Here's Why George & Mary are the perfect couple / It's a Wonderful Life w/  

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Alot of people don’t get that scene where he first kisses Mary. He says he doesn’t want to get married and then he kisses her passionately. It’s simply he’s feeling like his dreams are slipping away from him. He’s resisting her but he’s in love with her and he can’t deny it.

Many commenters are confused by George's hostile mood while visiting Mary. The reason his hostile is because he's seeing his dreams crashing to the ground in slow-motion and he's powerless to stop their demise. He's a man battling himself: one the one hand, he realizes he's falling in love with Mary, which means all his dreams of travel and adventure die; on the other hand, he still wants to strive for his dreams. That's why he voices his desires with such determination as he shakes Mary (who becomes his own conscience at that point) He's trying to convince himself to not let go of those dreams. Then his love for Mary overwhelms his ambitions, and he embraces and kisses her.

Jimmy Stewart was suffering from PTSD while filming this movie from being a bomber pilot in WW2. It is clear that he channeled this into his role

This pure gem of a movie is 76 years young and it's still as relevant in 2022 as it was in 1946 !

Frank Capra didn't make any of the Planet of the Apes films. That was his son, Frank Capra Jr., who was an associate producer on those films. Frank Capra was probably one of the three most significant film makers of the 30s-50s, not only in Hollywood, but headed up the group of film makers who entered the Army and made documentarys during WWII.

I know there's a lot that Mary doesn't know or has never heard of, but to have never heard of Scrooge or A Christmas Carol is extremely shocking, even for a young person :/

James Stewart is one of my favorite actors. He battled to join the Army Air Corps pre war. You see he didn't weigh enough for his height. He hired a body builder to help him meet the minimum weight requirements. Once in the Air Corps he was tucked away in a safe training command as an instructor. He fought his way to a combat command and flew over twenty missions. He was grounded for being " flak Happy ". Another way of saying PTSD. This was his first movie after the war. People that knew him believe he poured all his anguish into the role. He was different after making the movie. After the war, in addition to being a highly successful actor, he was in the Air Force. He flew at least one combat mission over Vietnam. Ultimately he retired a Brigadier General.

The ending always makes me cry.

“Look daddy, teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings” love that quote so much ❤🔔👼

There are so many people like George Bailey in this world who go unnoticed. Everyone probably knows one of them, but doesn’t realize it.

Every time I watch this movie, I fall in love with Donna Reed/Mary Hatch all over again.

George Bailey's life is the embodiment of John Lennon's lyric, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

You 2 might be the only people I watched see this movie that didn't cry at the ending.

Fun fact, the actor that played Mary’s date at the dance was Alfafa in the original The Little Rascals

Zuzu got her name from a brand of cookie. The National Biscuit Co later renamed Nabisco produced Zuzu ginger snaps that is why George at the end of the movie called Zuzu his little ginger snap

Mr. Potter was played by Lionel Barrymore, of the Barrymore family, a family full of generations of stage and screen actors. I believe he is the granduncle of Drew Barrymore.

I’m so proud of you ladies for recognizing the universal morals and values of this film. So many people, nowadays, would simply make fun of this movie for being so old.

Hey you guys don't have to apologize for liking It's a Wonderful Life more. It's considered one of the classic movies of all time. It's definitely one of my favorite movies and the chemistry between Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed is off the charts.

The Barrymores are one of the original stage and Hollywood dynasties. Lionel Barrymore was the elder brother of John Barrymore, who is Drew Barrymore's grandfather. (Her first name comes from the Drew family, which was another family of stage & screen actors, which intermarried with the Barrymores.)

"Hee Haw" is not cringe. It's a catchphrase that these kids have used since they were young. A distinctive way that this group of friends greet each other. Would it be used today? No, but that doesn't make it cringe. It was a different time and I guarantee that the slang from Generation Z will also be looked at with askance 50 years from now, but it won't mean it's cringe, just an example from this time and place

I have always loved that scene with Mary and George on the phone. I love George boiling over. He realizes he's making *the* choice for the rest of his life, he's setting aside everything he thought he'd do and building a life in Bedford Falls because that's where *she* is, and it's like leaving his body like a poison in the little outburst. It's like the all-time cognitive dissonance reduction scene in cinema. EDIT: fun trivia - during the bank run scene, the woman was told privately by the director to ask for less than $20, which is what everyone was scripted to ask. Jimmy Stewart reacted spontaneously in character by kissing her. More trivia - the salary Potter offered George Bailey would be the 2022 equivalent of about $430,000 USD per year. The bank deficit (the deposit Potter stole) was equivalent to about $132,000 USD.

Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. Wholesome yet not afraid to go very dark. I love how it shows that even very good people can do and say the wrong things sometimes.

Jimmy Stewart was a great actor and even a greater man. He was a WWII combat veteran. He was a Squadron Commander. He had over 20 combat missions over Europe. When you see this movie closely, you can witness Stewart using his Posttraumatic Stress in his performance. Thank you General Stewart for your service, Rest in Peace.

FYI since you brought it up, the Great Depression started in 1929, 10 years after the opening scene with George Bailey. In 1919 the world was still in the grips of the Spanish Influenza pandemic, which started in 1918 & claimed tens of millions of lives worldwide. The Spanish Flu was undoubtedly what Mr. Gowers' son died from. I'm sure audiences back then instantly connected with that scene from having relatives who had died or heard the stories from their parents.

This movie is one that you may expect to be too old fashioned, but then you watch the whole thing and realize how good it. Can't believe you didn't include him telling off Mr. Potter in the board meeting. Such a great scene. But my favorite bit of Stewart acting is at the train station where he silently pushes aside his disappointment and decides he'll let Harry go take that job.

At 31:50 I got the privilege to meet "Janie" (the George's daughter playing the piano) I went to Bible College with the daughter of the girl who played "Janie" as a child. Her daughter, my classmate, found out "It's a Wonderful Life" was my favorite movie, apart from any word from to her. So she arranged to introduce her mother to me on graduation night. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone ever did for me. I always think of it each year I watch the movie.

Every generation has it's own language. "Hee Haw" was for that generation. You needn't "cringe" - there's nothing rude or dirty there. Just roll with it or stop watching. This is one of the best films ever made, and the lessons are timeless and pure.

Another “old” movie worth checking out is “Casablanca.”

Mary was played by Donna Reed, who had a number of good movie roles but became best known for The Donna Reed Show, a popular family sitcom from the 50s and 60s.

1919 was the middle of _that_ famous pandemic, as history denotes it. 1929 was the Great Depression.

Another great movie from the early post WW2 era is "The Best Years of Our Lives " about 3 different GI vets returning to their homes after the end of the war, and how their wartime experiences shape them as people. One, a Sailor lost both had hands and is portrayed by a handless veteran specially chosen by the director William Wyler. He was the only non professional actor in the cast and he is very good , largely playing himself.

This movie is loved because it is often the most kind-hearted people of the world that are crapped on by everyone else. And this is the film where someone who does their best for others is given the credit they deserve. Not like they need credit to do good for people. But to just have the difficult and truly courageous acts be acknowledged.

Frank Capra was one of the most important directors in early Hollywood. "It's a Wonderful Life" is generally considered his masterpiece, but he made many other great movies as well. Check out "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" also starring Jimmy Stewart a few years earlier, or "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable, or "The Miracle Woman" with Barbara Stanwyck. I'm sure you'll enjoy all of them, AND you'll gain a greater appreciation of film history. 😀

Amazingly, this movie was something of a flop when it ran in theaters in 1947. It wasn't until it started running on television during the holidays that people began to realize what a gem it really was, and of course now it's got to be one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time.

I have to admit this is one of my absolute favorite movies! In fact, this movie in a large way help shape my life. I Loved the philosophy of what the Bailey's family business stood for, so much that my brothers and I all became active tradesmen each in our own field of expertise. My older brother was a carpenter and our general contractor, I became an electrician, and my younger brother runs a large roofing crew that also does siding, windows, and doors. (exterior work) We could have been considered The Bailey's Building and Loan of the last 30 years here where we live. Unfortunately, Cancer took my older brother so my younger brother and I still try to keep up our family name to the best of our ability, but each in our own field.

This movie has been part of my Christmas since I can remember. A classic movie that never gets old.

