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Frank Capra

Short Profile Movies By Frank Capra Books By Frank Capra Works About Frank Capra Links

"There are no rules in filmmaking, only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness."
— Frank Capra

Frank Capra entry at Wikipedia

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 won the D.G.A. Lifetime Achievement Award [1959] the A.F.I. Lifetime Achievement Award [1982] and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Links

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Frank Capra posters category at AllPosters.com
Frank Capra credits at Internet Movie Database

Movies  By  Frank  Capra

"The Premiere Frank Capra Collection" box set [2006] Sony DVD box set [12/2006] 6 disks for $34.49 includes "American Madness" [1932]; "It Happened One Night" [1934]; "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1936]; "You Can't Take It With You" [1938]; "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" [1939]; and the tv documentary "Frank Capra's American Dream" [1997]

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"The  Matinee  Idol"  [Columbia silent March 1928]

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

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"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

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"The  Power  of  The  Press"
[Columbia silent Oct 1928]

A cub reporter discovers the daughter of the mayor at the scene of a murder; when he agress 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

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"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 prodb/used full credits from IMDb

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"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; starring Walter Huston, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson, Constance Cummings, Gavin Gordon, Sterling Holloway & Charley Grapewin Sony b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb

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"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 full credits from IMDb

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"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

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"It  Happened  One  Night"
[Columbia Feb 1934]

the first Oscar 'grand slam': won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress & Best Script 11"x17" poster available at AllPosters [dot] com 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 & help for an exclusive. But during their travels together, they reluctantly fall in love – though neither is able to admit it. Produced & directed by Frank Capra; script by Robert Riskin, based on the Samuel Hopkins Adams novel "Night Bus"; starring Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas, Alan Hale & Ward Bond; listed on National Film Registry 1993 Sony b&w DVD [12/99] for $18.99 Sony b&w VHS [6/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb

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"Broadway  Bill"  [Columbia Nov 1934]

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

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"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 Sony b&w DVD [2/2000] for $17.99 Sony b&w VHS [5/2002] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb

"Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" [1969 tv series]: partial credits at IMDb

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"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 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

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"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 Dramatists Play Service 8x5½ pb playscript [1/98] for $7.50 credits for 2-year Broadway run [Dec 1936 - Dec 1938] at IBDb

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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 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

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"Meet  John  Doe" [Warner Bros. May 1941]

11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com 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

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"Why We Fight"documentary series [1943-45]

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; listed in National Film Registry (2000) Goodtimes DVD boxed set [3/2001] 4 disks for $13.99 Rhino b&w VHS boxed set [8/98] 7 tapes for $37.98 1: Prelude to War [1943] full credits from IMDb 2: The Nazis Strike [1943] full credits from IMDb —  Episodes 1 & 2: DVD for $4.98 • VHS for $9.45 3: Divide & Conquer [1943] full credits from IMDb 4: The Battle of Britain [1943] full credits from IMDb —  Episodes 3 & 4: DVD for $4.98 • VHS out of prodn/used 5: The Battle of Russia [1943] full credits from IMDb —  Episode 5: DVD for $4.98 • VHS out of prodn/used 6: The Battle of China [1944] full credits from IMDb 7: War Comes To America [1945] full credits from IMDb —  Episodes 6 & 7: DVD for $4.98 • VHS out of prodn/used

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"Arsenic  and  Old  Lace"
[Warner Bros. Sept 1944]

A newly-married bachleor newsman 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 spooky cousin. The insanity is ramped up when another cousin 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, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, Priscilla Lane, John Alexander, Jack Carson, John Ridgely, Edward McNamara, James Gleason, Grant Mitchell & Edward Everett Horton Turner b&w DVD [8/2000] for $13.99 M.G.M./Warner b&w VHS [7/98] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb

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"It's  A  Wonderful  Life" [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) {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 department 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/color DVD [11/2007] 2 disks for $8.99 Paramount 60th Anniv Edition b&w DVD [10/2006] for $13.87 Republic Pictures b&w VHS [9/95] for $9.48 Republic Pictures Deluxe Anniv Edition b&w VHS [9/96] out of prodn/used Sony soundtrack CD [10/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb; movie entry at Wikipedia tan 28"x39" one-sheet poster available at AllPosters.com black 26"x38" one-sheet poster available at AllPosters.com

"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/used

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"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 1945 play 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

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"Riding  High"  [Paramount April 1950]

A musical remake of Capra's "Broadway Bill" [1934], using many scenes from the original, even including 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 Paramount b&w DVD [8/2004] for $12.99 Paramount b&w VHS [1/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb

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"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

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"A  Hole  In  The  Head"
[United Artists July 1959]

A Miami 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 M.G.M. widescreen color DVD [9/2001] for $12.99 M.G.M. color VHS [12/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb FC's movie fansite

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"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].) 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, David Brian, Sheldon Leonard, Peter Mann, Ann-Margret, Barton MacLane, Fritz Feld, Ellen Corby, Jack Elam, Mike Mazurki & Doodles Weaver M.G.M. color DVD [9/2001] for $12.49 M.G.M. color VHS [8/99] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb

Books  By  Frank  Capra

"The Name Above The Title: An Autobiography" [Macmillan 1971] by Frank Capra 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 [undated] for $21.95

Works  About  Frank Capra

	"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
	"Regarding Frank Capra: Audience, Celebrity & American Film Studies, 1930-1960" [2004] by Eric Smoodin Duke Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [11/2004] for $23.95 Duke Univ Press hardcover [11/2004] for $68.81
	"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
	"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.
	"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
	"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
	"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 avakliable 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
	"Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success" [1992] by Joseph McBride St. Martin's Griffin 9¼x6¼ pb [11/2000] out of print/used S&S 9½x6½ hardcover [4/92] out of print/used
	"Romantic Comedy In Hollywood: From Lubitsch To Sturges" [1987] by James Harvey covers masters of the genre Ernst Lubitsch [1892-1947], Frank Capra, George Stevens [1904-75], Howard Hawks [1896-1977] & Preston Sturges [1898-1959], and many actors Da Capo Press 9x6½ pb [1/2001] for $26.00 Knopf hardcover [12/87] out of print/used
	"American Vision: The Films of Frank Capra" [1986] by Ray Carney Wesleyan Univ Press 9x6 pb [3/96] out of print/used Cambridge Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [10/86] out of print/used
	American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award 1982: Frank Capra [1897-1991] honoree credits from IMDb Republic color VHS [2/98] out of stock/used show credits from IMDb

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