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It's a Wonderful Classic
Watching It’s a Wonderful Life is a holiday tradition, like hearing Bing sing “White Christmas” or glugging down Grandma’s egg nog. What may shock you is that the beloved drama tanked upon arrival in 1946, ranking 26th in the year-end box-office recap. Why is it now considered a classic? Because in 1974, the film went into the public domain , meaning TV stations could air it for free – and hundreds did. But Life’s loss (of royalties) is our gain, as its popularity has explo
Dec 1, 20252 min read


Fred Zinnemann
I once got an email from an 88-year-old man named George, praising an essay I’d written for The Washington Post . Coincidentally, I had...
Sep 14, 20243 min read


Hollywood At War
To mark the recent 80th anniversary of D-Day, here’s my Top 10 list of Hollywood’s greatest World War II films: The Pacific Theater “From...
Jun 15, 20242 min read
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