I discovered this movie at a very dark time on my life. It may have saved my life. MARY CHRISTMAS to you lovelies!

My mother was a huge Jimmy Stewart fan. We would watch this movie every Christmas as a kid. I've watched this movie just about every year for the last 20 years. And the older I get the more beautiful the film becomes because the more vividly I understand what the characters are going through. It is unequivocally the #1 Christmas movie in my book.

When Mary said "This is what I wished for." she was speaking into George's left ear again.

My other two favorite Jimmy Stewart films are Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' and a film called 'Harvey' based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play about a man and his best friend, a 6-foot tall invisible rabbit.

Opening myself up to older movies was one of the best things I ever did. For another wonderful Lionel Barrymore performance, please, please, please watch Captain's Courageous with Spencer Tracy.

Clarence: "Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine." George Bailey: "That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!" Clarence: "Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry.” I get a lump in my throat every time I see that scene.

The little girl that played ZuZu not only is a grandmother, but a great grandmother and she never saw the movie until she was forty years old.

"Why do we have to have all these kids?" may sound like a terrible thing to say, but what he's probably really thinking is "Why do all these kids have to have a screw-up like me for a father?" 😥😥

Fun Fact: The actor who played Nick the bartender (Mr. "Out you two pixies go; trough da door or out da winda!") was a guy named Sheldon Leonard. About 15 years or so after this movie, he became a big time television producer for the American television network CBS and was very revered there. How revered? Well when they were developing the show "The Big Bang Theory", the showrunners named two of the main characters after Mr. Leonard.

I can just imagine the look on Mr. Potter's face when he hears that George's friends actually did give him the money!

See this movie and finally get the "Zuzu's petals" reference. Numerous boutiques, restaurants and flower shops across the U.S. are named after it.

This kind of love and community are so rare these days. Even in the movies, they do not portray relationships like this anymore. Imagine if everyone strived to be there for eachother like we just saw. This is one of the reasons I watch more of the older movies than todays. They are not as negative and depressing.

I've seen this movie so many times and I've never once considered a connection between Mr Gower taking out his grief on young George and adult George taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. Great observation!

Every time my RU-vid notification bell goes off...an angel gets his wings.

So many great movies from this era. (Bringing Up Baby, Casablanca, Maltese Falcon, Miracle on 34th St, etc. ). I like the comedies. Arsenic and Old Lace is a hilarious film.

Always brings tears to my eyes 🥲

I'm struck that before this Double Indemnity is the only b&w '40s film you'd seen particularly if you were a film student. Your first film class should start right at the beginning. It's a fascinating history of how the language of film developed. And you couldn't have gotten a much better sampling of actors of seminal acting than in this film. And yes, Lionel Barrymore is Drew's granduncle. Hello, Katie ✋

Also, that kid who opened up the floor to expose the pool was the kid who played Alfalfa from the old "Our Gang" series directed by Hal Roach.

The actress who played Zuzu is 86 now. She was 6 years old when filming.

Casablanca, Roman Holiday & Bicycle Thieves are the other black and white films that I recommend to everyone.

