You probably think you know every frame of the Bedford Falls story. Jimmy Stewart on the bridge, the loose banister knob, Zuzu’s petals. It's a holiday law. But honestly, there is a weird, foggy corner of TV history where James Stewart doesn't exist. Instead, you've got Marlo Thomas.
Back in 1977, the woman famous for That Girl decided to flip the script. Literally. She produced and starred in a made-for-TV movie called It Happened One Christmas. It wasn't just "inspired" by the 1946 classic. It was a beat-for-beat, gender-swapped remake of Marlo Thomas in It’s a Wonderful Life.
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The Gender-Swapped Bedford Falls
The premise was pretty bold for the late seventies. Marlo Thomas stepped into the shoes of Mary Bailey. No, not the Mary who fixes up the old Granville House—this Mary was the George. She’s the one who dreams of seeing the world and building great skyscrapers, only to get stuck running the family Building & Loan.
Basically, the roles were mirrored.
Instead of George Bailey and Mary Hatch, we got Mary Bailey and George Hatch. Wayne Rogers, fresh off his stint as Trapper John on MASH*, played the "husband at home" role. It’s a strange thing to watch now. You see a woman in the 1940s—the film kept the original time period—fighting the board of directors and yelling at Uncle Willie.
Wait. It wasn't Uncle Billy. It was Uncle Willie, played by Barney Martin.
Why Did This Movie Even Happen?
You might wonder why anyone would touch a masterpiece. Well, here’s a bit of trivia: in 1977, It’s a Wonderful Life wasn't the untouchable titan it is today.
Because of a clerical error at National Telefilm Associates, the copyright had lapsed in 1974. The original film was in the public domain. This meant local stations could air the Jimmy Stewart version for free, which they did—constantly. But before it became a "tradition," producers saw it as a free script they could modernize.
Marlo Thomas was a massive star and a vocal feminist. She wanted to show that a woman’s "wonderful life" was just as vital and sacrificial as a man’s. She even managed to pull in some heavy hitters.
Check out this cast list:
- Mary Bailey: Marlo Thomas
- George Hatch: Wayne Rogers
- Mr. Potter: Orson Welles (Yes, that Orson Welles)
- Clara Oddbody: Cloris Leachman
- Harry Bailey: Christopher Guest
Seeing Orson Welles as the "richest and meanest man in the county" is actually worth the price of admission alone. He doesn't just play Potter; he devours the scenery with a cigar in his mouth and a growl that makes Lionel Barrymore look like a cuddly kitten.
The Problem with Staying in the Past
The biggest critique of Marlo Thomas in It’s a Wonderful Life is usually the setting.
The movie kept the story in the 1920s through the 1940s. It felt... off. Seeing Marlo Thomas, who was a symbol of the 1970s liberated woman, trying to navigate the social constraints of the 1930s while acting exactly like George Bailey was jarring. The dialogue was almost identical to the 1946 film.
Some critics, like those at the New York Times at the time, felt the "liberation" message got muddled because the character was just repeating a man's lines. If she’s a pioneer business woman in 1935, shouldn't people be reacting to her differently? The movie mostly ignored the gender politics of the era and just swapped the names.
Cloris Leachman vs. Henry Travers
We have to talk about the angel.
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In the original, Clarence is a bumbling, sweet old man. In the 1977 version, we get Clara, played by Cloris Leachman. She’s an "Angel Second Class" who hasn't won her wings in 200 years. Leachman brings a totally different energy—more frantic, more comedic.
When Mary reaches her breaking point on that snowy bridge, Clara doesn't just jump in. The sequence tries to mimic the original’s tension, but without the black-and-white noir shadows of Frank Capra’s direction, it feels a bit more like a stage play.
What Really Happened with the Legacy?
So, why don't we watch this every year?
Frank Capra, the original director, was reportedly furious. He called the remake "plagiaristic," even though it was legally allowed because of the public domain status. He hated that his vision was being "tinkered with."
By the early 1980s, the 1946 original had become a cultural phenomenon. It was everywhere. The Marlo Thomas version, which had actually done quite well in the ratings when it first aired on ABC, started to fade. It was eventually pulled from most broadcast rotations because, honestly, why watch the cover band when the Beatles are playing for free on the next channel?
For a long time, It Happened One Christmas was nearly impossible to find. It never got a big DVD release. It became a bit of "lost media" for film nerds.
Is It Worth Watching Today?
If you can find a bootleg or a rare streaming copy, you should see it for the curiosity factor.
It’s a fascinating time capsule of 1970s television trying to grapple with classic Hollywood. It proves that the story of a person feeling like a failure, only to realize their impact, is universal. Whether it’s George or Mary, the core of the story works.
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Thomas gives a very earnest performance. She isn't trying to "be" Jimmy Stewart; she’s trying to be a person who gave up her soul for a town that didn't always love her back.
Next Steps for Film History Fans:
If you want to track down this obscure piece of TV history, your best bet is searching for archive sites or specialty "grey market" collectors, as it remains unreleased on major digital platforms. To see the contrast in styles, try watching the 1946 version side-by-side with the "Potterville" (or in this case, "Potter's Town") sequence of the 1977 remake to see how Orson Welles' presence changes the tone of the "darkest timeline."