Ray Nowosielski is a documentarian, podcaster, and journalist. My longtime friend and collaborator, he produced the new show, "George Bailey Was Never Born," a ten episode podcast series from I Heart Radio. The show is an examination of the massive changes in American character over the last half century as made visible by looking at the classic film, It's a Wonderful Life.
In this episode Ray describes how Frank Capra's film accidentally fell into the public domain and how greedy corporations clawed it back. He talks about the real life towns and people who inspired the film, and what's become of them in modern America where antitrust laws no longer seem to apply.
Episode 8