Die Hard is Not a Christmas Movie

I may be in the minority, but this is something I am sick of. I am tired of people classifying Die Hard as a Christmas movie. So for my annual Christmas blog post, I will explain why all of you are wrong–Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie.

OK, yes, the movie takes place at Christmas. But time for the setting doesn’t always determine type. If that were the case, then we could say the movie version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a WWII movie (note: the movie actually does have the London blitz in it, despite that not being in the actual book). In fact, if you took out all the Christmas trappings and made it take place at, I don’t know, Halloween–you’d still have the same story. In fact, of the Die Hard movies, only the first one takes place at Christmas. Even Home Alone’s lesser sequel, Lost in New York, still took place at Christmas.

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15 Fun Facts About “It’s A Wonderful Life”

 I have decided to start a new series called “15 Fun Facts About Movies”.   It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most famous Christmas movies ever. It’s my #1 favorite Christmas movie and I watch it every year.  But how much do you know this movie? Here’s some great facts I found.

1. The movie is based on the short story “The Greatest Gift” by Phillip Van Doren Stern.  Among the differences are:

• George Bailey’s last name is Pratt in the original story.
• Clarence is not named in the story. In fact, he’s not even an angel.  George is instead helped by a mysterious brush salesman who gives George his wish that he was never born. He also tells him to pose as a brush salesman so that people will be more willing to talk to him.
• George Pratt has only one child in the story, not three like in the movie.

2.  Originally Cary Grant was going to play George Bailey, not Jimmy Stewart.

3. RKO bought the story and sold the rights to Capra’s Liberty Films for $10,000.

4. Carl Switzer, better known as Alfalfa from the Little Rascals (or Our Gang, depending on your preference) shorts, appears in the movie.  He’s the man who is talking to Mary before George invites her to dance at his brother’s high school reunion. (he’s the guy who opens up the floor that reveals the pool underneath)

5. Kingston Falls, the setting for Gremlins, is modelled after Bedford Falls, the setting for It’s A Wonderful Life.

6. The movie did not win any of the five Oscar nominations it received.

7. The movie was such a disappointment in its original theatrical release that Capra was never able to recover with any of the other movies he made afterward.

8. Sesame Street‘s Bert and Ernie were not named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver. That is an urban legend. However, there is an Elmo Christmas special that makes a joke about the legend.