“It’s a Wonderful Life” is loosely based on the 1943 short story “The Greatest Gift,” written by Philip Van Doren Stern.
You’d be forgiven if you can’t hum the 18th-century Cumbrian folk song “Do Ye Ken John Peel.” But in 1942, a version of that tune, reworked with lyrics about Pepsi-Cola, was the most recognized melody ...