In my research for my talk about George Bailey I learnt that It’s a Wonderful Life was once investigated by the FBI as possible communist propaganda. Thanks to Hayley Campbell for sending me more information about this. This is of course nonsense. The films writer/director Frank Capra and it’s star James Stewart were in fact both staunch republicans and I’m sure would’ve been horrified by the report.

Obviously this doesn’t sit well with me either, mainly because It’s my favourite movie, but I struggle to find anything right wing in the movie either, despite God and “old fashioned family values” playing a part in the movie. I could also argue that the screenplay was also worked on by both Dalton Trumbo and Dorothy Parker who were both famously left wing, and the films ultimate message of putting others before yourself doesn’t sound very right wing to me either. I suppose it’s possible to argue both points, in the same way that you can argue about the political leanings of Tintin. Maybe it’s true message transcends politics. In the words of the modern philosopher Jerry Springer:

“Be good to yourselves, and each other”