It's a Wonderful Life turned the story and what was worth using from the three scripts into a screenplay that Capra would rename "It's a Wonderful Life". The script underwent many revisions throughout pre-production and during filming. Final screenplay credit went to Goodrich, Hackett, and Capra, with "additional scenes" by Jo Swerling. Capra produced the film with his independent motion picture production company Liberty Films. Dalton Trumbo had written a draft that was different from the final film. In Trumbo's draft, George Bailey is an idealistic politician that slowly grows more cynical as the story progresses, then tries to commit suicide after losing an
It's a Wonderful Life "Although it was not the complete box office failure that today everyone believes ... it was initially a major disappointment and confirmed, at least to the studios, that Capra was no longer capable of turning out the populist features that made his films the must-see, money-making events they once were." "It's a Wonderful Life" is now considered one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, placing number 11 on its initial 1998