Magic Lantern Video & Book StoreFrank Capra
[1897-1991]
![studio publicity shot of auteur Frank Capra [1897-1991]](images/FrankCapra&camera.jpg "studio publicity shot of auteur Frank Capra [1897-1991]") | short profile |
"There are no rules in filmmaking, only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness."
"I thought drama was when the actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries." — Frank Capra
Francesco Rosario Capra was born on 18 May 1897 in Bisacquino, Sicily, Italy; the family immigrated to the United States in 1903 and settled in Los Angeles, California. In 1918, Frank graduated from what is now Cal Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and taught ballistics & mathematics to artillerymen, but became ill with Spanish influenza and was medically discharged with the rank of second lieutenant. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1920, adopting the name Frank Russell Capra.
He found work in the movie industry, first as a prop man, then working his way up to writing & directing, for Hal Roach, and Mack Sennett, and then for Columbia Pictures. He formed a long-running production team that included writer Robert Riskin, writer Jo Swerling, cameraman Joseph Walker, and writer Sidney Buchman. The record success of "It Happened One Night" [1934] – all five major Oscars – was followed by "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936] – Best Director Oscar; "Lost Horizon" [1937] – Best Director nomination; "You Can't Take It With You" [1938] – Oscars for Best Picture & Best Director; "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" [1939] – Best Picture & Best Director nominations; and "Meet John Doe" [1941].
Frank Capra was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in 1935, and led the organization away from the tense strife with the labor guilds (S.D.G./D.G.A., S.W.G./W.G.A. and S.A.G especially). Capra instituted balloting reforms, added new craft categories, added Supporting Actor & Actress (a bone for S.A.G.), and created the Irving Thalberg Award. He served as president until 1939.
At the beginning of World War II, he joined the U.S Army as a major and worked for their Signal Corps; he was very proud of the seven-part 'Why We Fight' series; he left the service at war's end as a colonel.
Frank Capra's postwar films included "It's A Wonderful Life" [1946] starring James Stewart; although the film received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actor, it was a boxoffice disappointment. He made several musical comedy features and some science documentaries up thru 1961. He worked on various movie project ideas, but his career was effectively over; he lived his later years in La Quinta, near Palm Springs, California.
Frank Capra's second wife, Lou Capra [d. 1984] bore him four children, including filmmaker Frank Capra, Jr. [1934-2007]; son Tom Capra operated Capra's Italian Ristorante in Palm Springs for several years; grandson Frank Capra III is a busy assistent director for movies & TV.
Frank Capra was elected President of the Directors Guild of America in 1960; he received various awards over the years, including the A.F.I. Lifetime Achievement Award in 1982 and the National Medal of Arts in 1986.
He died in his sleep on 3 September 1991 at the age of 94.
Frank Capra entry at Wikipedia
browse Frank Capra on DVD
Frank Capra credits [1915-84] at Internet Movie Database
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Frank Capra won four Academy Awards an Oscar® for "It Happened One Night" [1934] {Best Director}, an Oscar® for "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936] {Best Director}, and two Oscars® for "You Can't Take It With You" [1938] {Best Picture & Best Director} — out of 11 Oscar® nominations He also received
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Movies of Frank Capra
Frank Capra credits [1915-84] at Internet Movie Database
Frank Capra filmography at Wikipedia
browse Frank Capra on DVD
 | "American Vision: The Films of Frank Capra" [1986] by Ray Carney analysis of Frank Capra's life as it relates to the broad cultural context of his films Wesleyan Univ Press pb [1996] out of print/used Cambridge Univ Presshardcover [1986] out of print/used |
 | "The Complete Films of Frank Capra" [orig 1977, rev 1992] by Victor Scherle & William Turner Levy Introduction by Hon. William O. Douglas; Comments by Kay Garnett, Walter Lantz, Franηois Truffaut, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Peter Bogdanovitch, and others Citadel Press 11x8½ pb [2/1992] for $34.79 Citadel Press hardcover [7/77] out of print/used Virgin Publng Spanish-language pb [1992] out of print/used |
 | "Austin Film Society Essential Cinema: The Films of Frank Capra" [June 2015] film series of June 2015 shown at The Marchesa Hall & Theater on Fiskville Road on four Thursday evenings; the movies chosen were "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" [1933], "Lost Horizon" [1937], "You Can't Take It With You" [1938], and "Mr. Smith Goes To Washing-ton" [1939] watch 5/2015 official promo [0:58] online at YouTube |
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 | "Frank Capra: World War II Collection" [1997] Sumthing Distrbn b&w VHS 4-pack [9/97] out of prodn/scarce |
 | "The Premiere Frank Capra Collection" box set [2006]
