NBC Airing Iconic Holiday Movie on Christmas Eve

Few films have become as synonymous with the holiday season as Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life — and NBC is ringing in Christmas this year with a Christmas Eve showing of the beloved classic.

It’s a Wonderful Life kicks off on NBC at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 24, bringing the story of down-on-his-luck family man George Bailey (James Stewart) and his fateful Christmas Eve to your TV screen just in time for a dose of holiday inspiration.

It’s a Wonderful Life first premiered in 1946, but was based on a 1943 short story by PhilipVan Doren Stern, which he self-published in the form of a Christmas card. One of the only 200 printed copies of the story made its way to Capra, as per the American Film Institute, and the famed director was immediately sold on adapting it for the screen.

Despite Capra’s enthusiasm for the story, It’s a Wonderful Life wasn’t an immediate classic, failing to recoup its budget after being released in theaters and widely being dismissed by critics.

It was not until 1974, when the studio failed to renew its copyright on the film, that TV networks began to run It’s a Wonderful Life during the holiday season to fill airtime at no cost. It was only then that the film gained traction not only as a holiday classic but as one of the greatest movies of all time.

It’s a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made. In 1990, It’s a Wonderful Life became one of just 25 films selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, and Capra revealed that it was his favorite among the films he directed.

It’s a Wonderful Life airs Tuesday, Dec. 24, from 8-11 p.m ET on NBC.