‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Fri, 24th Dec 2004

I got soaked taking out the rubbish; the weather was a heavy sleet — making a change from the recent gales — and the temperature seems to have dropped a bit too.

I dropped off gifts and cards at mama’s and then dashed back to collect Ruth and head over to mumsie’s with gifts and to see Grandpa. Watched a bit of a documentary on ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ — and were amazed to discover that the car was a Ford, and that it was the ‘James Bond’ guys behind this film! Even the fact that the wee lassie in the film was played by a Dundonian was a revelation, and we laughed at the notion that when ‘Truly Scrumptious’ married ‘Mr.Potts’, she’s be ‘Truly Potts’!

Then we saw a bit of the fabulous ‘My Fair Lady’ on the other channel…. but we had to drag ourselves away as we were due at the Buffet King on Sauchiehall Street by 16:30 to meet Big Al & Charlie.

After stuffing ourselves on deep-fried delights, we staggered through the sleet to the GFT for Frank Capra’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ starring James Stewart and Donna Reed… I still cannot get over Donna Reed being so, so… GORGEOUS! I just cannot see this 1946 Donna Reed as the same Donna Reed who played ‘Missy Elly Ewing’ in the 1980s USA TV show, ‘Dallas’. But, boy, when she was younger, (as in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’) she was definitiely one of my boyhood fancies!

Henry Travers as Clarence Oddbody (Angel — second class) is a gem, even while playing true to type (Henry played kindly GPs, Reverends and the like), this has to be his finest hour.

Jimmy Stewart is… well, Jimmy Stewart! Just like Frank Capra’s ‘Mr.Smith goes to Washington’, ‘Philadelphia Story’, ‘The Glenn Miller Story’, etc etc. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is probably his best remembered work, but I think his finest work was in stuff like Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’. (I am also just old enough to remember his TV show airing in the UK).

Whatever anyone says about ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, the truth is that if it does not bring a lump to your throat and make you think more positively about the human race, then you need therapy. Yes, it’s rough, yes it’s cheezy, but behind it all is humanity and real truth: each of our lives touch everyone else’s (for good or ill). If Clarence could do for us what he did for ‘George Bailey’, would we see that we have had more of a good impact on others’ lives (like George), or would we discover nastier facts… and which would we rather be true? Even a simple man in a small simple town can have a huge impact on a large scale — and that’s certainly something to wonder about.

Even though it’s not really a Christmas film per se, it somehow manages to be THE Christmas film — which probably explains why the GFT shows the film each year on Christmas Eve on a continuous performance basis — complete with free mulled wine and mince pies to hundreds of people (each performance is always a sell out).

A brilliant night out! We drifted out changed and happier, and had a coffee together before heading home at about 22:30 (too early for midnight Mass or services at one of the Cathedrals etc.) to put our feet up.

We laughed at TV’s ‘Grumpy Old Men’ and ‘Grumpy Old Women’ shows — and I cannot say how often I hear people bemoaning Christmas as being ‘TOO COMMERCIAL’ or that the ‘reason for the season’ is too obscured by nonsense (the religious lot). I see it differently.

To me, Christmas is a dynamic thing — it changes meaning each year of our lives. Sure, we can get sad about people who are no longer with us, or we can moan about bad gifts or debt or whatever. But the thing is to remember — for one day of the year — that we’re OK, we’re alive and kicking, at home, safe, with friends and family. That’s something to celebrate — hence the feast. When else can we have a FEAST these days? Many people don’t even eat at a table these days (except at Christmas), let alone together as a family! We are kings in our castles — we wear paper crowns, and we act like royalty… gifts, daft food roasting and dripping, feasting and partying — pagan hedonism? So? Who’s got a problem with that? Not me. I have known Christmasses of sadness, loss, grief, loneliness, of work or worry. Christmas is an annual event, a regular and fixed calander point by which we can measure our lives, remember things, see change. As I look back I see all these different Christmasses as points on the path of my life… each one comparative. A barometer. I know when things are going well in my life, and I recognise when I am fortunate enough to have a good Christmas (and I empathise with people who are not having such a good Christmas as me — but I have gained the wisdom to know that these people will have better ones in the future).

So I am looking forward to Christmas Day (I have it good this year, and I know I am fortunate, so I am gonna celebrate that fact while I have the chance, no guilt!) — we’ve got Big Al & Charlie again (always good company), a roaring log fire, plenty of food and gifts… and then up to Mama’s to see my massive rowdy family party through to the wee small hours of some day in the middle of next week!

Oy! Bring it on!