It Happened One Christmas

A gentle, sentimental holiday fable that turns somber before warming into reassurance, asking you to sit with a good person's despair and then feel lifted.

Directed by

Donald Wrye

Genres

Tv movie, Comedy

Starring

Marlo Thomas, Orson Welles, Wayne Rogers

Overview

It's Christmas Eve 1944 in the small town of Bedford Falls, New York. A despondent and suicidal Mary Bailey Hatch is praying for guidance on what to do about an incident no fault of her own which threatens her name and the community standing of her longtime family business, the Bailey Building and Loan, which she took over after the passing of her father. What Mary does not know is that most in town, including her husband George Hatch and their children, are also praying for her. All the prayers are heard by Joseph, God's gatekeeper of prayers. As there are no other angels available on such a busy day, Joseph assigns Clara Oddbody, angel second class (i.e. she has yet to receive her wings), to Mary's case, which he reluctantly does as Clara has never been assigned a case on her own in the two hundred years she's been in heaven for good reason.

How it feels

Warm, earnest, melancholic and uplifting. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Family, grief, isolation, class

Content

Mild language. No violence, gore or sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)