inventing the new snow compound for filming.
- Sam makes a fortune on plastic products, and Harry becomes an engineer at his father-in-law's glass factory. Both of these circumstances reflect the past of director Frank Capra himself. He was originally trained as a chemical engineer. Unable to find work in his field, he – like the hero of this film – considered himself a failure for many years.
- The Bedford Falls town set took two months to build and became one of the longest sets in the history of American cinema. It covered 4 acres of RKO Studios land. It included the storefronts of 75 shops and other buildings, a central street, an industrial area, a large residential area, and a slum district. The central street was over 250 meters long and spanned three city blocks.
- The film's plot unfolds around Christmas time, but it was filmed in the height of summer heat. At one point, the heat became so unbearable that Frank Capra had to declare a day off.
- The scene on the bridge where Clarence saves George was filmed on an outdoor set when the temperature was below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. That's why James Stewart appears to be sweating in some scenes.
- The audience is left unaware of Mr. Potter's fate after he accuses George of embezzling $8,000 that Uncle Billy mistakenly slipped into Mr. Potter’s newspaper. This was rather unusual for the time, as the so-called “Hays Code” (the ethical code of film production in Hollywood) required that the guilty party either face punishment or repent in the film's finale.
- When the drunken character of Thomas Mitchell (1892-1962) exits the house, judging by the sounds, he stumbled over garbage cans on the sidewalk. In reality, someone on the set dropped an entire tray of props just as Mitchell walked out of frame. Stewart burst out laughing, to which Mitchell replied, “I’m okay,” which was not in the script. Director Frank Capra decided to leave this take in the film and gave the person who dropped the tray $10 as a bonus.
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