Published Dec 24, 2007
Thanks for licensing It’s a Wonderful Life exclusively to NBC. I’d become somewhat complacent, watching the same movie every Christmas eve (sometimes several times! Thanks, UHF stations!). Fortunately, you broke me out of that rut; without your intervention, I never would’ve watched Holyfield-Bowe III on ESPN Classic.
I also appreciate how your decision to only allow NBC to broadcast It’s a Wonderful Life once creates an exciting challenge, one in which I need to track down my beloved movie in its one broadcast slot, carefully noting the time, managing the time change as I travel to see family for Christmas, and then making sure that I get away from family to see that movie in my hotel room. It’s quite a game! Goodness knows I could use more things to worry about in my calm life!
Still, I do wonder if some opportunities are being missed. I mean, won’t you get pretty great ratings if you just run It’s a Wonderful Life all night long? What could be better? This zaftig woman who’s gracing us with a rendition of “O Night Divine” in which she misses most of the high notes? That’s so classic that I’m sticking with ESPN for Tyson-Douglas, despite the ad for Open the Eyes of My Heart - Ultimate Worship Anthems. No, sticking with ol’ Jimmy Stewart is likely to give you the best ratings and ad sales. I mean, realistically, late on Christmas Eve, who wants to see anything but It’s a Wonderful Life?
So, taking into account, I hereby request that you maximally monetize your beloved holiday property, It’s a Wonderful Life, by playing it more than once on Christmas Eve. Because I just found out I missed it, and that’s hardly Christmasy!
Best,
Wade
P.S. Bowe won
P.P.S. Buster Douglas won too
P.P.P.S. They both got too fat to box. But why not, when you made millions on your big fight?
P.P.P.P.S. Everyone counted Jimmy Stewart out, too, because he went and fought in WW2 while everyone else stayed at home and made movies to support the troops. But then he made It’s a Wonderful Life.
Couldn’t you just get a DVD?
It’s not the same thing… I’m not excited about schlepping something with me, and I’ve never gotten into the whole watching-DVDs-on-laptop things. I don’t understand why a popular program wouldn’t be shown repeatedly.