Welles as Mr. Potter

[mteal]

Recently was given a neighbor's old VHS collection of about 30 tapes. On one tape was part of the 1978 TV Movie IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS, a remake of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, with Marlo Thomas in the Jimmy Stewart role, and Orson Welles as Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore in the original Capra film. It's pretty anemic compared to the original, but Mr. Potter is probably one of the last sizeable parts Welles had as an actor. So, for your holiday viewing pleasure (or displeasure), here's a 22-minute selection of scenes, from the middle of the film (the finale is on Youtube):

Link no longer operative

[Roger Ryan]

Thanks Mike, it was fun to see some of the scenes from this again. I only saw it once when it premiered - apparently December 11th, 1977 according to IMDb. This could be correct since earlier that year I would have seen CITIZEN KANE for the first time and, by December, I was primed for anything with Welles in it. While IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS was clearly inferior to Capra's film, I thought it was somewhat more successful than the usual holiday fare at the time.

[Glenn Anders]

Interesting, gang, that where Welles gave Lionel Barrymore one of his most memorable roles in Radio as Scrooge, Welles turns up as a similar character in one of his last opportunities in American Television. The story has a certain affinity with THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS. Personally, though not having seen the show, I rather like the TV version here of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE better than the Jimmy Stewart original with Barrymore. I've always thought the movie to be overrated sentimentality, but I like the gender change here, fitting in with new 1970's emphasis on women's concerns. Marlo Thomas's sacrifices seem more realistic and poignant to me. Also, it is interesting to ponder how, fifteen years later, nearly a third of American Savings and Loans were forced into bankruptcy by the same kind of greed and manipulation that the Big Boys of Wall Street milked to the detriment of most of us in 2008.

The Ghost of Mr. Potter and his Robber Baron forebears must be cackling in Hell!

Glenn Anders