It's a Wonderful Life

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life isn’t just the most beloved holiday film of all time. It’s also arguably the most quintessentially American movie ever made. Its populist message, everyman hero, patriotism, and sentimentality have proven a potent blend for multiple generations. So many scenes from this film are embroidered in our country’s collective consciousness; and much of the stitching holding those scenes together was supplied by Dimitri Tiomkin’s indelible score. But what you hear in the film is only a portion of what Tiomkin wrote. Director Capra cut several cues (e.g “Death Telegram”), letting those scenes play without music and rearranged where certain cues appeared; he removed sections of cues, and even tracked in music written for other films. But, working with Tiomkin’s original acetates, soundtrack collectors were able to piece together Tiomkin’s score as originally written for release on CD about a decade ago. Seldom has a movie swung so wildly from romance to reflection, brooding darkness to playful whimsy…that’s why we love it so much. Now, lovers of It’s a Wonderful Life could finally hear how Tiomkin’s original score artfully emphasized and commented on the movie’s high emotional peaks and deep valleys. Indeed, there really remains only one last step to cement Tiomkin’s legacy and, for that matter, Capra’s too. For the score to It’s a Wonderful Life has never been released on LP in any form, not in its full form or even in Capra’s truncated version. Now, we at Real Gone Music are very, very proud to present It’s a Wonderful Life on vinyl for very first time, in its complete, restored form with a two-page insert including photos, credits, and the promo poster image of Jimmy Stewart exuberantly hoisting Donna Reed. Pressed in burgundy “Zuzu’s Petals” vinyl limited to 1500 copies!