Sony DVD box set [12/2006] 6 disks for $99.95 contains "American Madness" [1932]; multi-Oscar-winner "It Happened One Night" [1934]; Oscar-winner "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936]; Oscar-winner "You Can't Take It With You" [1938]; "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" [1939]; and the TV documentary "Frank Capra's American Dream" [1997] |
 | "Frank Capra: The Early Collection" DVD Box Set [2014]
Turner Classic Movies b&w DVD set [11/2014] 5 disks for $49.99 contains 5 feature films: "Ladies of Leisure" [1930] starring Barbara Stanwyck; "Rain or Shine" [1930] circus movie; "The Miracle Woman" [1931] starring Barbara Stanwyck; "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" [1933] starring Barbara Stanwyck & Nils Asther; and "Forbidden" [1932] starring Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou & Ralph Bellamy |
 | "Mr. Capra Goes To War: Frank Capra's World War II Documentaries" [2018] with introductions by James McBride; contains "Why We Fight, Part 1: Prelude To War" [1943], "Why We Fight, Part 5: The Battle of Russia" [1943], "Tunisian Victory" [1944], "The Negro Soldier" recruiting propaganda [1944], and "Your Job In Germany" [1945] for occupation troops & civilians Olive Films b&w Blu-ray [11/2018] for $19.65 Olive Films b&w DVD set [11/2018] 2 disks for $17.85 |
"Screen Snapshots" silent documentaries [1920]
 | Frank Capra's first directorial efforts were one or more of these silent documentaries on Hollywood, which are lost "Screen Snapshots" shorts series [1920-58] produced by Jack Cohn & Louis Lewyn, 1920-30, produced by Ralph Staub 1930-58 |
"La Visita Dell'Incrociatore Italiano Libia a San Francisco" silent documentary
[L'Italia Virtus Club Dec 1921]
 | 32-minute documentary film about the visit of the Italian naval vessel Libia to San Francisco in November 1921, and also the reception given to the crew of the ship by San Francisco's L'Italia Virtus Club, now known as the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club Directed by Frank Capra; intertitles written by Frank Capra & journalist Giulio DeMoro {as J.J. DeMoro} of L'Italia newspaper; featuring Antonio Farina, Comm. Ernesto Burtagli, Pier 43, James Rolph, Dario Mecchi, actress Livia Maggiora, Rev. Manassero, editor Ettore Patrizi of L'Italia newspaper, actress Dorothy Valerga (Revier), Pamela Papeschi, child Lillian Ruggiero, the Grand March; cinematography by Amos Stillman bare credits from IMDb
watch full movie [April 2014 upload] online at YouTube: part 1 [24:41] + part 2 [7:08] |
"Fultah Fisher's Boarding House"
[Fireside/Pathι April 1922 silent short]
Co-written & directed by Frank Capra; based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling [1865-1936]
full credits from IMDb
"Tramp, Tramp, Tramp"
[First National Pictures March 1926 silent feature]
Co-writtten by Frank Capra; starring Harry Langdon & Joan Crawford
full credits from IMDb
"Jubilo, Jr." comedy two-reeler [Hal Roach/Pathι June 1924] /tt0235502/
Directed by Robert F. McGowan; scenario by Frank Capra; starring Will Rogers, Mickey Daniels, Charley Chase, Allen 'Farina' Hoskins
"The Strong Man"
[First National Pictures Sept 1926 silent feature]
Directed by Frank Capra, starring Harry Langdon & Priscilla Bonner
full credits from IMDb
"Long Pants"
[First National Pictures March 1927 silent feature]
Directed by Frank Capra, starring Harry Langdon, Priscilla Bonner & Alma Bennett
full credits from IMDb
"For The Love of Mike"
[First National Pictures July 1927 silent short]
Directed by Frank Capra; starring Claudette Colbert, Ben Lyon, George Sidney & Ford Sterling;
Frank Capra hated the film, all prints are considered lost
full credits from IMDb
"The Matinee Idol"
[Columbia March 1928 silent feature]
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A famous comedian leaves his hectic life, becomes part of a traveling troupe of players, and falls for the lead actress Directed by Frank Capra; starring Johnnie Walker & Bessie Love
Sony b&w/color DVD [6/99] for $24.99 full credits from IMDb the DVD also contains "Frank Capra's American Dream" [1997] TV documentary by Kenneth Bowser |
"That Certain Thing" [Columbia silent Jan 1928]
 | A young woman jumps at the chance to marry the heir to a restaurant fortune, then the millionaire father disinherits the boy
Co-produced, co-written & directed by Frank Capra; starring Viola Dana, Ralph Graves & Burr McIntosh; modern orchestral score provided by Stanford Theater Foundation
Jef Films b&w silent DVD [12/2007] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
"The Power of The Press"
[Columbia silent feature Oct 1928]
 | A cub reporter discovers the daughter of the mayor at the scene of a murder; when he agrees to help clear her, he loses his job Directed by Frank Capra; starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jobyna Ralston, Mildred Harris, Philo McCullough, Wheeler Oakman & Robert Edeson; listed on National Film Registry (2005)
video/DVD not available full credits from IMDb |
"Rain or Shine" [1930] /tt0021282/ circus movie directed by Frank Capra
simultaneous domestic & foreign versions (both by Capra), since many theaters were not yet converted to sound-on-film
"Ladies of Leisure"
[Columbia sound feature April 1930]
 | The son of a wealthy businessman wants to be a painter. He tires of the wild party life of his society fiancee and takes a drive in the country, where he meets a scantily clad 'party girl' who has just fled a too-wild party on a yacht. He hires her to be his model . . . Co-produced & directed by Frank Capra; adapted by Jo Swerling from the stageplay; starring Barbara Stanwyck, Ralph Graves, Lowell Sherman, Marie Prevost, Nance O'Neil, George Fawcett, Juliette Compton & Johnnie Walker
