It Happened One Christmas (1977): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1977, It Happened One Christmas is a komödie and fernsehfilm film directed by Donald Wrye, running about 109 minutes.

What it’s about. It's Christmas Eve 1944 in the small town of Bedford Falls, New York. A despondent and suicidal Mary Bailey Hatch is praying for guidance on what to do about an incident no fault of her own which threatens her name and the community standing of her longtime family business, the Bailey Building and Loan, which she took over after the passing of her father. What Mary does not know is that most in town, including her husband George Hatch and their children, are also praying for her. All the prayers are heard by Joseph, God's gatekeeper of prayers. As there are no other angels available on such a busy day, Joseph assigns Clara Oddbody, angel second class (i.e. she has yet to receive her wings), to Mary's case, which he reluctantly does as Clara has never been assigned a case on her own in the two hundred years she's been in heaven for good reason.

Who’s in it. It Happened One Christmas stars Marlo Thomas as Mary Bailey Hatch, Orson Welles as Henry F. Potter, Wayne Rogers as George Hatch and Cloris Leachman as Clara Oddbody, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 3.2/10, It Happened One Christmas has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In USA you can rent or buy it from Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch It Happened One Christmas page.

If you liked it. Fans of It Happened One Christmas tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Das Leben ist schön and Fight Club.