The Christmas staple, It's a Wonderful Life, began as a short story that Philip Van Doren Stern couldn't sell. See how it became the movie.

Philip Van Doren Stern sent a short story, The Greatest Gift, to 200 of his friends as a Christmas card. We know it as It's a Wonderful Life

It began as a 21-page short story, "The Greatest Gift." Today we know it as the Christmas television staple, "It's a Wonderful Life."

It's a Wonderful Life, starring Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart, premiered in New York City on December 20, 1946.