video/DVD not available full credits from IMDb |
"The Miracle Woman" [Columbia July 1931]
 | When her preacher father is fired by his congregation and dies, disillusioned Florence delivers a fervent and bitter anti-hypocrisy rant from the pulpit. Con-man Horsby notices and convinces her to join him and work as a phony evangelist, for the money. But eventually she tires of performing fake miracles, then meets a simple blind man and falls in love. Directed by Frank Capra; script by Jo Swerling, based on the play "Bless You Sister" by John Meehan & Robert Riskin; starring Barbara Stanwyck, David Manners, Sam Hardy, Beryl Mercer, Russell Hopton, Charles Middleton, Eddie Boland & Thelma Hill
not available on DVD; Sony b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"Platinum Blonde" [Columbia Oct 1931]
 | A newspaper reporter secretly marries a beautiful high society girl, but her wealthy snob relatives shun his colleagues & friends. Directed by Frank Capra; co-written by Robert Riskin; starring Robert Williams, Jean Harlow, Loretta Young, Halliwell Hobbes, Reginald Owen, Edmund Breese, Don Dillaway, Walter Catlett, Claud Allister & Louise Closser Hale
Sony b&w DVD [11/2003] for $12.49 Sony b&w VHS [9/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb "Six Screen Plays by Robert Riskin" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan the other 5 scripts written for Capra are "American Madness" [1932], "It Happened One Night" [1934], "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936], "Lost Horizon" [1937], and "Meet John Doe" [1941] Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ pb [4/97] for $49.38 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] for $74.74 |
"Forbidden" [Jan 1932] /tt0022905/
starring Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou & Ralph Bellamy
"American Madness" [Columbia Aug 1932]
 | While under pressure to sell out to a larger bank, a small-town banker has to deal with a robbery, a loyal employee accused of the theft, a disloyal employee with a large gambling debt, and an unfaithful wife – plus a run by depositors on his bank. Directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin (said to be based on A.P. Giannini and his Bank of Italy); starring Walter Huston, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson, Constance Cummings, Gavin Gordon, Sterling Holloway & Charley Grapewin
full credits from IMDb
Sony Mod b&w Blu-ray [5/2020] for $22.99 Sony b&w BD-R DVD [10/2011] for $18.93 Sony b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used "Six Screen Plays by Robert Riskin" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan the other 5 scripts written for Capra are "Platinum Blonde" [1931], "It Happened One Night" [1934], "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936], "Lost Horizon" [1937], and "Meet John Doe" [1941] Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ pb [4/97] for $49.38 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] for $74.74 |
"The Bitter Tea of General Yen"
[Columbia Jan 1933]
 | A young American arrives in Shanghai, China to marry a missionary. She is caught up in the turmoil of the Chinese Civil War, rescued by a general, and soon entangled with espionage and forbidden love. Directed by Frank Capra; starring Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Toshia Mori, Walter Connolly, Gavin Gordon, Lucien Littlefield, Richard Loo, Helen Jerome Eddy & Emmett Corrigan Sony b&w VHS [6/94] out of prodn/used 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $13.47 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Lady For A Day"
[Columbia Sept 1933]
 | A charming fairy tale: A street-seller in New York City has lied to her daughter in Spain about being a high society dowager. When the girl has the chance to marry a count, the mother enlists street pals, including a local gangster, in maintaining the pretense. (Capra's first big hit; remade in 1961 as "Pocketful of Miracles".) Directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, based on a Damon Runyon story; starring Warren William, May Robson, Guy Kibbee, Glenda Farrell, Ned Sparks, Walter Connolly, Jean Parker, Nat Pendleton, Hobart Bosworth, Robert Emmett O'Connor & Halliwell Hobbes; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script/Adaptation & Best Actress (MR)
Image Ent. b&w DVD [10/2001] for $21.99 Image Ent. b&w VHS [10/2001] for $14.23 full credits from IMDb |
"It Happened One Night"
[Columbia Pictures Feb 1934]
the first Oscar 'grand slam': won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress & Best Script
 | The father of a spoiled, spunky socialite annuls her marriage, so she jumps off his yacht and runs away. An out-of-work reporter realizes he has a choice story when he meets her on a cross-country bus, and he trades his silence and help for an exclusive. But during their travels together, they reluctantly fall in love – though neither is able to admit to it. Produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, based on the novel "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams; starring Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas, Alan Hale & Ward Bond; listed on National Film Registry, 1993
