From the new book Green Is the New Red by journalist Will Potter:
In a 1947 memo, the government warned that this [the cultural threat of communism] might include the classic Christmas move It’s a Wonderful Life. The film’s archetypal villain was old man Potter, a banker. Its director, Frank Capra, was reported by the FBI to have “associated with left-wing groups and, on one other occasion to have made a picture which was decidedly socialist in nature—Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
Ooooh, that bastard Jimmy Stewart! Trying to subvert basic American decency with his socialistical nice-guy film acting!
What’s interesting is that Jimmy Stewart was a life long Republican.
Capra was deeply religious/Republican too but in all fairness in the 40’s that was an entirely different thing.
I don’t see the parallel at all. George Bailey was a banker too – both were ‘small businesses’ since Potter didn’t have any holdings beyond Bedford Falls.
@1 Jimmy Stewart was also a bad ass – when Reagan was sitting out the war in Hollywood, Jimmy was flying B-24 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewa…
Haven’t read Potter’s book, although I’m curious about the arguments…mostly because there’s nothing in environmentalism that runs, necessarily, counter to the state or to capitalism. Richard Grove argues in Green Imperialism that a lot of the impetus for the green movement came about in the context of colonial expansion, empire, etc. Sustainability is just as much about perpetual profit as anything…
Wow, you weren’t kidding, @3.
“As a means to inspire his new group, Stewart flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on numerous missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. These missions went uncounted at Stewart’s orders. His “official” total is listed as 20 and is limited to those with the 445th.”
He might as well have just pulled out his gigantic balls and hung them out the window on every mission.
Ha!
Apparently none of you are aware of the REAL Jimmy Stewart. So brilliantly exposed in the documentary, “After The Thin Man” Based on a book by the famous investigative reporter Dashiell Hammett! HA!
Frank Capra had open admiration for Mussolini too, but then so did Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.