It's the most wonderful time of the year! But the holidays simply aren't the holidays without an annual watch of that Frank Cappa-directed classic, It's a Wonderful Life.
Regarded as one of the best Christmas films ever made, the 1946 black-and-white movie is centered on a down-on-his-luck businessman named George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) who's at the end of his rope. When he begins contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve, he is visited by his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George just how much he has helped his community and changed its residents for the better.
If you're looking to get your annual dose of the seasonal favorite, NBC will be airing It's a Wonderful Life fittingly on Christmas Eve, December 24 from 8 pm to 11 pm ET/PT. That means it's readily available for anyone with a traditional pay-TV subscription or TV antenna that receives local station signals, as well as live TV streaming subscribers to Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
A 24-hour marathon of the cherished Christmas movie will also kick off at 9 am on Christmas Day on E! There will be multiple opportunities to watch the film across Monday, December 25 and Tuesday, December 26. The full marathon schedule on E! is:
- Monday, December 25
- 9 am ET
- 12 pm ET
- 3 pm ET
- 6 pm ET
- 9 pm ET
- Tuesday, December 26:
- 12 am ET
- 3 am ET
- 6 am ET
The copyright protection for It's a Wonderful Life wasn't renewed in 1974, which thus pushed the film into the public domain. Ever since, the wistful drama has been shown frequently on public television over the holiday season and become a yuletide fixture as a result.
The holiday classic is considered one of the greatest films of all time, garnering five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Capra and Best Actor for Stewart. The beloved cast also includes Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Ward Bond, Beulah Bondi and Frank Faylen.
If you need a reminder this season to count your blessings and cherish your friends, you don't get a much better one than It's a Wonderful Life.