Criterion Collection all-region 4k HD b&w Blu-ray [1/2014] for $28.95 Sony Special Edition b&w DVD [12/99] for $14.99 Sony b&w VHS [6/94] for $16.99 full credits from IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia watch official trailer [2/2018 upload; 1:22] online at YouTube blue 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 black 24"x36" poster from Amazon for $13.99 310-page University Reprint loose-leaf unbound facsimile screenplay [2012] for $22.17 "Six Screen Plays by Robert Riskin" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan the other 5 scripts written for Capra are "Platinum Blonde" [1931], "American Madness" [1932], "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936], "Lost Horizon" [1937], and "Meet John Doe" [1941] Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ pb [4/97] for $49.38 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] for $74.74 |
![Night Bus novel [1933] by Samuel Hopkins Adams](covers2/DellNightBusSHA1933.jpg "Night Bus novel [1933] by Samuel Hopkins Adams") | "Night Bus" novel [1933] by Samuel Hopkins Adams [1871-1958], Cover Art By Sandor Klein The novelette or short story was first published in the August 1933 Cosmopolitan Magazine Fiction Issue, then published as Dell paperback #3, also in 1933. (Magazine not found on Amazon, the paperback is quite rare.) Dell #3 mass pb [1933] out of print/scarce author entry at Wikipedia |
"Broadway Bill" [Columbia Nov 1934]
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The son-in-law of a tycoon runs away from the company town, along with his race horse and his wife's sister, chasing the dream of winning the Imperial Derby; remade in 1950 as "Riding High" starring Bing Crosby. Directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, from a Mark Hellinger story; starring Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Walter Connolly, Helen Vinson, Douglass Dumbrille, Raymond Walburn, Lynne Overman, Clarence Muse & Margaret Hamilton
Paramount b&w DVD [8/2004] for $12.99 Paramount b&w VHS [9/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"Mr. Deeds Goes To Town"
[Columbia April 1936]
  | A small-town tuba player inherits a fortune from a distant relative; he moves to the big city and fends off a stream of city slickers, embezzlers, moochers & phonies, and a greedy opera committee. Then a hot-shot female reporter gets him in her sights... Produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, based on a story by Clarence Budington Kelland; starring Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander, Douglass Dumbrille, Raymond Walburn, H.B. Warner, Ruth Donnelly & George 'Gabby' Hayes; won Oscar for Best Director, nominated for Best Picture, Best Script, Best Actor, Best Sound
full credits from IMDb
Sony b&w DVD [2/2000] for $17.99 Sony b&w VHS [5/2002] out of prodn/used "Six Screen Plays by Robert Riskin" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan the other 5 scripts written for Capra are "Platinum Blonde" [1931], "American Madness" [1932], "It Happened One Night" [1934], "Lost Horizon" [1937], and "Meet John Doe" [1941] Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ pb [4/97] for $49.38 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] for $74.74 |
"Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1969 tv series]: partial credits at IMDb
"Lost Horizon" [Columbia March 1937]
  | A British author-diplomat-adventurer is kidnapped to an isolated Himalayan valley where inhabitants live for centuries. {NOTE: Capra burned the first two reels and released the film at 108 minutes; film slueths have restored the film to the original 132/134 minutes, now available on DVD.} Produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, based on James Hilton's novel; starring Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Sam Jaffe, H.B. Warner, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo & Isabel Jewell; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best A.D., Best Supporting Actor {HBW), Best Music (Dimitri Tiomkin) & Best Sound; won Oscars for Best Art Direction & Best Film Editing
Sony b&w DVD [8/99] for $24.88 Sony b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used Soundtrack Factory soundtrack CD [1/99] for $11.99 full credits from IMDb "Six Screen Plays by Robert Riskin" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan the other 5 scripts written for Capra are "Platinum Blonde" [1931], "American Madness" [1932], "It Happened One Night" [1934], "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936], and "Meet John Doe" [1941] Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ pb [4/97] for $49.38 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] for $74.74 color musical remake [1973] Produced by Ross Hunter, directed by Charles Jarrott full credits from IMDb |
 | "Lost Horizon: The Haunting Novel of Love In Shangri-La" [1933] by James Hilton [1900-54] chosen to be the first novel published in paperback form, as Pocket Book #1 Pocket mass pb [1/88] for $6.99 Harper 8x5½ pb [6/2004] for $9.97 Amereon 8¾x6 hardcover [6/93] for $24.95 Reader's Digest hardcover [1/90] out of prodn/many used book entry at Wikipedia; book/movie fansite |
"Messenger: A Sequel To Lost Horizon - A Story of Shangri-La" [1994]
by Frank DeMarco
Hampton Roads pb [8/94] for $9.95
unpublished "Karakal: Lost Horizon - The Return"
by Kilburn Hall
"You Can't Take It With You"
[Columbia August 1938]
| |   | The son of a wealthy, snobbish family plans to marry the lovely daughter of a free-spirited & loving family presided over by a wise grandfather.
Produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, based on the hit Broadway play {below}; music by Dimitri Tiomkin; starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold, Spring Byington, Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Samuel S. Hinds, Donald Meek, H.B. Warner, Halliwell Hobbes, Dub Taylor, Mary Forbes, Lillian Yarbo & Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson; won Oscars for Best Picture & Best Director, Oscar nominated for Best Script, Best Supporting Actress (SB), Best Cinematography, Best Editing & Best Sound
Sony b&w DVD [2/2003] for $26.99 Sony b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Moss Hart & George S. Kaufman
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"Mr. Smith Goes To Washington"
[Columbia Oct 1939]
  | 11"x17" movie poster available at AllPosters.com
A classic struggle between good & evil: A naive Boy Scout leader is appointed U.S. Senator on a lark; threatened by his idealism, the corrupt system in Washington, DC first tries to bribe him, then manufactures a scandal. Directed by Frank Capra; script by Sidney Buchman, based on a story by Lewis R. Foster; starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, Eugene Pallette, Harry Carey, Beulah Bondi, H.B. Warner & William Demarest; won an Oscar for Best Original Story, nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor, two Best Supporting Actors (Rains & Carey), Best Music [Dimitri Tiomkin], Best Art Direction, Best Editing & Best Sound; listed on National Film Registry (1989) Sony b&w DVD [2/2000] for $19.99 Sony b&w VHS [2/2000] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb watch official trailer [1:41] at YouTube |
"Meet John Doe" [Warner Bros. May 1941]
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A pitch-black jeremiad against manipulation by the media: A laid-off female reporter writes a biting (fake) letter from a despairing unemployed 'John Doe' who threatens to jump off the top of city hall on Christmas Eve. The public outcry leads to the reporter keeping her job and the newspaper milking the story for all it is worth. The paper hires a down-and-out baseball player to portray 'John Doe'; his staunch character is very popular, causing a grass-roots political movement that is twisted by a ruthless financier Produced & directed by Frank Capra; story by Richard Connell & Robert Presnell Sr., script by Robert Riskin; music by Dimitri Tiomkin; starring Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Gene Lockhart, Rod La Rocque, Regis Toomey & Sterling Holloway; Oscar nomination for Best Story
Alpha Video b&w DVD [1/2002] for $7.98 Passport b&w DVD [8/2003] for $9.98 b&w VHS [undated] for $12.99 Timeless Multimedia b&w VHS [12/98] for $14.99 full credits from IMDb "Six Screen Plays by Robert Riskin" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan the other 5 scripts written for Capra are "Platinum Blonde" [1931], "American Madness" [1932], "It Happened One Night" [1934], "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936], and "Lost Horizon" [1937] Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ pb [4/97] for $49.38 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] for $74.74 |
"Why We Fight" documentary series [1943-45]
| |  | Educational documentary films produced for showing to new recruits and also released to theaters. Produced & co-directed by Frank Capra [1897-1991] and co-directed by Anatole Litvak [1902-74] & Anthony Veiller [1903-65] for the U.S. Army Signal Corps; the "Prelude To War" segment won a Best Documentary Oscar for the U.S. Army; listed in National Film Registry (2000) Periscope Film LLC Blu-ray set [7/2014] 2 disks for $34.95 Shout! Factory/Timeless Media DVD boxed set [3/2007] 2 disks for $8.99 Gaiam Americas DVD boxed set [2/2009] 4 disks - out of prodn/used Goodtimes DVD boxed set [3/2001] 4 disks - out of prodn/used Questar b&w VHS boxed set [4/2002] 3 tapes for $28.45 Rhino b&w VHS boxed set [8/98] 7 tapes for $37.98 |
more info on Magic Lantern's "Why We Fight" Documentary Series [1943-45] Page
"The Negro Soldier" [U.S. War Dept. Feb 1944]
 
| 43-minute short film documenting the contributions of Afro-Americans to America's victory in World War II — straight-forward propaganda for the recruitment of Afro-American soldiers Produced by Col. Frank Capra; directed by Capt. Stuart Heisler; script by Carlton Moss; starring Clarence Brooks, Lt. Norman Ford, Carlton Moss, Sgt. Clyde Turner & Bertha Woolford on DVD at last! em3 video b&w DVD [10/2015] for $24.95 Sony b&w VHS [6/94] out of prodn/used Hollywood Select Video b&w VHS [3/2000] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia watch full movie [10/2012 upload; 42:32] online at YouTube |
"Tunisian Victory" [U.S. War Dept. April 1944] /tt0037404/
75-minute docufilm about Britain's World War II success "from the invasion in North Africa to the fall of Tunis" Directed by John Boulting, Roy Boulting, Frank Capra & Hugh Stewart; replacement scenes directed by John Huston; English narration by Leo Genn; French version narrated by Jacques Duchesne; Burgess Meredith {voice of American Soldier}, Bernard Miles {voice of British Soldier}; with archive footage of Omar N. Bradley,
Alan Brooke,
Winston Churchill,
Mark W. Clark,
Alan Cunningham,
Andrew Cunningham,
Franηois Darlan,
Charles de Gaulle,
James Doolittle,
Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Henri Giraud,
Adolf Hitler,
Albert Kesselring,
George C. Marshall,
Bernard L. Montgomery,
Louis Mountbatten,
George S. Patton,
Philippe Pιtain,
Erwin Rommel,
Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Walter Bedell Smith
http://www.amazon.com/Tunisian-Victory-Detective-Restored-Version/dp/B01LTHM8ZC/
http://www.amazon.com/Tunisian-Victory-Remastered-Bernard-Miles/dp/B00QN6LVR6/
http://www.amazon.com/Tunisian-Victory-U-S-Government/dp/B001Q1G33U/ vhs
