Merry Christmas, George Bailey

If I did not know I was watching a recreation of Lux Radio Theater's 1949 presentation of It's A Wonderful Life, I would swear I was in a radio studio watching the real thing. With Earlhorn making it sound real with his Sound Effects, and the full orchestra to set the mood with music it was just as I remembered during that Golden Age Of Radio. I hope PBS will repeat this broadcast this Christmas for those who missed it, and those who may be discovering Old Time Radio for the very first time.

JohnnyReb

Always a fan of "It's a Wonderful Life," I remember stumbling across this a few years ago. It was a well-done rendition of the classic, presented in radio style. In other words, it wasn't acted out visually, but rather was performed as though it was hitting the air waves for Christmas 1947. Very cool! The performances were great, too. Of course, Bill Pullman isn't James Stewart, but who is? No one can compare to Jimmy in the role of George Bailey, but Pullman does a decent job. If only there were some way to purchase the show on CD! It's like something you'd see advertised on public television, and the recording would be perfect to stick in the car during the holidays. Catch it if you can!!!

I love this production, especially the very end. It's a daunting task, to re-create one of the greatest movies of all time, but the cast and crew of "Merry Christmas George Bailey" do it beautifully. This is now one of my annual Christmas standards, along with "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story."

This is a quirky and unique presentation of "It's a Wonderful Life" done as a live radio brodcast. The excellent acting done by the star studded cast, and even some goof ups because it is filmed live, add to the fun. Possibly the best part was watching the sound effects man in the background doing everything from knocking on doors to pouring out buckets of water.

This was a great idea, a recreation of the 1947 Lux radio Theater version of the film classic, It's A Wonderful Life, with an all-star cast of the late-90s. Almost all of the actors are excellent. People who think Hollywood movie stars can only play themselves, or are unable to give theatrical performances in front of an audience, should see this.

The one exception for me was Bill Pullman, who doesn't seem to connect to the role of George Bailey with even a small fraction of the emotion or concentration of James Stewart. From what I've been told (not sure if it's accurate), Tom Hanks was supposed to play George, but had to drop out, and Pullman stepped in at the last minute. He seems under-rehearsed, and, at times, confused. Since George is in almost every scene, well, it's unfortunate. Because he's likable and seems like the right type.

It's a good recreation of an old-time radio show in almost every particular, from sound effects men to a full band. The only way it differs significantly is that on shows like Lux, the actors wore street clothes, they didn't dress up as the characters they were playing, the way some seem to here (Craig Sheffer, for ex).

Anyhow, take a look - it's something offbeat for the Christmas season. And listen to the original broadcast with Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Victor Moore (as Clarence).