LIFE: It’s A Wonderful Life Magazine

Even now, 75 years after its debut, It’s a Wonderful Life, the most remarkable of holiday movies, continues to delight and inspire. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart, this story of a small-town banker who faces financial ruin and emotional despair until he is saved by an angel who shows him how much he is loved by his family and fellow citizens of the fictional Bedford Falls, New York, is a milestone of American film. This LIFE special issue celebrates the 75th anniversary of the iconic movie (which earned three Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture) with an in-depth look at Capra’s one-of-a-kind filmmaking and storytelling techniques, the making of the film just after World War II and its lasting legacy, and why it remains so valuable, heartwarming, and delightful to watch.