http://www.amazon.com/Collection-Images-darchives-militaires-lib%C3%A9ration/dp/B075KZ7D6S/
"Arsenic and Old Lace" [Warner Bros. Sept 1944]
 | A newly-married bachelor stage critic drops in on his two spinster aunts in Brooklyn and discovers that they have the 'bad habit' of killing lonely old men, with the help of a cousin who thinks that he is President Teddy Roosevelt. The insanity is ramped up when his sociopathic brother arrives to hide out from the police Co-produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein, based on the 1941 play by Joseph Kesselring; starring Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, John Alexander, Jack Carson, John Ridgely, Edward McNamara, James Gleason, Grant Mitchell & Edward Everett Horton full credits from IMDb Turner b&w DVD [8/2000] for $10.99 M.G.M./Warner b&w VHS [7/98] out of prodn/many used |
 | "Your Job In Germany" [U.S. War Dept. 1945] Produced as a warning to troops and civilians in Europe and at home that Nazi officials may no longer wear their uniforms but are still hoping to revive the Reich Directed by Frank Capra; film and narration was written by Army Major Ted Geisel {later Dr. Seuss}, serving at the U.S.A.A.F. First Motion Picture Unit in California; narrated by John Lund VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available incomplete credits at IMDb watch full movie [National Archives 3/2014 upload; 14:24] online at YouTube watch shortened movie [4/2011 upload; 10:40] online at Internet Archive |
 | "Hitler Lives" [Warner Bros. Dec 1945] taglines on poster: the Nazi nightmare, exposed! - is Germany beaten? - a dramatic challenge to the people of the world! Someone at Warner Bros. discovered a rule that any film made by the Army could be shown to the general public if the soundtrack was replaced by a new one; so the original narration was removed from "Your Job In Germany" and about 3 minutes of footage was added, and the soundtrack was replaced with a new one; the Oscar Award for Best Documentary Short Subject was given to the producers at Warner Bros. in 1946 Directed by Don Siegel; narration written by Saul Elkins; music by William Lava; film edited by De Leon Anthony; narrated by Knox Manning; includes scenes edited from "Triumph of The Will" [1935] VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available incomplete credits at IMDb watch full movie - requires sign-in [6/2016 upload; 16:50] online at YouTube |
"It's A Wonderful Life" [Liberty/R.K.O. Dec 1946]
  | A despondent small-town banker is ready to commit suicide by jumping from a bridge, when his inept guardian angel appears and shows him what his town would be like if he had not been born Co-written & directed by Frank Capra; based on a Christmas card sent out by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1943; music by Dimitri Tiomkin; starring James Stewart, Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner & Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Editing & Best Sound; listed on National Film Registry (1990); listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (5/2005) {Some fool at a later distribitor let the motion picture copyright lapse, and since no royalties or permissions were required, this happy film was shown on television for many years during the Thanksgiving & Christmas seasons. But then the legal depart-ment realized that they still had a copyright on the music and other elements, so bootleg copies were stamped out and now permissions & payment of royalties are required for any broadcast.} Paramount b&w Blu-ray [11/2009] 2 disks for $25.95 Paramount b&w/color DVD [11/2007] 2 disks for $14.95 Paramount 60th Anniv Edition b&w DVD [10/2006] for $16.80 Republic Pictures b&w VHS [9/95] for 60’ {sic} Republic Pictures Deluxe Anniv Edition b&w VHS [9/96] for $7.95 Sony soundtrack CD [10/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb Broadway play [2005] credits at IBDb movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Greatest Gift: The Original Story That Inspired The Christmas Classic It's a Wonderful Life" [1943] by Philip Van Doren Stern Studio 7¾x5¾ hardcover [11/96] out of print/70+ used |
[Universal TV/NBC-TV Dec 1977]
 | A gender-reversed reworking of Capra's 1947 classic. A woman whose life is coming apart wishes that she had never been born, so an angel is sent to Earth to grant her wish after showing her how her never having been born would have affected everyone else
Directed by Donald Wrye; adapted by Lionel Chetwynd; co-produced by & starring Marlo Thomas, also starring Orson Welles, Wayne Rogers, Cloris Leachman & Barney Martin DVDs were produced, but not available via Amazon (2019) Amazon Instant Video [11/2018] HD rental $3.99, HD purchase $8.99 full credits from IMDb |
"State of The Union" [M.G.M. April 1948]
 | The party machinery becomes worried when a candidate for President begins speaking out boldly against corruption.
Produced & directed by Frank Capra; based on the Pulitzer-winning 1945 stageplay by Russel Crouse & Howard Lindsay; starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, Adolphe Menjou, Lewis Stone, Margaret Hamilton, Art Baker & Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer
Universal b&w DVD [8/2006] for $12.99 Universal b&w VHS [1/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb Broadway play credits at IBDb |
"Riding High" [Paramount April 1950]
 | A musical remake of Capra's "Broadway Bill" [1934], using many scenes from the original, even inclu-ding deceased actors! The son-in-law of a tycoon runs away from the company town, along with his race horse and his wife's sister, chasing the dream of winning the Imperial Derby Produced & directed by Frank Capra; starring Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray, Charles Bickford, Frances Gifford, William Demarest, Raymond Walburn, James Gleason, Ward Bond, Clarence Muse, Percy Kilbride, Harry Davenport, Margaret Hamilton, Gene Lockhart, Joe Frisco, Dub Taylor, Max Baer, Clara Blandick & Oliver Hardy {cameo}
