IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: LIVE IN CHICAGO! BACKSTAGE GUIDE 3 Note from Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside ………………………………………………...………………………...…..Page 4 About Frank Capra........................................…………………………………………………………………………………..........Page 5 It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! Through the Years.........…………….…………………….………………...……....Page 6 The BackStory with Michael Mahler............................................…………………………………………....................Page 7 Three Generations of George Bailey...……………..…………………….…...........................................................Pages 8-9 About Radio Drama……………..……………………………………………………………………………………………….................Page 10 About Foley Effects.....................…………………………………………………………………………………….......................Page 11 Life in the 1940s..............................................…......……………………………………………………….….....................Page 12 1946 vs. 2017 in America...........................……..………………………………………………………...............................Page 13 “It’s a Wonderful Life” — 14 Wonderful Facts....................................................................................Pages 14-15 The Morality of Banking in “It’s a Wonderful Life”....…......................................................................Pages 16-17 “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern……………...…................................................................Pages 18-23 About American Blues Theater…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…Pages 24-25 BACKSTAGE Contributors Elyse Dolan Assistant Producer American Blues Theater with Gwendolyn Whiteside, Marty Higginbotham, Michael Mahler, Jim Leaming, Kevin Kelly, and Zach Kenney © 2017 American Blues Theater. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS