MovieChat Forums > You Can't Take It with You (1938) Discussion > Do you think Capra had a personal stake ...

Do you think Capra had a personal stake in this?

posted 17 years ago by novastar_6
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I wonder if Frank Capra had a personal reason for doing this movie. Reason I wonder is because they say that his father purchased for them a 15 acre ranch farm, but before they could make the final mortgage payment and enjoy it, his father was crushed to death in the gears of a machine at the factory where he worked. After reading something like that, you really have to wonder if he did it just because it was a great play with potential, or if it hit home with him.

[–] justaudrey 15 years ago

I think that the studio gave it to him because they thought it would be a good fit for his style (which it was) and because he was doing a string of inspirational type movies for Columbia. [This is just stuff I read online, heard on the disc's extras. I'm not an expert and I hope I've got this much right.] However, I would not be surprised if Capra read the script and felt that he could relate to it. I didn't know that about his history but it would make sense then why his films so often championed the little guy (John Doe :)) and challenge the corrupt and unfair government or big-business machine. In any case, it's obvious that Capra took this film and made it his own. The result is wonderful.