**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**  

Voted the most inspirational movie ever made by the American Film Institute, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life has been a beloved Christmas classic for many generations. The snowbound streets of Bedford Falls, the desperate travails of George Bailey, and the discovery of Zuzu’s petals have become traditional signatures of the holiday season. Yet when the film was released in 1946, it was a box-office flop, won no Academy Awards, and was largely forgotten—until it was rediscovered through endless airings on local TV stations beginning in the 1970s and on annual Christmas eve broadcasts on NBC starting in 1992. This talk will examine the fascinating story of It’s a Wonderful Life, looking at the challenges of how it was made, its surprisingly dark portrait of small-town life, and how it became the ultimate portrayal of holiday goodwill and cheer.

Register directly on Zoom HERE.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded and the video will be available for two (2) weeks. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program. 

Led by Brian Rose, a professor emeritus at Fordham University, where he taught for 38 years in the Department of Communication and Media Studies. Rose has written several books on television history and cultural programming, and conducted more than a hundred Q&A’s with leading directors, actors, and writers for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Directors Guild of America.

Please register for this event and you'll receive the link in the confirmation and reminder emails - make sure to check your spam folder for them, the email will be coming from Zoom.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and we're happy to be collaborating with the John Curtis Free Library in Hanover, MA as well as the Tewksbury Public Library to bring this program to our communities. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Ashland Senior Center for this event.

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