{ "id": "ep9zjp6tve", "slug": "its-a-wonderful-world", "title": "It's a Wonderful World", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1940s", "label": "Comedies of the 1940s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1940s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "United States · 1800 to 1945: Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800", "label": "United States · 1800 to 1945", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1800.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" } ] } ], "excerpt": "It's a Wonderful World is a 1939 MGM screwball comedy directed by W.S. Van Dyke, starring Claudette Colbert and James Stewart, written by Ben Hecht and Herman J. Mankiewicz, unrelated to It's a Wonderful Life.", "snippet": "It's a Wonderful World is a 1939 MGM screwball comedy directed by W.S. Van Dyke, starring Claudette Colbert and James Stewart, written by Ben Hecht and Herman J. Mankiewicz, unrelated to It's a Wonderful Life.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1940s", "markdown": "# It's a Wonderful World\n\n**It's a Wonderful World** is a 1939 American screwball comedy directed by W. S. Van Dyke II for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, starring [Claudette Colbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/claudette-colbert) as the poet Edwina Corday and [James Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-stewart) as the private detective Guy Johnson, released on May 19, 1939[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD). [Ben Hecht](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-hecht) wrote the screenplay from an original story he developed with Herman J. Mankiewicz[2](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/). The film has no connection to Frank Capra's *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946) beyond the similar title and Stewart's presence in both[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/62610/its-a-wonderful-world).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | May 19, 1939 (United States), MGM (Loew's Inc.); black and white, 9 reels, 84 or 86 minutes[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD) |\n| Director | W. S. Van Dyke II, nicknamed \"One Take Woody\" for his fast shooting style[2](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/) |\n| Writers | Ben Hecht (screenplay and original story) with Herman J. Mankiewicz (original story)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD) |\n| Stars | Claudette Colbert (Edwina Corday), James Stewart (Guy Johnson), Guy Kibbee (Cap Streeter)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD) |\n| Shooting schedule | A record twelve days, six fewer than Van Dyke took on *The Thin Man*[2](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/) |\n| Production dates | Began February 22, 1939; retakes and additional scenes from March 30, 1939[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD) |\n| Later release | Video release November 10, 1993, by MGM Video[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Its-A-Wonderful-World) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nNovice private detective Guy Johnson is hired by Willie Heyward (Ernest Truex), a millionaire with a penchant for trouble, to extricate him from a murder charge after Heyward is found holding a smoking gun over the body of his girlfriend[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD) • [5](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/its-a-wonderful-world). Guy is implicated in the crime when he is arrested and sentenced to prison for concealing his client; Heyward is sentenced to death[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD) • [2](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/).\n\nArmed with the case's single clue, a half dime whose other half is in the murderer's possession, Guy escapes from the train bound for [Sing Sing](https://www.edgepedia.org/sing-sing), kidnaps the freelance poet Edwina Corday, and hijacks her car[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD). The trail leads to upstate New York, where the real murderer is performing in an amateur theater group. Edwina falls in love with her captor and joins the chase, helping Guy as he disguises himself as a Boy Scout leader, a chauffeur, and an actor to elude the police. With his half dime, Guy flushes out the killer and wins exoneration for himself and his client[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD).\n\n## Production\n\n**Casting.** According to Hollywood Reporter news items, [Myrna Loy](https://www.edgepedia.org/myrna-loy) was originally slated for the role of Edwina Corday but withdrew because of prior commitments; MGM then considered Frances Drake for the lead before Claudette Colbert was cast. The picture was Colbert's first for MGM, and it was filmed on location in San Diego, California[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD). Colbert, used to the more leisurely pace of her home studio Paramount, was appalled at how quickly Van Dyke threw the film together, and she was unhappy when the road-trip plot drew comparisons to her earlier hit *It Happened One Night* (1934)[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/62610/its-a-wonderful-world).\n\n**Speed.** Van Dyke, who had helped create the screwball genre with *The Thin Man* (1934) and was valued by studio head [Louis B. Mayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-b-mayer) mainly because he worked quickly, shot the film in a record twelve days. The film critic James Harvey, author of *Romantic Comedy in Hollywood: From Lubitsch to Sturges*, wrote that the speed shows on screen mostly in good ways, in \"crackle and verve and spontaneity\"[2](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/).\n\n**Writing.** Hecht and Mankiewicz built the farce around a private eye on the run who takes an eccentric lady poet hostage, with gags including Stewart posing as an actor named [Ernest Hemingway](https://www.edgepedia.org/ernest-hemingway) and impersonating a gangling scout leader in short pants and inch-thick glasses. Hecht added private jokes, naming the client Willie Heyward after his agent [Leland Hayward](https://www.edgepedia.org/leland-hayward) and a boy Herman Plotka, a combination of his co-writer's name and Mildred Plotka, the real name of the actress in his farce *Twentieth Century*. With the script finished, Hecht moved on to an uncredited job doctoring the script for *Gone with the Wind* (1939)[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/62610/its-a-wonderful-world).\n\nThe credited crew includes Oliver T. Marsh as cinematographer, [Cedric Gibbons](https://www.edgepedia.org/cedric-gibbons) as art director, Harold F. Kress as editor, Edward Ward as composer, Edwin B. Willis as set decorator, and Adrian for gowns[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD).\n\n## Reception and legacy\n\nContemporary reaction was decidedly mixed. The film benefited from the star power of Colbert and Stewart and Hecht's gags, but most critics at the time found it a strained attempt to revive a genre they were tired of. Otis Ferguson, a Hecht admirer writing in *The New Republic*, gave it a good review, while Frank Nugent of *The New York Times* complained that \"the comedy is almost too strenuous for relaxation.\" Stewart's fans were horrified to see him playing a cynical, chauvinistic private eye who at one point slugs his leading lady[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/62610/its-a-wonderful-world).\n\nProducer Frank Davis left producing after three years at MGM to return to writing, scoring later successes with *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn* (1945) and *The Train* (1964). Before leaving, he offered a prescient assessment of the production: \"The studio should have known that Jimmy Stewart would never do any of those unconvincing things. However, I predict that his next film, *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington* [1939], will more than make up.\"\n\nOver time the film has developed a devoted cult following, and modern assessments are favorable: [Leonard Maltin](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonard-maltin) calls it \"very, very funny, with Stewart having a field day,\" while other commentators praise the chemistry between the stars and call it \"a little-known treasure\"[2](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/). On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 78% Tomatometer from two reviews, with over 500 audience ratings[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/its-a-wonderful-world-1939). It continues to draw viewers intrigued by the title's similarity to *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), Stewart's far better-known Christmas film made seven years later, though the two films are unrelated[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/62610/its-a-wonderful-world) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/its-a-wonderful-world-1939).\n\n## References\n\n1. [It's a Wonderful World (1939), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5127-ITS-A-WONDERFUL-WORLD)\n2. [It's a Wonderful World (1939), Toronto Film Society film notes](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/wonderful-world-1939/)\n3. [It's a Wonderful World, by Frank Miller, TCM](https://www.tcm.com/articles/62610/its-a-wonderful-world)\n4. [It's A Wonderful World (1939), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Its-A-Wonderful-World)\n5. [It's a Wonderful World, Movies Anywhere](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/its-a-wonderful-world)\n6. [It's a Wonderful World (1939), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/its-a-wonderful-world-1939)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of the 1940s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"It's a Wonderful World\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[It's a Wonderful World](https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world](https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"It's a Wonderful World\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/its-a-wonderful-world. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "It's a Wonderful World is a 1939 MGM screwball comedy directed by W.S. Van Dyke, starring Claudette Colbert and James Stewart, written by Ben Hecht and Herman J." }