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A review by book_concierge
The Greatest Gift: The Original Story That Inspired the Christmas Classic It's a Wonderful Life by Philip Van Doren Stern
4.0
This is a short story that no publisher wanted. So, it was privately printed in 1943 and distributed as a Christmas card to a select group of friends. Somehow a copy found its way into the hands of a Hollywood producer and the author was stunned to get a telegram saying the movie rights had been sold! It took three screenwriters and a director and lead actor who believed in the story to eventually produce It’s a Wonderful Life (directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart).
To mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie, Stern’s daughter had the story published in a deluxe edition, complete with wonderful illustrations by Scott McKowen. The Afterword, wherein Marguerite Stern Robinson explains how her father’s short story became the iconic movie, is a great companion to the familiar story of one man’s realization that his life really does matter.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie, Stern’s daughter had the story published in a deluxe edition, complete with wonderful illustrations by Scott McKowen. The Afterword, wherein Marguerite Stern Robinson explains how her father’s short story became the iconic movie, is a great companion to the familiar story of one man’s realization that his life really does matter.