My fave film of all-time. Period. The universal message that everyone's life is wonderful seems in a cynical world today to be unheard of but to reflect on how one's impact each and everyone has w/family and friends is indeed truly remarkable. James Stewart is my fave actor of all-time. He made this as his 1st film post- WWII service and was unsure of his standings not only as an actor in Hollywood but as a human being. As you may know he had indeed difficulty dealing w/returning to civilian life and Capra approached him to be in this film (the director originally wanted his other collaborator Cary Grant but he was too busy in his career at that point). Clearly Capra bargained well and even thought the film's initial release failed at the box office and even w/critics it soon became a classic due to the film being in public domain (the film's rights had expired which meant syndicated tv could broadcast this ad nauseum which it did thru the '70s and had audiences embracing it as a yuletide take on A CHRISTMAS CAROL). Some fun facts - Donna Reed was also not the 1st choice (Capra wanted Jean Arthur who he directed w/Stewart in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON to acclaim but she passed). Stewart was hesitant to have a rookie co-star but one of their 1st scenes filmed is the telephone scene which has been discussed as arguably the hottest on-air kiss in cinema (in fact when they shot it and Capra called cut the script girl on set said they had missed page of dialogue! Capra printed the take you see). The drunken Uncle Billy scene with the offscreen crash was actually an on set accident - a crew member accidentally knocked over a table of equipment but the actor Thomas Mitchell improvised "I'm all right! I'm all right!" and they left it in the film - you can see Jimmy cracking up which was his IRL reaction). I could go on and on but you get it. I met Donna's daughter Mary Owen yrs ago in NYC where she introduced the film w/many facts and an Q&A - she has been doing this for years now and I have befriended her - in fact every year I hand deliver a Christmas card to her. However his is the 1st year (and on the film's 75th ! Anniversary yet) that I cannot attend due to work :( Also my mother and father are named Mary & George :D And yes Mary you sso need to do Mary Christmas for your holiday viewings! I love how you fell in love w/this film - how can you not. And your friend was very sweet (tell her however that FRANKENSTEIN & JEKYLL & HYDE were '30s horror not '40s (and please do not shy away from older movies!) *Lionel Barrymore was Drew's great-uncle; his actor brother John & sister Agnes were her grandfather & great aunt. And for the love of God get to know who Scrooge is! LOL

I saw this movie for the first time back from college in the early 80's at Christmas. No one was up when I got home after midnight, so I turned the TV on right where Clarence appeared, so didn't see the build up, but got it the premise... Never heard of the movie and didn't know the title. No internet so took time to find out what the movie was since it was shelved for years until the 80's. Now its a yearly family Chirstmas movie

My father has seen this movie dozens of times. And yet every time he flips by it on TV he says, "Oh look, It's A Wonderful Life. I should watch this one of these days." And then he watches it. Again.

I watched this movie for decades and never knew that 1918 influenza pandemic was happening during Georges preteen years. I only found out about the 1918 pandemic about 20 years ago.

This video is just proof that good entertainment is timeless. Loved the reactions and it made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time!

honestly my favourite Christmas film. For years I watched it each year and as you said it was so wholesome and a reminder how much we do without even knowing or understanding. Still to this day that ending makes me smile happy tears.

Casablanca needs to be added to your list !!!!!!!

These actore, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed John Barrymore ward bond and others were a staple in hollywood for a long time. This is not just my favorite Christmas movie, its one of my all time favorites. Loved your reactions. Thanks!

The ending always makes me cry. Love this movie!

It's easy to take for granted these old movies that made such an impact and influenced us in these ways. Something like this that inspires one to reflect on what the world would be like without you, and there are so many more things, not just movies, but music, books, even news media used to be useful and educational rather than toxic and biased.

17:21 in the scene when hear all the crashing and he says “I’m alright”, that wasn’t scripted. A crew member knocked some stuff over on accident and the actors played it off. Later that guy thought he was going to get fired. He got promoted😂

What I love about this movie is the fact that most of the movie is following George through his life. This allows the audience to really see the character development, fall in love with the characters, and draw more from the timeline where George does not exist. We saw the significant events that happened, but we do not see the regular events in between. We even forget through the movie some of the events that took place, or can’t draw conclusions from what is not shown on screen. The alternate timeline not only shows the impact of the significant acts like Harry, Mr. Gower, Mr. Martini, and Mary. But, it also show others that were indirectly affected like Bert, Ernie, Ma Bailey, Violet, Uncle Billy, and the rest of the town. We could all learn a lot from this movie. I bet many times we see things through George’s eyes where we only see the negative right in front of us at the time. One of the quotes that hits me now is “Strange isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole doesn’t he?” Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New year!

Great analysis of George and Mary's relationship at the end! You and Katie are great, she's way cool. Very smart, very cool. You guys have great rapport. Will check out her page now!

Stewart flew 20 bombing missions over Germany in a B-24 Liberator. Bomber crews only had to fly 24 missions before being rotated home because of the stress. That number was actually more missions than the average plane survived. The B-24 had non - flattering nicknames too: the flying boxcar and the flying coffin. If they were shot down, they tended to be difficult to get out of. It had to be horrifying watching a plane next to you suddenly fall out of formation and only see a few guys get out. And then you start wondering when it’s your turn. That has to take a toll. You see it in this performance, especially in the part where George has lost hope and when he doesn’t exist.