full credits from IMDb
Paramount b&w DVD [8/2004] for $12.99 Paramount b&w VHS [1/98] out of prodn/used |
"Here Comes The Groom"
[Paramount Sept 1951]
 | A foreign correspondent working with orphans in France hurries home to Boston to prevent his fiancιe from marrying somebody else, with two cute orphans in tow Co-produced & directed by Frank Capra; based on a story by Robert Riskin; starring Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith, Franchot Tone, James Barton, Robert Keith, Jacques Gencel, H.B. Warner, Beverly Washburn, Walter Catlett, Ellen Corby, Alan Reed, Art Baker, Anna Maria Alberghetti & Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, with cameos by Louis Armstrong, Frank Fontaine & Dorothy Lamour
Paramount double-bill DVD [6/2004] for $12.99 with "Just For You" [1952] Paramount b&w VHS [7/90] out of prod/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Unchained Goddess" TV movie [NBC-TV Feb 1958]
 | Hour-long partly-animated color TV show; a scientist and a writer explain the various meteorological phenomena to Meteora, the goddess of weather, while giving an insight into the technology involved in predicting them and warning about the threat of global climate change Co-produced & co-written by Frank Capra; directed by Richard Carlson; co-written by Jonathan Latimer; featuring Richard Carlson, Dr. Frank C. Baxter (of U.S.C.), Bernard C. Hunt; and voices of Mel Blanc, Hans Conried, Jay Novello, Franklin Pangborn, Ken Peters, and Lurene Tuttle {as Meteora}
full credits at IMDb
Image Ent. double feature color DVD [9/2003] out of prodn/used with "Hemo The Magnificent" [1957] Bell Telephone Science Series color VHS [11/91] out of prodn/used |
"A Hole In The Head" [United Artists July 1959]
 | A Miami, Florida hotel owner desparately needs a loan, and his brother agrees on the condition that he give up his girlfriend and settle down by marrying a nice, quiet woman Produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Arnold Schulman, based on his 1957 play; starring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Eddie Hodges, Carolyn Jones, Thelma Ritter, Keenan Wynn, Joi Lansing, Dub Taylor, B.S. Pulley, Joyce Nizzari, Connie Sawyer & James Komack
full credits from IMDb
M.G.M. widescreen color DVD [9/2001] for $12.99 M.G.M. color VHS [12/94] out of prodn/used |
"Pocketful of Miracles" [United Artists Dec 1961]
 | A charming fairy tale: A street-seller in New York City has lied to her daughter in Spain about being a high society dowager. When the girl has the chance to marry a count, the mother enlists street pals, including a local bootlegger, in maintaining the pretense. (A remake of Capra's "Lady For A Day" [1933], which was based on a story by Damon Runyon.) Co-produced & directed by Frank Capra; starring Glenn Ford, Bette Davis, Hope Lange, Arthur O'Connell, Peter Falk, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, Mickey Shaughnessy & Ann-Margret; minor roles by David Brian, Sheldon Leonard, Peter Mann, Barton MacLane, Fritz Feld, Ellen Corby, Jack Elam, Mike Mazurki & Doodles Weaver
M.G.M. widescreen color DVD [9/2001] out of prodn/many used M.G.M. color VHS [8/99] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb movie entry at Wikipedia |
Books by Frank Capra
 | "The Name Above The Title: An Autobiography" [1971] by Frank Capra 'his 1971 autobiography is largely fictitious' Da Capo Press 9x6 pb [1/2001] for $19.95 Vintage pb [3/85] out of print/used W.H. Allen hardcover [1/72] out of print/used Macmillan hardcover [1/71] out of print/used "Frank Capra: El Nombre Delante del Titulo" [1999] Spanish-language edition pb [10/99] for $21.95 |
 | "Frank Capra: Interviews" [2004] by Leland A. Poague Univ Press of MS 9x6 pb [3/2004] for $15.60 Univ Press of MS 9¼x6 hardcover [3/2004] for $50.00 |
Works About Frank Capra
 | TIME Magazine cover story about Director Frank Capra [Aug 1938] read article online at TIME Magazine website |
 | "Frank Capra (B.F.I. New Index Series #3)" [1951] by Richard Griffith 38-page B.F.I. booklet [1951] out of print/used |
"The Men Who Made The Movies: Frank Capra" [1973 TV]
Directed by Richard Schickel
bare credits at IMDb
 | "Frank Capra: Mr. Capra Goes To America" [A&E/Biography July 1994] episode of the "Biography" TV series on A&E Networks; host Jack Perkins interviews Frank Capra, Jeanine Basinger (Wesleyan University Cinema Archives), actress Ann Doran, actress Coleen Gray, actress Shirley Jones, actress Jane Wyatt, actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr., director Delbert Mann, director Melville Shavelson, author Victor Scherle, and film critic Charles Champlin; with archive footage of Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Walter Brennan, Regis Toomey, Edward Arnold, James Gleason, Cary Grant, Donna Reed, Gloria Grahame, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers & Bette Davis; also includes film clips from "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936], "Lost Horizon" [1937], "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" [1939], "Meet John Doe" [1941], the "Why We Fight" series [1943-44], "Arsenic and Old Lace" [1944], "It's A Wonderful Life" [1946], and "Pocketful of Miracles" [1961] bare credits at IMDb |
 | "Another Frank Capra" [1995] by Leland Poague Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [11/2005] for $56.76 Cambridge Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [1/95] out of print/used |
