6 Weird Facts You Didn't Know About It's a Wonderful Life

Since its debut in 1946, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life has become synonymous with the Christmas holiday.

The story of George Bailey (James Stewart) and his guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) has been parodied countless times in popular media and is now considered a classic film.

If you haven't spent your entire life living in an abandoned hunting shack in the middle of the woods with a family of raccoons (no judgment, especially if those raccoons have wi-fi), you probably know the story of It's a Wonderful Life.

Even if you've never seen it, you're probably familiar with its premise given the movie's far-reaching effects on popular culture.

Seneca Falls, NY claims to be the real-life inspiration for the fictional town of Bedford Falls that is depicted in the movie.

Every year the town hosts the It's a Wonderful Life Festival, which features a number of themed events to put residents and visitors in the holiday spirit.

[...] Jerry Juhl, head writer for The Muppet Show and Jim Henson's longtime collaborator, has insisted it's just a coincidence that two of Sesame Street's most famous residents share the names.

In a memo dated May 1947, which thankfully was unearthed and transcribed by someone with more time on their hands than I have because of all of my holiday shopping (rampant consumerism!), the FBI claimed: With regard to the picture It's a Wonderful Life, [redacted] stated in substance that the film represented rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a scrooge-type so that he would be the most hated man in the picture.

The memo continued: "In addition, [redacted] stated that, in his opinion, this picture deliberately maligned the upper class, attempting to show the people who had money were mean and despicable characters."