Watch this once a year and I always love it. So glad you guys enjoyed it. Such a classic.

Rewatching this after seeing it last year. Did not know who Katie was then and did not discover her channel until a few months ago. I love her channel so it is fun to watch this with her in it again.

This came out right after the war ended and it didn't do all that well on release. It became a classic when it entered the public domain and Broadcast TV stations all over the country began playing it in the 70s every Christmas to fill the programming. Other black and white films you might enjoy are the Hitchcock suspense classics, "Vertigo", "Rear Window", "North by Northwest", "The Birds". For a Halloween comedy try "Arsenic and Old Lace" and for fantasy comedy there is "Harvey"(Stewart said he liked his role in Harvey even more than Wonderful Life). All are good stories told in a very entertaining way and several star Jimmy Stewart. Thanks for exploring the older films. There are a lot of forgotten jewels out there. BTW Lionel is Drews great uncle. The thespian bug is reported to be about 400 years old in the Barrymore family.

I just took part in a stage play production of It's A Wonderful Life. I played George Bailey. I had the time of my life and it was an experience I will never forget. I'm hoping to make it as an actor one day, I'm so glad this was my first stage performance. I'm so glad you finally watched this movie.

Best old movie to watch is Arsenic and Old Lace. It's hilarious.

It's a Wonderful Life didn't do well at the box office when it was released in 1946. It fell into the public domain in 1974 when someone at the studio made a clerical error in renewing the copyright. Because of this, TV stations could show the movie without getting permission or paying a license fee. For years, it was played over and over around Christmastime, which is why so many people know it now. In 1993, a court ruled that the movie was still under copyright because the work it was based on (a story called The Greatest Gift) was still protected. A year later, the studio sold exclusive rights to broadcast the movie to NBC, which now shows it once a year. Falling into the public domain was the best thing that happened to this movie, because it had been forgotten by most of the public by that time. This movie was Frank Capra's tribute to all the people who had made sacrifices during World War II. Not just soldiers, but also many others, set their plans aside for the war effort. People postponed their careers, educations, marriages, etc. The dance at the gymnasium was filmed at Beverly Hills High School. There really is a swimming pool under the gym floor there, and it's still in use. Frank Capra offered to have a marksman shoot out the window in the old house when Donna Reed (as Mary) threw the rock. There was no need. Reed had played baseball in high school, and had a good arm. She hit the window on her first try. In the scene where Uncle Billy walks drunkenly off screen followed by a loud crash, a stage hand accidentally dropped a tray full of props. Frank Capra decided to keep it in the movie. It wasn't in the script for George to kiss the woman who asked for $17.50. Jimmy Stewart ad-libbed it, and her surprised reaction was genuine. Lionel Barrymore was Drew Barrymore's grand-uncle. The family tree has lots of actors, going back to the days before movies. Mary and Katie (sp?), would you please consider watching Young Frankenstein together next October? It's not very scary, and Katie would probably enjoy it because she's seen the original Frankenstein.

"only old film I've seen" Casablanca, Cutuzen Kane, the first of each Universal monster series, Metropolis, Mystery at the Wax Museum, Nosferatu, Abbott & Costello...plenty of choices.

I loved your reaction Beautiful Ladies. Great insights from you both! I love this movie too! We watch it every Thanksgiving weekend to kick off the Christmas season! ❤

"Mary Christmas"👍 Such a touching movie. Fun fact $8000 dollars in 1947 is equivalent in spending power to $106,802.15 in 2022. George and his wife Mary were such loving kind people. Unfortunately we still have plenty of people like Mr Potter around today. Mary please watch the 1951 version of The Christmas Carol called (Scrooge) named after the main character Ebenezer Scrooge played by actor Alastair Slim who does an incredible job.

It was the 30’s and the 40’s Love was crazy back then. Especially how they portrayed Love in these Classic Black And White Movies Amazing.

Loved being on the channel so much, had so much fun with you Mary. Hope all you WONDERFUL people enjoy the video ;)

I learned recently that the movie on the marquee that he runs by at the end “The Bells of Saint Mary’s” was a real movie that the actor that played Clarence was in.

