It's a well-known fact that upon its original release in 1946, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life was a box office failure. With World War II over, the country chose to stay out of the movie houses in favor of remaining at home to have all the sex they couldn't have while our boys were abroad fighting evil.

Luckily, thanks to a little invention called the television, Americans rediscovered the film in the 1970s. Always looking to make a buck, Capra temporarily retired from the circus and moved back to Hollywood where he began work on a sequel to the yuletide masterpiece.

Unfortunately, Tinseltown was not receptive to any of Capra's ideas and none of them ever came to fruition.

Upon Capra's death in 1991, a notebook was unearthed containing his largely unheard of sequel ideas. A decade-long legal battle ensued between Capra's estate and Pizza Hut, the owner of the world's largest collection of Capra memorabilia. Being gentlemen, Capra's estate and Pizza Hut agreed to a duel in October of 2001. Both were killed and the notebook fell into my hands.

So finally, here, transcribed from the original handwritten notebook, I present the sequel ideas.

1. Just as George is getting used to being happy again, a report comes over the radio that an asteroid is headed right for Bedford Falls. With the technology to stop such a catastrophe decades away, the town accepts its doomed fate.

Never one to let his hometown be destroyed by a renegade chunk of space rock, George calls upon a newly bewinged Clarence, who swoops down from heaven, flies George up into space and lands on the asteroid. Once there, they realize that they have no plan and fear that they've failed the good people of Bedford falls.

Suddenly, George remembers: Zuzu's petals! They agree that the plan is so crazy it just might work. It does.

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2. After Mr. Potter closes up the Bedford Falls GM plant in favor of cheap, foreign labor, most of the town is jobless and in a shambles. Suddenly filled with an edgy, satirical outlook, George gets a camera crew and attempts to track Potter down to get some answers. Along the way, George interviews some of the eccentric folks who've been impacted by the plant closing, capturing them in a light that is as heartbreaking as it is hilarious.

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3. It is years later and the Bailey Building and Loan has once again fallen on hard times. George informs Uncle Billy that if they can't come up with $5000 by the end of the week, they'll have to close up shop.

All seems hopeless until Uncle Billy discovers that old Mr. Potter is putting on a battle of the bands and first prize is 5,000 smackers. Enlisting the help of Mr. Martini on bass and Bert the cop on keys, they polish their sound and the contest looks to be in the bag. That is, until they realize the contest is a battle of the girl bands.

The guys decide to call it quits until Uncle Billy suggests dressing in drag. They agree that the plan is so crazy it just might work. It does.

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