Frank Capra

Frank Capra

1897-05-18 Bisacquino, Sicilia, Italia 108 Credits

Biography

Frank Russell Capra (May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was a Sicilian-born American film director and a creative force behind a number of films of the 1930s and 1940s, including It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). His films often deal with rags-to-riches stories wich has led film historians such as Ian Freer to consid...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Frank Capra: Mr. America

Frank Capra: Mr. America

2023

as Self (archive footage)

6.0
Acting

Tells the story of how Frank Capra, a young and penniless immigrant, rose through the ranks of early Hollywood to become one of the Great American sto...

Frank Capra, il était une fois l'Amérique

Frank Capra, il était une fois l'Amérique

2020

as Self (archive footage)

9.5
Acting

Frank Capra was one of Hollywood's most popular and respected directors in the 1930s and 1940s. His best-known films include "Isn't Life Beautiful?", ...

Hollywood's Second World War

Hollywood's Second World War

2019

as Self (archive footage)

8.0
Acting

For the USA, World War 2 was an all-out war - to mobilize the masses, the US government launched a huge propaganda campaign and cinema, the medium of ...

Five Came Back

Five Came Back

2017

as Self (archive footage)

7.9
Acting

The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five leg...

And the Oscar Goes To...

And the Oscar Goes To...

2014

as Self (archive footage)

7.0
Acting

The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy ...

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

2009

as Self (archive footage)

7.5
Acting

This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.

Why We Fight

Why We Fight

2005

as Self (archive footage)

7.5
Acting

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and i...

Why We Fight: World War II: The Battle of China / War Comes to America

2000

Director

Directing

Part of Frank Capra's World War II propaganda series made for the U.S. Armed Forces, this program presents newsreel footage addressing the Battle of C...

Frank Capra's American Dream

Frank Capra's American Dream

1997

as Self (archive footage)

6.2
Acting

A documentary looking at the life and career of film director Frank Capra. Hosted by Ron Howard.

The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'

The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'

1990

as Self (archive footage)

6.0
Acting

Tom Bosley hosts a documentary the looks into the story behind how one of cinema's greatest films It's A Wonderful Life was made.

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

1987

as Self (archive footage)

6.0
Acting

Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

1985

as Self

5.6
Acting

Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

6.5
Acting

Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival fo...

The Men who Made the Movies: Frank Capra

1973

as Self

Acting

Career overview of Hollywood legend Frank Capra by Time magazine film critic Richard Schickel.

Dear Mr. Gable

Dear Mr. Gable

1968

as Self

Acting

Burgess Meredith narrates this insightful MGM-produced documentary about the life and career of Hollywood legend Clark Gable, from his childhood in Oh...

Rendezvous in Space

Rendezvous in Space

1964

Director

Directing

This documentary, the final film directed by Frank Capra, explores America's plans for the future of space exploration. It was produced by the Martin-...

Pocketful of Miracles

Pocketful of Miracles

1961

Producer, Director

7.3
Producing Directing

A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying ...

A Hole in the Head

A Hole in the Head

1959

Director, Producer

6.1
Directing Producing

An impractical widower tries to hang onto his Miami hotel and his 12-year-old son.

The Unchained Goddess

1958

Writer, Producer

7.0
Writing Producing

A scientist and a writer explain the various meteorological phenomena to Meteora, the goddess of weather, while giving an insight into the technology ...

The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays

The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays

1957

Writer, Director, Producer

5.2
Writing Directing Producing

Part of acclaimed filmmaker Frank Capra's "Wonders of Life" series of science-based films (which won an Emmy Award for Best Editing) teaches kids abou...

Hemo the Magnificent

Hemo the Magnificent

1957

Director, Writer, Producer

8.1
Directing Writing Producing

Professor Frank Baxter and some animated friends answer questions about blood. what makes it red? Why do little animals' hearts beat so quickly? And s...

Our Mr. Sun

Our Mr. Sun

1956

Director, Writer, Producer

7.5
Directing Writing Producing

One entry in a series of films produced to make science accessible to the masses—especially children—this film describes the sun in scientific but ent...

