Tickets $10/$9
Celebrate the season with a cherished Park Theatre tradition: our annual holiday presentation of It’s a Wonderful Life(1946), director Frank Capra’s timeless celebration of friendship, generosity, and the difference one person can make. James Stewart stars as George Bailey, a small-town dreamer whose sacrifices have helped sustain the community of Bedford Falls. Facing financial disaster on Christmas Eve, George believes his life has amounted to nothing—until Clarence, an earnest guardian angel, shows him what the world would have been like without him. Donna Reed stars as his devoted wife, Mary, alongside Henry Travers as Clarence, Lionel Barrymore as the ruthless Mr. Potter, and a memorable supporting cast including Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, and Gloria Grahame. Filled with humor, romance, and deeply moving performances, this beloved classic invites audiences of every generation to rediscover the people and everyday kindnesses that make life worth living. Runtime: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes).
Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, It’s a Wonderful Life has become both a landmark of American filmmaking and an essential holiday tradition, pairing its Christmas Eve setting with an enduring message of hope and community. The American Film Institute ranked it No. 1 on its list of the most inspiring American films, and it joined the National Film Registry in 1990. In a fitting bit of holiday history, its source story, Philip Van Doren Stern’s The Greatest Gift, was originally circulated as a Christmas greeting in 1943; decades later, repeated television broadcasts helped transform the film into a seasonal institution. Critics have celebrated it across generations: “A pretty wonderful movie” — TIME; “One of those ageless movies … that improves with age” — Roger Ebert; and “Frank Capra’s classic is a perfect movie” — Simon Gallagher, Screen Rant. Join us at The Park Theatre to experience its warmth, wonder, and unforgettable Christmas spirit on the big screen.
