MovieChat Forums > It Happened One Christmas (1977) Discussion > I am so sorry to say...

I am so sorry to say...

posted 17 years ago by aliensatemybuick
27 replies | jump to latest

First off, I am one who HATES coming to these message boards and seeing posts on the order of "this movie (or this person) sucks". But I have to say, after seeing it broadcast last night, I thought it was pretty terrible. I've never before posted on IMDB just to say that about a movie, but I had such high expectations after first learning quite by accident that such a remake of "Its a Wonderful LIfe" even existed, perhaps a year ago right here on IMDB.

I read though the board and see that the movie was edited and a number of scenes were cut. So of course I can't blame the filmmakers for the fact that Zuzu's (or Susie's) pedals are refered to late in the movie despite the important setup scene being missing! But I can blame them for so much more. Mostly for me, the gender reversal just didn't work. Not that it couldn't have, but the writers just didn't do a good job of it. Some lines were tweaked here and there, but it was a "patch job" in my opinion, and some parts that made the fact that the protagonist was a woman "work" struck me as "tacked on", The business with Mary having the cigars back to Potter and telling him she was having a baby for one.

The fact that Mary was a woman (you know what I mean) also caused problems with her relationship with George. Maybe it was cut (?) but I remember wondering how the telephone scene was going to work (i.e where in the original they had to get face to face to talk in the phone together) and I was SO disappointed that the whole scene was gone, replaced only by Mary saying "don't go" after blowing up at George! If something WAS cut, then this criticism is invalid, I know.

I though Orson Welles (I am a big fan, and in fact I probably only stumbled on the existence of this film some months back when looking through his list of credits on IMDB). I had read the user comments and messages boards with great curiosity. Being a big fan also of "Wondfull Life", you can perhaps imagine my excitement at seeing on my cable guide that this hard to find movie was being broadcast last night. I made a point of sitting through it, a decision that I began to regret soon after it started.

Of the actors, I'd say Orson did a great job. I have no problem with the supporting cast, but I just wasn't impressed my Marlo Thomas' performance. Its not in my mind that I was comparing her with Jimmy Stewart...I just though she was flat, dull. I found it hard to share her emotional lows OR high's. By the way, no matter HOW hard I tried not to compare her performance with Stewart's, I'll admit to some hypocrisy, and say only that its hard not to, since so much of the dialog in the "big speeches" was identical or nearly so. Where I can remember being moved to tears or laughter by Stewart, I found myself looking at the clock a lot last night (it was shown rater late, and I was tired and anxious for it to be over so I could go to sleep). Also, am I crazy, or did Mary refer to the "SAVINGS and Loan" at the end of the movie, i.e. when she got her life back?!

I am so sorry to have been disappointed. For those who disagree with me, I forgive me for my negativity so close to Christmas. Sorry to for any mis-spellings, but I am using my wife's laptop and my big fingers find it hard to use the keyboard!

For what its worth, i though there was a lot of quality in the production design of the movie (re-creation of some scenes in particular, like the swimming pool/dance and some other locations that looked so close to the original I wondered if they WERE the original sets).

[–] MissMellieY 17 years ago

No need to apologize. I have never in my LIFE been so angry watching a movie as I was when I watched this when it was on TV originally. There are just some things that are sacred and "It's a Wonderful Life" is one of them. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Marlo Thomas...but NO ONE can take Jimmy Stewart's place. Even now I get mad! I realize it is just a movie but Wonderful Life is MY movie and Jimmy Stewart is my hero. I wish she hadn't done this movie.

"A man's kiss is his signature" -- Mae West

[–] reedclark 16 years ago

One thing to remember . . . 30 years ago, when "It Happened One Christmas" was made, "It's a Wonderful Life" was NOT a yearly staple on television during the holidays like "Scrooge," "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer," etc. So, it wasn't such a "sin" to remake this particular classic.

It wasn't until the mid-to-late 70s that we started seeing "Wonderful Life" on T.V. every year -- because of a goof-up that caused the copyright to expire in 1974.

[–] MissMellieY 16 years ago

I don't know that I agree with you. I was in High School when this came out and I had seen It's A Wonderful Life enough to get really mad at their remake. For it to affect a HIGH SCHOOLER! really says something! LOL

You do make a good case though!

"A man's kiss is his signature" -- Mae West

[–] dickerik 17 years ago

As a crew member on "It Happened One Christmas" I'm sorry to hearing anything negative. I think if you see an uncut version you would enjoy it more and if you could could resist comparing it to the Jimmy Stewart version you would see it has real merit.
By the way the dance floor/swimming pools scenes were done at the same location in both in "Wonderful Life" and Happened One Christmas." At Beverly Hills High School.

