Cinema at The Bay: It’s a Wonderful Life (80th Anniversary)

Frank Capra's 1946 film turns 80, which is why it lands in the Cinema at The Bay rotation, a free outdoor series that has been programming anniversary titles since the park marked its own fourth birthday this fall. The screening is on the Oval at The Bay, projected after dark with the audience on blankets and folding chairs and the Nest café selling food. The film needs little introduction: James Stewart as George Bailey, Donna Reed as Mary, Lionel Barrymore as the banker Potter and the apprentice angel Clarence trying to earn his wings in Bedford Falls. It lost money on release and found its audience decades later through television. The Desenberg Foundation underwrites the series.