10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know about It’s a Wonderful Life


You know it. You probably hate. But like it or not, it’s the holidays and we all know what that means: it’s time for a It’s a Wonderful Life to saturate your (less than wonderful) lives with some good, old American schmaltzy cinema.  To make this year’s purposeful or accidental viewing of Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life a little more bearable, I am pleased to present my Gentle Readers with…

10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t know about It’s a Wonderful Life:

1. The movie you know as It’s a Wonderful Life started as a 4,000 word short-story, The Greatest Gift, written by Phillip Van Doren in December of 1943. (He sent copies of it along with his Christmas cards).

2. It’s a Wonderful Life was critically panned: The New York Times reviewer said, “the weakness of this picture…is the sentimentality of it–its illusory concept of life.

3. It was nominated for five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Editing, and Best Sound Recording), but didn’t win a single one.

4. The now-beloved and behated movie bombed at the box office: the film cost 3.8 to produce and distribute, but only made 3.3 million on release.
5. It’s a Wonderful Life was a substitute: in December 1946, the studio rushed it to the box office because they didn’t have enough copies of their big holiday release, Sinbad the Sailor.

6. After the filming of It’s a Wonderful Life, the director, the famed Frank Capra, became an informant for the The House Committee on Un-American Activities–a committee established to locate and reveal communists led by the (in)famous Senator Joseph McCarthy.  Seven of the eight other writers on the film were subsequently blacklisted.

7. Despite the poor critical reception, dismal box office receipts, and Oscar snubs, It’s a Wonderful Life managed to become a holiday tradition mostly because it was cost effective:  in 1974 the copyright owners, Republic Pictures, allows the copyrights to expire, and television stations air it as a low-cost option for holiday scheduling.

8. In 2006, It’s a Wonderful Life is named as the Number One most inspiring film of all time by the American Film Institute much to the bah-humbug of pessimistic moviegoers everywhere.

9. Seneca Falls, NY claims to be the “real-life” Bedford Falls from the movie and hosts an annual It’s a Wonderful Life weekend and in 2010, opened up a museum with a walking tour that takes the visitor through scenes from the movie.

[The Seneca Community Players]

10. It’s a Wonderful Life turns 65 this year: Happy Birthday, You Unrealistic Portrayal of American Life.

The Top 10 Most Horrifying Holiday Specials (for kids!)


‘Tis the season to be…horrified by holiday specials, fa la la la…  Yes, the holidays are a great time to be a child, unless, that is, you grew up watching the kind of holiday specials I did.  If your holidays were full of questioning the meaning of life and death as you watch animated creatures die; discovering that arranged marriage is worse when done in a musical; forgetting a few simple rules can mean the end of life as we know; and giving away the things you love most like your friends, well, then this list is for you!

Here is the top ten holiday specials to get you out of the holiday mood:

1. Noel (1993) : An awfully little special about a Christmas ornament whose is made with a little drop of something special (a tear!).  After many-a-Merry Christmas, the little ornament is left in the attic to rot with all the other little ornaments.  When he finally gets put back on the tree, he breaks.  Little Noel has to look at his own broken pieces splashed all over the floor.  His spirit is left to circle the world and spread holiday horror, er, cheer.

2. Babes in Toyland (1960): Sheep, henchmen, gypsies may not seem like characters for a holiday movie, but I assure you, they are as Christmas as it comes.  When Mary’s sheep are stolen by the evil Barnaby (a man twice Bo Beep’s age), she must fight her way to find them even if that means entering the Forest of No Return and employing an entire army of Toy Soldiers or she must marry the evil Barnaby instead of her beloved Tom.  Luckily, the gypsies will save Mary, Tom, and Christmas!

[Was false advertising illegal in the 1960s? 'Cause if so, someone really needs to call Disney out on the "It's Bright! It's Wonderful!"]

3. A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987): Creepy Dinosaurs, Anthropomorphic Bells, Doo-Woop-Singing Camels, and if that’s not enough, The California Raisins.  That is all.

4. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985):  If the Pagan Gods deciding Santa’s fate isn’t enough for you, then perhaps the fact that this special first introduce the idea that Santa COULD die will spread some holiday horror to your world.  Oh, Rankin and Bass!

[A little Christmas War between Immortals in The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause]

5. The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972): Ten-year-old Addie isn’t allowed to have a Christmas Tree.  Instead of getting some therapy for his obvious depression over his wife’s death, Addie’s father has decided that this is the best way to handle the family’s horrible situation.  When Addie wins a Christmas Tree, her father makes her give it away to (yet another) girl who doesn’t have one either.

6. The Christmas Toy (1986): The precursor to the Toy Story franchise this film shows the life and death struggle for Christmas toys in the way only a Jim Henson production ever could.  All the toys are jockeying for the affections of their wayward children and if they are caught out of place become “frozen,” which really just means dead.  Because nothing screams Christmas like jealous, dying toys.

7. The Small One (1978): This is a story about a young boy that has to sell an old, weak donkey–and his only friend–for one piece of silver.  Most of the movie deals with the boy being told that his best friend isn’t worth anything let alone a whole piece of silver.  Don’t worry, the boy is eventually able to sell his donkey/best friend, so that all works out.

