Perspective: Mary Owen has made it her mission to ensure that small-town theaters can play the beloved Christmas classic
For the past 15 years, Mary Owen — Reed’s youngest daughter — has been appearing at annual screenings in small independent theaters that have become a cherished seasonal ritual throughout the country. “It’s become a tradition,” she said recently from her home in Iowa City, 200 miles from where her mother grew up in Denison, Iowa.
It’s tempting to see George Baileys and Mr. Potters at every turn in a story that possesses uncanny parallels with “It’s a Wonderful Life,” in which mom-and-pop values manage to overcome profit-driven commercialism. But it’s not always as clear-cut as it seems. Life, while often wonderful, is just as likely to be ambiguous, contradictory and a little messy around the edges.But a shared moral of both tales is that, for mom and pop to prevail, they have to stand up for themselves.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but people came and they kept coming,” Elliott recalled, estimating that as many as 1,000 people showed up to the rally. “It was just like the end of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ where everybody comes to George’s house. … We got amazing pictures of the crowds, our NBC affiliate was there. They had reached out to Paramount twice that day and they never responded. But the next afternoon I got an email [from the studio] saying, ‘We’re happy to book this for you.
Paramount declined to comment directly, sending a statement through a spokesperson that any theater that wants to play “It’s a Wonderful Life” is able to play it — an assertion that raises the question of whether every time a Hollywood studio tries to dodge a potential PR crisis an angel gets his wings.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Perspective | Move over, Mariah: For my Christmas spirit, I went all in on HandelPerspective: Three performances from three gifted orchestras made this “Messiah” marathon a shortcut to holiday cheer
Read more »
Downtown Cleveland ambassadors prepared for winter weather over Christmas weekendThe Downtown Cleveland Ambassadors will be out on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Read more »
Coldest Christmas in decades possible for parts of US: What to expect Christmas EveNEW YORK — It's time to bundle up: this could be the coldest Christmas in decades for parts of the country.
Read more »
8-Bit Christmas Is A Christmas Story for Kids That Grew Up with Nintendo8-Bit Christmas is A Christmas Story for kids that grew up with Nintendo. jackdprobst has more on this nostalgic holiday gem:
Read more »
Friday's Mega Millions drawing has second-largest jackpot of 2022More than a half billion dollars is up for grabs in the year's second-largest Mega Millions jackpot ahead of Christmas.
Read more »
Mom behind viral ‘home for the holidays’ food plan gets surprise from HodaThis was a morning we will never forget. Hope you all have an amazing holiday weekend, just like kmelkhat and his family have planned ✨
Read more »