IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS

US, 1977, 100 minutes, Colour.
Marlo Thomas, Orson Welles, Wayne Rogers, Cloris Leachman, Doris Roberts, Dick O'Neill, C. Thomas Howell, Christopher Guest.
Directed by Donald Wrye.

It Happened One Christmas is a telemovie remake of Frank Capra's 1947 classic, It's a Wonderful Life.

This film receives the colour telemovie style, earnestly made, but not entirely gripping. The unusual facet of the film is that producer and star Marlo Thomas has had the story adapted to make the leading character a woman rather than a man. George and Mary (James Stewart and Donna Reed) of the original become Mary and George (Marlo Thomas and Wayne Rodgers) of the remake. The feminine viewpoint for such a story is quite valid and quite well and persuasively done.

This means that the angel who looks after Mary becomes a woman (from Henry Travers in the original). This time it is Cloris Leachman who affects a strange accent (Irish-British-American). She appears to show Mary, who is in despair, what her life has meant and how it has influenced people. She moves in her town seeing people as if she had never existed. This brings her to her senses.

The film has a good cast and has Orson Welles in the role of Mr. Potter the town tycoon. The film follows the original fairly carefully (with the roles reverses) - but also shows that the original had the inspiration.