There are few Christmas movies that warm the heart quite like Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, but for those who worked on the 1946 classic, it was quite a different story.

Far from being the heartwarming festive treat enjoyed by generations of film lovers, the reality of shooting on the seemingly idyllic Bedford Falls set was tense, brutal and, at times, even bloody.

A gorgeous tale of finding meaning amid the trials and disappointments of life, the one and only James ‘Jimmy’ Stewart plays George Bailey, a once ambitious everyman whose youthful dreams have been repeatedly crushed by weighty responsibilities.

Driving to despair, George contemplates suicide one fateful Christmas Eve but is fortuitously interrupted by ‘second class’ guardian angel Clarence Odbody, who helps him realise that ‘no man is a failure who has friends’.

If you make it through to the finale with your eyes still dry, then you’re made of sterner stuff than most. However, knowing the full story behind the life-affirming movie may change your viewing experience completely…

The movie was deemed groundbreaking in terms of creating realistic snow effects ( 
Image:
CBS via Getty Images)

Chemical snow

One of the most iconic shots of the movie shows a joyous George rushing through the streets of Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve while flurries of snow swirl all around him. It’s a beautiful scene for many reasons, with the heavy snowfall bringing to mind the most idyllic of white Christmases. Those without in-depth knowledge of the industry would never guess they weren’t watching a natural blizzard.

Indeed, It’s A Wonderful Life proved groundbreaking in the field of snow effects, with the various weather shifts being integral to the plot. Jeremy Arnold, author of Christmas in the Movies, told Entertainment Weekly: “The snow is vital to the storytelling. It conveys not just a joyful Christmas Eve but also the character’s rebirth. It tells the audience George is back in the real world. He’s back from this alternate reality; the snow starts falling, and we get it right away. And that is a very gentle, cleansing snow.”

Before It’s A Wonderful Life was filmed, filmmakers would paint cornflakes white to create snow, but director Frank Capra knew he wanted something a bit more special. Keen to avoid the ‘crunch’, Capra opted for three different types of fake snow: Ivory soap flakes, chipped ice, and fomite, which are similar to chemicals used in contemporary fire extinguishers.

During this period, it was common for filmmakers to use hazardous chrysotile asbestos to create fake snowfall, which, if breathed in, could lead to lung cancer and other health problems. Although this dangerous substance was indeed used on the set of It’s A Wonderful Life, it at least wasn’t rained down on any of the actors, as was the case with The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Holiday Inn (1942).

Vicious feuds

The message behind It’s A Wonderful Life is all about human connection and the importance of loved ones over financial success, with the story culminating in an outpouring of affection and friendship. For decades, viewers have been particularly moved by the romance between George and Mary Hatch Bailey (Donna Reed), who meet as children and later marry.

Behind the scenes, however, things were decidedly less than harmonious, and leading man Stewart was later said to have blamed Reed for the film’s initial lack of success at the box office. Speaking with Closer Weekly in 2020, Reed’s daughter Mary Ann Owen claimed that her mother was made to feel like a scapegoat on set, on account of Stewart’s insecurities.

Owen said: “There was a lot of insecurity on set because Jimmy Stewart wasn’t sure if he wanted to act anymore. He thought it was too frivolous, but Lionel Barrymore and others talked him into it. So, there was this insecurity on the set and mum was really not that well known. I mean, she was only 25 and I think signed her MGM contract at 21.”

Stewart reportedly vowed never to work with Reed again, but by the time she died in 1986, aged 64, the former flop had become a widely adored seasonal favourite. Praising Reed after her death, Stewart said: “I’ll always remember her as a wonderful woman and as my wife in It’s a Wonderful Life. I don’t know of anybody who could have played the role better. She was absolutely marvellous.”

Stewart and Reed had marvelous onscreen chemistry, but it was a different story behind the scenes ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Stewart allegedly vowed never to work with Reed again ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Violence that left actor bleeding

In one memorable scene, the young George (Bob Anderson) has a run-in with his first employer, the pharmacist Mr Gower (HB Warner). Distraught after learning of his son’s death, Gower almost accidentally poisons a child in a drunken mishap. George notices something is wrong and alerts Gower to his error, only to be met with a smack around the ear.

Little did viewers know at the time that Anderson’s ear was actually bloodied, with seasoned method actor Warner having been drinking alone during rehearsals to get into character. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times in 1996, Anderson recalled: “He actually bloodied my ear. We rehearsed, and as the day progressed, the louder and more demanding HB got. We’d rest for a little while; I’d go back to school. They’d bring me back out, and we’d spar a little more.”

Once the cameras started rolling at the end of the day, it took just three minutes to get the take. Anderson continued: “That was Capra’s way of getting it to the Academy Award point. My ear was beat up and my face was red, and I was in tears. I knew when I went through the door of that drugstore to go behind those pillboxes. I was gonna get knocked on my butt, and it was an emotional high. […] I was a baby. I didn’t know what we were building for. HB was perfect. He reached the crescendo. In the end, when it was all over, he was very lovable. He grabbed me and hugged me, and he meant it.”