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1897 - Born Francesco Rosario Capra on the 18th day of May this year in Bisacquino, Sicily, Italy.
1903 - His family moved to the United States of America.
1918 - Graduated from Throop Institute (later renamed the California Institute of Technology) with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. He also joined the United States Army. While at the Presidio, he got Spanish influenza and was discharged on the 13th of December.
1920 - Became a naturalized citizen of the United States, registering his name as Frank Russell Capra.
1930 - Began his career in silent films; he also went to work for Mack Sennett and then moved to Columbia Pictures.
1934 - After the comedy "It Happened One Night", he directed a steady stream of films for Columbia intended to be inspirational and humanitarian.
1936 - He hosted the 8th Academy Awards ceremony.
1942 - Between this year and 1948, when he produced State of the Union, Capra also directed or co-directed eight war documentaries including Prelude to War, The Nazis Strike. His Academy Award-winning documentary series, Why We Fight, is widely considered a masterpiece of propaganda.
1946 - His movie "It's a Wonderful Life" is perhaps his most widely known and long-lasting film to date.
1961 - His final theatrical film was "Pocketful of Miracles", with Glenn Ford and Bette Davis. He had planned to do a science fiction film later in the decade but never even got around to pre-production.
1971 - Published his autobiography, The Name above the Title. Uncompromising in its details, it offers a compelling self-portrait.
1991 - He died in La Quinta, California of a heart attack in his sleep on 3rd of September at the age of 94.
  | Page last updated: 6:06pm, 26th May '07 |
- "A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something."
- "Automatic simply means that you can't repair it yourself."
- "I made some mistakes in drama. I thought the drama was when the actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries."
Related Books
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The Name Above The Title by Frank Capra (Paperback - Mar 21, 1997) Although Frank Capra (1897–1991) is best known as the director ofIt Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It with You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace...  Usually ships in 24 hours |
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Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success by Joseph McBride (Paperback - Nov 25, 2000) Moviegoers often assume Frank Capra's life resembled his beloved films: as inMr. Smith Goes to WashingtonorIt's a Wonderful Life, a man of the people faces tremendous odds and, by doing the right...  |
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Regarding Frank Capra: Audience, Celebrity, and American Film Studies, 1930-1960 by Eric Smoodin and Eric Smoodin (Paperback - Nov 25, 2004) In this innovative historical examination of the American movie audience, Eric Smoodin focuses on reactions to the films of Frank Capra. Best known for his Hollywood features—includingIt Happened... Usually ships in 1 to 3 months |
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Frank Capra: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series) by Frank Capra (Paperback - Mar 25, 2004) Few Hollywood directors had a higher profile in the 1930s than Frank Capra. He served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and of the Screen Directors Guild. He won three... Usually ships in 24 hours |
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American Vision: The Films of Frank Capra by Ray Carney (Paperback - Mar 15, 1996) The first interdisciplinary study of America's best-known filmmaker... |
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It's a Wonderful Life by James W. Rodgers and Frank Capra and Philip Van Doren Stern (Paperback - May 25, 1994) Usually ships in 24 hours |
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