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Availability last checked Oct 5, 2026.
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What it's about
It's Christmas Eve 1944 in the small town of Bedford Falls, New York. A despondent and suicidal Mary Bailey Hatch is praying for guidance on what to do about an incident no fault of her own which threatens her name and the community standing of her longtime family business, the Bailey Building and Loan, which she took over after the passing of her father. What Mary does not know is that most in town, including her husband George Hatch and their children, are also praying for her. All the prayers are heard by Joseph, God's gatekeeper of prayers. As there are no other angels available on such a busy day, Joseph assigns Clara Oddbody, angel second class (i.e. she has yet to receive her wings), to Mary's case, which he reluctantly does as Clara has never been assigned a case on her own in the two hundred years she's been in heaven for good reason. As Clara learns about Mary's case, she sees a selfless woman who always wanted to explore the world but never did, while others around her were able to fulfill their own dreams because of her sacrifice. Mary always decided instead to do what was better for others, especially in dealing with Henry Potter, the town's richest and power hungriest man. When Clara begins to help Mary over this crisis, Clara believes she's come up with a way to show Mary how important her life is when Mary says that the world would have been better off if she was never born.
Cast and crew
- Director
- Donald Wrye
- Starring
- Marlo Thomas, Orson Welles, Wayne Rogers
Details
- Release date
- Dec 11, 1977
- Language
- English
- Country
- United States
- Awards
- Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. 2 nominations total
Where to Watch It Happened One Christmas (1977) in the US — common questions
- Where to watch It Happened One Christmas in the United States?
- It Happened One Christmas is available to rent in the United States. Rent the movie on Fandango at Home.
- Can I stream It Happened One Christmas or do I have to rent it in the United States?
- Rent the movie on Fandango at Home.
- Can I watch It Happened One Christmas for free in the United States?
- We have not confirmed a free option for It Happened One Christmas in the United States.
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