Remember too, this came out a couple of years after World War II, which was a time when soldiers came home from war and embraced home and family. It had to speak to some of them seeing a guy who realizes his life at home was something to not take for granted.

Scrooge McDuck got his name from the classic Christmas Carrol's character, Ebenezer Scrooge. -OG

One of my favorite Capra movies is It Happened One Night, from 1934, starring Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert. One of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies is the Alfred Hitchcock directed film Rear Window, also starring Grace Kelly, from 1954. Grace Kelly is absolutely gorgeous in it.

Unquestionably one of my favorite holiday films to watch around this time of year... just too good! So glad you had the chance to see and react to it, Mary!

It’s not Christmas until George Bailey says “atta boy Clarence.” ❤️🎄

Yes, Lionel Barrymore is Drew's great uncle. Her whole family is in acting.

Hurting people hurt people, and George is a prefect example of that. When he is acting like a jerk you can see that it is because he himself is in pain and Jimmy Stewart does a masterful job of getting that across.

OMG, Please do more classics, like Casablanca, 12 Angry Men, Treasure of Sierra Madre, ... well you get the idea. Have a great Christmas.

If you want to see Violet (Gloria Grahame) in some other big films, she was in many great noir movies such as Crossfire, Bad and the Beautiful, Big Heat, and had a prominent role as a ditzy blonde in the great musical Oklahoma! Won an Oscar!

Another great movie with James Stewart is The Philadelphia Story with Katherine Hepburn and Carey Grant. A fantastic early romantic comedy! :)

If you want to see Mr. Potter get his comeuppance, check out the SNL "lost ending". Great reaction, thanks for sharing!

Mary you are missing out on some absolutely AMAZING classic movies - you should really take a dip into some of the olders stuff: The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Inherit the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Third Man, Singing in the Rain, Psycho, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Magnificent Seven, Forbidden Planet, Charade, Two for the Road... so many fantastic old films that still hold up today because drama never changes. :)

13:46 That was a good shot. She hit it on one take. She pitched in a softball league in school.

You "studied film", but only saw one "old movie"? That school program was lacking.

In the scene where George and Mary are in the taxi about to go on their honeymoon, it happened to be the day in 1929 when the stock market crashed. Many people lost a lot of money, starting the Great Depression.

Great reactions! I have two simple comments (to add to your analysis): 1.) The pool under the gym floor during the prom: It is a tradition at that high school now! Also: Many years ago at Stanford University, someone jumped into a fountain upon arriving on campus as a first-year student. When that student graduated, he jumped into the fountain again. Word spread about this; and, now it is a tradition for Stanford students to go fountain-hopping on their first and last days on campus. In an article about this tradition in the Stanford Daily, the newspaper included a photo from the prom pool scene from this film. 2.) There is a great newer British film called ABOUT TIME that has a similar (and fantastic) message. In a different way, that film is about how little things can change the course of history. If you ever have a chance, you should react to it! I once visited the Golden Gate Bridge just as someone committed suicide by jumping off. It was a deeply disturbing moment. Holidays are the most difficult time for some people suffering from depression. So, on some holidays, I buy some gift cards from Starbucks, Peet's, etc.. I then ride Caltrain from Palo Alto to San Francisco, ride my bicycle to the bridge and then and hand out the gift cards on the Golden Gate Bridge. I suppose that I'm motivated by just showing empathy and giving them a small thing to look forward to. I've enjoyed conversations with many seemingly lonely people; but, I suppose that I will never know whether it's made any difference. I'd like to think that it has.

People who were around roughly in the mid 80's to early 90's probably remember this movie being on TV ALL THE TIME during the holiday season. There had been a clerical error which prevented this movie's copyright from being renewed, allowing any TV station to air it. So EVERY TV station aired it seemingly non-stop around Christmas time. I remember you could literally flip through the channels and see it playing simultaneously on various stations. In, I think, 1994 the rights issues were worked out and now NBC owns the rights and they usually air it once on TV during the holiday season. The good thing is, the constant air play allowed everyone to see it and probably helped cement the movie as an all-time classic.