[–] Moax429 17 years ago

I agree with your comment 100%, dickerick. (Did you see my positive review in the main body?)

By the way, do you still know anyone at Universal who might know if they will ever put "It Happened One Christmas" on DVD, uncut? It'd sure be worth paying $20 or more to see it intact next Holiday season.

At least I support "It Happened One Christmas" much more than any of these readers who didn't like the film. (What part of the crew were you?)

Thanks.

[–] dickerik 17 years ago

willibwar: For your sake I hope they issue "It Happened One Christmas" on DVD. It seems every studio is emptying their film vaults and putting the movies on DVD, so I think there is a good chance one of these holiday seasons that will happen. But who knows...there may be legal concerns that prevent that.
I don't know anyone with a DVD of the show. I suspect the bootlegs that are being offered were recorded from a satellite feed at some point in time.
I was the 2nd AD. I did read your review.

[–] Moax429 17 years ago

Thanks. And if you were the one who made my comment the 10th most useful on my list, I appreciate that, too.

I also forgot: NBC and Universal are now one and the same, so I wonder if that could be a possible impediment to putting "It Happened One Christmas" on DVD? I can only hope not. (The mutilated print the i Network ran last December opened with the current Universal logo, so I would think NBC/Universal still owns "It Happened One Christmas.")

Thanks again for responding.

[–] CineSight 14 years ago

dickerik, Please tell us what the production was like? Where it was done, etc? I wonder if the fact that this was made when the original was in the public domain had anything to do with this version disappearing when the original's rights were reclaimed...

It took me a few viewings to recognize the street scenes were done somewhere I've actually been... one of the nicest and most recognizable backlots (that hasn't coincidentally burned up a number of times). Speaking of that Universal fire, I wonder if this movie was among the elements lost...

What's missing in the uncut version? I wonder if Marlo could make a deal to have it released of if there are other rights or factors tying it up...

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] juniormint28 17 years ago

Hey,

Did you get to talk to Wayne Rogers? What's he like? :)

(He is sooo hot!)

[–] CineSight 16 years ago

dickerik, I would love to contact you by email to talk about this movie. I can't see the problem people have with this movie. It's not as if it pushed the original off the edge of the earth! I like how faithful this version was to the original (in all but the sex of the 3 main characters).

I get a kick out of how easily Bedford Falls is recreated on Warner's backlot, in the Midwest street square, where MUSIC MAN, THE WALTONS, GILMORE GIRLS, and another holiday favorite, A SEASON FOR MIRACLES were made.

I've tried for years to get a good copy of this, but ended up with two bad DVDs, one of which is barely watchable, and the other has cut off the first two opening titles. I don't know if I have the uncut version or not. Was this movie made because the story was in the public domain at the time? It seemed to me that it disappeared from TV about the same time that the rights to the original were reclaimed.

If the rights are not an issue, I wonder why Marlo's company doesn't make some kind of a deal with Universal to put it out on DVD.

[–] dwieselq 16 years ago

I really liked this movie, one reason being is that I saw it before "It's A Wonderful Life", which, for some reason, was rarely if ever shown on TV when I was growing up in the 1970's.

[–] Joannakathryn 16 years ago

I saw this before "It's a Wonderful Life," when it was first aired. I still have the Ladies Home Journal with the article about the movie, with Marlo Thomas on the front cover.

I'll always believe that this movie helped the original to become so popular in the late 70s to this day. I had never seen it, and I don't think it was presented very often, if at all.

I seem to recall that Marlo T. says something about talking to Jimmy Stewart or Frank Capra when she did the remake. I'll go look it up later, but right now it's late and I'm tired.

Happy New Year!

[–] dwieselq 16 years ago

I completely agree. Being an avid TV watcher as kid and perusing the TV GUIDE weekly from cover to cover, I never saw one reference or airing of "the Jimmy Stewart version" until the late 70's and early 80's. For years, it never made the holiday cut of specials on TV.

Regardless of the original, the remake was a very enjoyable holiday special, it wasn't trying to be flashy or over the top, it was simple but understated with great perfomances. Notable actors included Marlo, Cloris Leechman, Orson Wells (who must have remembered the original version yet still did the remake).

[–] Joannakathryn 16 years ago

It's explained on the DVD extras of IAWL: the reason it suddenly started being on TV round the clock, early 80s I think, was because somebody made a mistake about the copyright. Instead of renewing it, it was allowed to lapse.

Once it lapsed, any TV station could show it without having to pay royalties.

I had never heard anything about it until the Marlo Thomas remake.

Happy New Year!

