This has been the Holy Grail for Rifftrax fans: seeing the riff of the ultimate holiday movie, and which has been the source of many riffs from this and MST3K.
The week before Christmas, Rifftrax finally presented a VOD of.....MOST of It's A Wonderful Life.
The entire movie is still owned by Paramount, although it was a TV favorite in the 80s when it was under public domain until 1996.
Fans have been clamoring for a "just the jokes" version for the past three years, since it seems a VOD is out of the question.
Then Mike Nelson and the gang discovered most of the story, except for act three, is public domain. Some of the music is also under copyright but certainly not Buffalo Gals.
This is how he was able to provide an edited version of the movie, although some had thought they were getting the whole thing.
The story, of course, is about how George Bailey, who had big dreams, thinks he's a failure being stuck in his home town of Bedford Falls. An angel named Clarence, who wants to earn his wings (yet apparently hasn't had too many chances to get them), figures out he can show what life would have been without George.
This version is almost able to cleanly remove act three and still let the movie make sense, but those who have watched the movie may miss the "Potterstown" scenes.
Actually, the Rifftrax Yule Log has some copywritten clips from the movie, including the scene where George tries to convince Mary she's his wife.
The riffs are pretty good, and can get dark at times. Note the scene where George finds out Harry had married and was offered a new job outside Bedford Falls. The riff at this moment is a little unexpected.
Then there's Mike talking as George's dad admitting he'd rather have a daughter.
Uh, this movie might change his mind.
While the VOD is good, it would have been better to have the "just the jokes" soundtrack for the whole movie. Several other fans have the same idea apparently, and it should happen. Imagine the comedy gold the RT gang would have mined from George's inability to recognize he's in an alternate world that doesn't include him. He passes it off as a dream, spell or bad liquor.
At least in Tiny Toons' version of the movie in 1992, Buster Bunny recognizes where he is after it's literally spelled out to him. It takes a while for George to get the message.
So, let's get to the riffs:
The title is in quotes
Seems kind of sarcastic
George (talking about suitcases): I want a big one
I thought this was a family movie.
"Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?"
Good advice, voyeuristic porch guy.
Ruth, Harry's new wife: "George, George, George, that's all Harry talks about"
Even in bed
George mopes after refusing a job offer from Potter (but then why take it?) but then learns he'll be a father.
Kind of creepy to remember that Clarence is silently watching all this
George: We've got to find that money!
Have you looked under a big W?
There's also riffs on Willy Wonka, Robert Altman, Quibi, Dianetics, and Lana Turner.
Rifftrax's version of It's A Wonderful Life can be found on its website.
