It's A Wonderful Life, 1946

Director: Frank Capra
Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore







George Bailey (Stewart) has grown up in Bedford Falls, NY, and despite his many tries to leave this small town and "make something of himself", something always changes his plans and holds him back.

Then on Christmas Eve, through someone else's mistake, and another's greed and dishonesty, it appears that George may be bankrupt and guilty of losing all the money from his father's Savings and Loan. With the police on his tail, and desperate, he's on a bridge, thinking about jumping and ending it all, when suddenly, he sees someone dive in before him and struggle in the water. He immediately jumps in and saves the drowning man. the man he saved, Clarence, is actually an angel trying to earn his wings. And he proves it to a disbelieving George by giving him the chance to see what it would be like if he had never been born.

So George and Clarence wander around a completely transformed Bedford Falls, George's horror mounting at every turn. How could one person have made such a difference in so many lives in that small town?

I always cry at the end of this movie. The toast at the end gets me every time: "To my big brother, George, the richest man in town!"

You can't not love it. James Stewart is wonderful, and I LOVE the story! And check out the names of the cop and cab driver: Bert and Ernie! According to Wikipedia, this is just a coincidence. ;)

State of the Union, 1948

Director: Frank Capra

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury

The description on Netflix didn't interest me, but I watched it because it's one of the many Tracy-Hepburn films, and I want to see them all.

Kay Thordyke (Lansbury) is the hardened editor of a newspaper in D.C., who chooses Grant Matthews (Tracy) as a Republican candidate for the Presidency, and uses her power and the paper to support him. He's a nice guy, but separated from his wife Mary (Hepburn) and in a relationship with Kay. At Kay's suggestion, Grant invites Mary along on the campaign (mostly for the appearance of having a wife's support), and she joins him. Though their relationship hasn't healed, she still believes in her husband and wants to do everything she can to help. But he soon sells out, and starts making speeches about the things he doesn't believe are right, just trying to get the votes.

I wouldn't have been interested if this wasn't a Tracy-Hepburn movie, to be totally honest. And because I love Angela Lansbury from Murder She wrote, it's hard to see her in something else, in which she is a mean, selfish, home-wrecker. It wasn't a bad movie, but I usually stay away from political ones unless they are comedies or thrillers. The ideas Grant Matthews start spouting in one part are scary. He stands for "one world government, one world currency," blah, blah. Yikes! Good thing the story was really about staying true and not being a corrupt politician. It really wasn't bad. Great ending! A must-see for all the Tracy-Hepburn fans out there like me! :) I have a crush on Spencer. He has a dreaminess about him. I want to see him in something where he's really young. Maybe he was even dreamier....