[–] rfletcher-8 15 years ago

It is my favorite TV movie ever! Marlo Thomas and cast, and crew, did a wonderful job--pun intended. I have an old and grainy videotape recording that I still watch every year around the holidays, at least once. I hope it makes it to DVD sooner or later since it does, indeed, seem to have diasppeared from TV telecast. Robin Fletcher, Dallas, Texas

[–] ride_a_winchester_xx 16 years ago

I couldn't believe there was even a remake. Im not game to watch this, I absolutly adore James Stewart, and i always leave Its A Wonderful Life with a smile. I can't ruin it with this.. crap

Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] schoduck 15 years ago

"It's A Wonderful Life" was in public domain obscurity when "It Happened One Christmas" (1977) was shown.

As far as any movie being sacred, just look at 7 days from this posting when the remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" with Keanu Reeves playing out Klattu's excellent adventure. With Hollyweird, you just have to enjoy the original masterpieces and not bother with the tripe in theatres today!

"There are 10 kinds of people, some understand binary and some don't!"

[–] shadycady 15 years ago

I really liked this movie when I saw back in 1977. I loved Cloris Leachman as "Clara".
The Devine Genealogy Goddess!

[–] schoduck 15 years ago

I agree with you shadycadylady. It was a good film. The theme of "It's A Wonderful Life" has been used over and over for all kinds of movies & TV shows.

"There are 10 kinds of people, some understand binary and some don't!"

[–] aliensatemybuick 14 years ago

Stumbled back to this movie / board, and out of curioisty wanted to see what became of the thread I started. Looks like a lot has happend since I was away. In response to the poster from July 2008, I am not entirely sure she was referring to my original post or to the one immediately preceding her own, but I have three things to say regardless:

1. I AM a man.

2. My wife laughed aloud when I red to her the suggestions that this film "far surpasses It's a Wonderful life for Women" and "is one of the best xmas movies of the Century and there is not one women out there that would disagree".

3. I did not consider to my review to be stupid, or to have been based in any way on my own gender, however it would be interesting to see a breakdown of the opinions expressed about this movie broken down by gender.

[–] lostnorm 11 years ago

Hi,
I just have a few things.

First I do very much like this movie however The Original is a Classic and is far better than the remake. I do watch both movies every year, the remake leading up to Christmas and the Original on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day along with the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol.

Second, I keep seeing in these posts that It's A Wonderful Life was never or rarly shown before the remake. This is just not true, when I was growing up in the dark days before Cable or a VCR only having 3 network and 4 lacal stations
and up until 1977 only a B&W TV this movie was ran quite a bit, It was not unusual even seeing it in the summertime.

So while I enjoy seeing remakes of calssics there has never been a remake to replace classic no matter how good.

Thanks

[–] kp22kc 11 years ago

I have loved this movie since 1977 when I first saw it. I saw it before I saw It's a Wonderful Life and never knew it was a remake until I saw the original. I grew up in the 70's and was in love with Marlo Thomas from reruns of That Girl and the special Free to be You and Me. I still love her and that speaking voice is just incredible. There are so many familiar faces in the movie, even if you don't know their names. Marlo's mother is Everybody Loves Raymond's mother. Uncle Willie is Liza Minnelli's father in Arthur. Of course Cloris Leachman cannot be topped, even today in the hilarious Raising Hope. I have a couple of bootlegs. One is a horrible copy, but the other is quite beautiful and (if the seller didn't lie) a portion of the price was donated to St. Judes. I would think if Marlo Thomas had a hand in getting this out she could somehow make a portion of the profits go to St. Judes. I would for sure buy yet another copy of a legitimate DVD/Blu-ray. Hopefully someday. Some remakes are beyond terrible, but this holds its own very nicely. If IAWL gets 4 stars then IHOC gets 3 and 1/2. There are just a couple of things that do not sit very well with me. Christopher Guest as Mary's brother gives one of the worst line readings ever during his toast at the end and Mary's run home in the snow at the end was obviously a green screen horror and should have been cut way down. Plus the character of Violet is hardly, if even mentioned. I haven't seen it in a long time and I can't quite remember her. We can all just keep hoping for a real release of this one DVD. After all, Ebbie (female version of A Christmas Carol) just came out this year so it is a possibility.

[–] Balberith 8 years ago

I liked it very much. I thought Marlo did a good job. I was not too keen on Orson Wells being that I found him a bit too refined for Mr Potter. Burgess Meredith would have been perfect for the part if you ask me.

"A real man would rather bow down to a strong woman than dominate a weak one"

[–] pinbackwiggly 7 years ago

The lack of emotion, acting ability, and character development compared to everyone's favorite Christmas movie made this a mediocre watch. Mary Bailey could have jumped off the bridge and I would not have cared much.