Capra was a Republican who was active in the anti-Communist cause and also donated funds to the Human Life Amendment PAC. There aren’t many directors we can say that about today!
Few filmmakers have impacted this country – and how we think about ourselves – more than Director Frank Capra. He was the creative force behind a number of legendary films of the 1930s and 1940s, including one of the greatest movies of all time (my all-time favorite movie) – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). His films have changed lives; his life was extraordinary – and we can only wonder why the kind of films he made are in such short supply today; life-affirming stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
He had humble beginnings. He was born in Sicily, and immigrated to the United States in 1903 with his parents, and luckily for him, his family chose to settle in Los Angeles. After a short stint in college studying engineering, he served in the U.S. Army during WW1, and by 1920, had what he considered to be one of his biggest life-changing moments: he became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Then began an unlikely journey in the film business. His first job? Capra became a prop man in silent films. During the next ten years, he bounced around Hollywood, and formed alliances and partnerships with some great screenwriters and cameramen.
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