[I will miss you most of all, Small One]

8. The Christmas Tree (1991): It’s a Christmas special about orphans–and if that’s not enough, the only thing these orphans have is a beautiful tree.  This beautiful tree, of course, is going to be cut down by the owner of the orphanage to show those kids a lesson for, you know, having souls and loving trees.  She even makes the man who has come to cut down the tree to show them the saw.  Oh, and the kids have named the tree Mrs. Hopewell.  Merry Christmas, kiddies.

9. Gremlins (1984): Did you forget that this was a Christmas movie (and did you also forget that this movie was rated PG)?  Well it is.  Gizmo is the Christmas present that just keeps on giving.

…and the most horrible holiday special (for kids!) is…

10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000): Which should really be called: How Jim Carrey Stole How the Grinch Stole Christmas and My Childhood.

[I don't know why you did it either, Mr. Carrey.  Perhaps you needed your pocketbook to grow three times its size that year.]

Snowmen House of Horror


Ah, it just wouldn’t be a Lovelyhorrible Holiday without a little Calvin and Hobbes: Snowman House of Horror.

Now, if you grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes (or had to catch up on it as an adult like the dear, old Blog Mistress) then you know that every holiday season (the late, great) Bill Watterson would treat his readers to a wonderful, snowy House of Horror featuring everyone’s wintry favorite: Snowmen.  Here are several of my very favorites to get my Gentle Readers into the holiday spirit:

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…and just in case you can’t get your fill of snowmen meeting their untimely ends, I present the Calvin and Hobbes Christmas video.  We miss you, Bill, indeed.

Palmistry, Part Ten: Lining it all up


Apparently, one of the most searched for things on the Blog are my feelings towards bunnies and my post about palm lines.  As my Gentle Readers, I am always willing to give the people what they want, especially if its more palmistry talk.  Hence: Palmistry, Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine!  

…

There are three lines that are often missing from the palm: fate, success, and health lines.

The Fate Line

The Fate Line runs up the hand more or less vertically towards the Saturn or second finger (not to be confused with the Success Line which runs towards the Sun or third finger or the Health Line which runs towards Mercury or fourth finger).  This line records the work and career history of the person.  This line can be missing, faint, or very broken.  Since it is our thoughts and plans that produce strong lines on the palm, the absence of the Fate Line simply shows a drifting and happy-go-lucky person who doesn’t like to plan.  These people will have a problem maintaining steadily employment or having any sustained success.

If there is a Fate Line, you should read it upwards.  When rising from the lower part of the Life Line, the career will be started by family influence or money.  If the line rises from the wrists, the subject will be self-made.  If the Fate Line rising from the Mount of the Moon, running more diagonally up the hand than in the previous cases.  This is good for very public occupations, but usually denotes a fair amount of change or uncertainty.

If the Fate Line runs to the Mount of Jupiter and ends in a cross, the career will be made through marriage or friendly connections.  If the Fate Line only starts high on the palm or near the Head Line, the person will be have a hard fought career or a late start.  Even later successes may be shown by the Line that rising from the Heart Line.

A good Fate Line, wherever it rises, should be clear and fairly deep, without breaks or faint places, and it should run up on to the Mount of Saturn, but not go so far as to reach the finger.  If it ends on another mount, the career will take those characteristics: Jupiter will be a position of power; Apollo will be the arts; and Mercury will be business.  (For predicting big success, however, you must look at the Success Line).

A Fate Line full of breaks and overlapping indicates an unsettled working life with frequent job changes.  If the breaks overlap, the changes were made without loss; if there are definite gaps, the changes means unemployment or difficulty.

Bars across the Fate Line show obstacles to the career and the seriousness of them depends on their depth and whether the line appears fainter than before.  A bar from the Heart Line shows emotional problems will get in the way of professional success; from the Head Line, nervous trouble or bad judgement; from the Life Line, family difficulties; and Health Line, illness.  A second line (that runs alongside it without touching it) means a second job or an absorbing hobby.

The Success Line 

The Success, Fortune, or Sun Line is often missing from the hand.  If it is absent, the subject may do quite well and earn a fair amount of money, but will never make a reputation of themselves or get into easy circumstances. If it is present, it will run up the hand, roughly parallel with the Fate Line, going up towards the third or Sun finger.  If it only appears clearly in places and seems to fade out in between, the success will merely be fitful.

If the line is doubled at any point by another line running closely parallel, the good fortune is doubled also.  Branches running upwards from the line showed more marked success or riches from that date.  Bar lines show setbacks while an island indicates some loss of prestige or reputation.  The Success Line has a wonderful power of overcoming the defects or weakness of the Fate Line at the same period.  In fact, even if the Fate Line should break off shot (usually because of a serious misfortune) provided the Sun Line continues or even starts at this point then the person needs a change.

The Health Line

The Health, Liver, or Mercury Line slants across the hand with one end on or near the Mount of Mercury and the other on or near the Life Line.  No main line varies in position more than this line and can even be more or less vertical with one end on the Mercury Mount or the Heart Line (do not confuse it with the Intuition Line which is rare and curved whereas the Health Line is straight).  If the Health Line is absent, it means that person has relatively strong health (with exceptions being on the other lines).  While the Life Line shows serious illnesses or major ill-health, the well-named Health Line is a guide to one’s fitness or otherwise health at the moment.

The best Health Line is one which runs more or less vertically down the hand, keeps well away from the Life Line and is unbroken and not too deep.  When the Health Line rises form the Life Line, health is likely to be a difficulty all through life.  A chained line shows that the liver is sluggish and needs attention.  When the line is made up of little bits, indigestion causes trouble.