In fairness ....

The one and only time I ever saw "It Happened One Christmas" was when it first appeared on TV in 1977. I was just a kid, and this was before "It's a Wonderful Life" went into the public domain and began showing on TV constantly at Christmastime. So I had never seen "It's a Wonderful Life," and couldn't compare the two.

To be fair, if you see this version first, before watching IAWL, I think you'd probably be more mercifiul to it. I fell in love with the film because it featured Wayne Rogers, a favorite of mine at the time. Looking back, it's a pale shadow of IAWL, but it's not God-awful. Do they ever show this movie on TV anymore? Like I said, I've only seen it the one time.