 | "Frank Capra's American Dream" [Columbia-TriStar TV documentary 1997] Co-produced, written & directed by Kenneth Bowser; hosted by Ron Howard Sony color/b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb avaliable on DVD paired with Capra's "The Matinee Idol" [1928 silent] or as part of Sony's "Premiere Frank Capra Collection" 6-disk DVD box set |
at University of Virginia's American Studies Archive
 | "Frank Capra: Authorship & The Studio System" [1998] Edited by Robert Sklar & Vito Zagarrio Temple Univ Press 8¼x5½ pb [4/98] for $25.95 Temple Univ Press 8½x5¾ hardcover [4/98] for $59.50 |
 | "Hollywood Renaissance: The Cinema of Democracy In The Era of Ford, Capra & Kazan" [1998] by Sam B. Girgus Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [8/98] for $29.99 Cambridge Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [8/98] out of print/used see also Magic Lantern's Elia Kazan [1909-2003] Page
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 | "Frank Capra and The Image of The Journalist In American Film" [2002] by Joe Saltzman Norman Lear Center at U.S.C. 8½x9½ pb [5/2002] for $34.95 author's homepage at Annenberg/U.S.C. |
 | "Regarding Frank Capra: Audience, Celebrity & American Film Studies, 1930-1960" [2004] by Eric Smoodin Duke Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [11/2004] for $24.95 Duke Univ Press hardcover [11/2004] for $89.95 |
 | "Conversations With The Great Moviemakers of Hollywood's Golden Age: At The American Film Institute" [2006] by George Stevens, Jr. interviews with 32 major writers, directors & cinematographers, including Ingmar Bergman, writer Ray Bradbury, Richard Brooks, Frank Capra, William Clothier, Stanley Cortez, George Cukor, Federico Fellini, George Folsey, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, James Wong Howe, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Gene Kelly, Stanley Kramer, Fritz Lang, David Lean, Ernest Lehman, Mervyn LeRoy, Harold Lloyd, Rouben Mamoulian, Satyajit Ray, Jean Renoir, George Stevens, King Vidor, Hal Wallis, Raoul Walsh, Billy Wilder, Robert Wise, William Wyler & Fred Zinnemann Knopf 9½x6½ hardcover [2/2006] for $23.10 |
 | "In Capra's Shadow: The Life & Career of Screenwriter Robert Riskin" [2006] by Ian Scott Univ Press of KY 9x6 hardcover [7/2006] for $40.00 |
 | "Conversations With Directors: An Anthology of Interviews From Literature/Film Quarterly" [2008] Edited by Elsie M. Walker & David T. Johnson
interviewees include: Robert Altman, Frank Capra, Renι Clair, Martha Coolidge, Wes Craven, Terence Davies & Olivia Stewart, Edward Dmytryk, Federico Fellini, William Friedkin, Richard Leacock, Richard Linklater, Baz Luhr-mann, Louis Malle, Jonas Mekas, Marcel Ophόls, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Eric Rohmer, Patricia Rozema, John Schles-inger, Jean-Charles Tacchella, Marcela Fernαndez Violante, Andrej Wajda, Wayne Wang, Billy Wilder, Robert Wise & Franco Zefferelli Scarecrow Press 9x6 pb [3/2008] for $55.00 |
 | "American Classic Screen: Interviews" [2010] Edited by John C. Tibbetts & James M. Welsh, Foreword by Kevin Brownlow Scarecrow Press 8¾x6 pb [8/2010] for $36.52 American Classic Screen Magazine [1976-86] was published by The National Film Society; these exclusive interviews have long been difficult or impossible to access, but are now collected by editors Tibbetts & Welsh; the Interviews include: Fred Astaire, Joan Bennett, Bernard Brown, Kevin Brownlow, Frank Capra, William Clothier, Buster Crabbe, Olivia de Havilland, Stanley Donen, Irene Dunne, William K. Everson, Joan Fontaine, Friz Freleng, Margaret Hamilton, Winton C. Hoch, Ollie Johnston, Henry King, Mervyn Le Roy, Fred MacMurray, Glen MacWilliams, Rouben Mamou-lian, Mike Mazurki, Clarence 'Ducky' Nash, Paul Newman, Hermes Pan, Robert Preston, Esther Ralston, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers & Jane Withers |
 | "The Capra Touch: A Study of The Director's Hollywood Classics and War Documentaries, 1934-1945" [2011] by Matthew C. Gunter Kindle Edition from McFarland & Co. [11/2011] for $16.19 McFarland & Co. pb [8/2011] for $42.75 |
 | "Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and The Second World War - John Ford, George Stevens, John Huston, William Wyler, Frank Capra" [2014] by Mark Harris Kindle Edition from Penguin Group [2/2014] for $11.99 Penguin Press 9¼x6 hardcover [2/2014] for $20.18 |
 | "Frank Capra's Eastern Horizons: American Identity and The Cinema of International Relations" [2014] by Elizabeth Rawitsch
I.B.Tauris 9½x6¼ hardcover [12/2014] for $127.38 {sic} |
 |
"Frank Capra and The Cinema of Identity: Celebration and Interrogation" [2017] by Malcolm Scott Kindle Edition from Peter Lang Ltd. [2/2018] for $85.74 {sic} Peter Lang Ltd., Academic Publishers 9x6 hardcover [12/2017] for $72.11 |
 | "Frankly: Unmasking Frank Capra" [2019] by Joseph McBride
Vervante pb [3/2019] for $32.50 |
Friends & Family
Francesco Rosario Capra was born in Sicily, Italy in 1897; the family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1902; his film directing career lasted from 1920 to 1964,
after which he was active with many film industry organizations; he died in his sleep at home in La Quinta, California at age 94.
first wife Helen Howell Capra [] - married 1923, divorced 1928
second wife Lucille 'Lou' Warner Capra [d. 1984] - married 1932-1984
son filmmaker Frank Capra, Jr. [1934-2007]
son Tom Capra
two other children
grandson Frank Capra III is a busy assistent director for movies & TV
great-granddaughter screenwriter Chanel Capra
great-grandson actor Francis Capra
great-grandson Asa Capra
great-granddaughter Ava Capra
L i n k s
Frank Capra entry at Wikipedia
browse Frank Capra on DVD
Frank Capra credits [1915-84] at Internet Movie Database
here on the Frank Capra [1897-1991] Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
top of page short profile movies of Frank Capra books by Frank Capra works about Frank Capra friends & family links
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