The Fallbrook Story

The Fallbrook Story

1952

Producer, Director

Producing Directing

“The Fallbrook Story,” is a 20-minute film of Cold War-era uneasiness in which director Frank Capra rails against what he calls the evils of Big Burea...

Westward the Women

Westward the Women

1951

Story

7.0
Writing

There's a deficit of good, honest women in the West, and Roy Whitman wants to change that. His solution is to bring a caravan of over 100 mail-order b...

Here Comes the Groom

Here Comes the Groom

1951

Director, Producer

5.2
Directing Producing

Foreign correspondent Pete Garvey has 5 days to win back his former fiancée, or he'll lose the orphans he adopted.

The Screen Director

1951

as Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)

6.0
Acting

A documentary short film depicting the work of the motion picture director. An anonymous director is shown preparing the various aspects of a film for...

Riding High

Riding High

1950

Director, Producer

5.8
Directing Producing

A horse trainer who has fallen on hard times looks to his horse, Broadway Bill, to finally win the big race.

Design for Death

Design for Death

1948

Director

6.0
Directing

Documentary Feature winner "Design for Death" (1947) examines Japanese culture and how it led to Japan's role in WWII.

State of the Union

State of the Union

1948

Director, Producer

6.7
Directing Producing

An industrialist is urged to run for President, but this requires uncomfortable compromises on both political and marital levels.

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life

1946

Producer, Screenplay, Director

8.3
Producing Writing Directing

A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinfli...

Five Came Back: The Reference Films

Five Came Back: The Reference Films

1946

Director, Producer

Directing Producing

Includes 12 World War II-era propaganda films.

Here Is Germany

Here Is Germany

1945

Director

7.0
Directing

A "know-your-enemy" propaganda film similar to "Know Your Enemy: Japan" and "My Japan", films about Japan with the same objective. It contains a histo...

Know Your Enemy: Japan

Know Your Enemy: Japan

1945

Director, Producer, Writer

5.8
Directing Producing Writing

Frank Capra-directed propaganda film produced during World War II depicting the United States' new enemy: Japan.

War Comes to America

War Comes to America

1945

Director

7.0
Directing

The seventh and final film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight World War II propaganda film series. This entry attempts to describe the factors leading up t...

Why We Fight

Why We Fight

1945

Director

Directing

Frank Capra's WWII propaganda films.

Two Down and One to Go

Two Down and One to Go

1945

Director

6.2
Directing

Documentary short film produced by the U.S. Army, intended to enlighten the American public on the final thrust of the Allied war effort in Europe and...

Your Job in Germany

Your Job in Germany

1945

Director, Producer

5.6
Directing Producing

Your Job In Germany is a short film made for the United States War Department in 1945 just before Victory in Europe Day (VE). It was shown to US soldi...

Our Job in Japan

Our Job in Japan

1945

Director

Directing

Our Job in Japan was a United States military training film made in 1945, shortly after World War II. It is the companion to the more famous Your Job ...

G.I. Journal

1944

Producer, Director

Producing Directing

We see them all here including male vocalist Harry Babbitt, comic Ish Kabibble and guest stars like Jerry Colonna, Mel Blanc, Lucille Ball and Linda D...

Why We Fight: The Battle of China

Why We Fight: The Battle of China

1944

Director

6.3
Directing

The sixth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series illustrates Japan's occupation of China, including Madame Chiang Kai-Shek's stirri...

Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace

1944

Director, Producer

7.6
Directing Producing

Mortimer Brewster, a newspaper drama critic, playwright, and author known for his diatribes against marriage, suddenly falls in love and gets married;...

Attack! The Battle for New Britain

Attack! The Battle for New Britain

1944

Director, Producer

6.0
Directing Producing

Actual footage by the United States Signal Corps of the landing and attack on Arawe Beach, Cape Glouster, New Britain island in 1943 in the South Paci...

The Negro Soldier

The Negro Soldier

1944

Producer

6.1
Producing

Documentary focusing on the contributions to the American war effort of African-American soldiers.

Tunisian Victory

Tunisian Victory

1944

Director

6.2
Directing

Documentary made by the U.S. Army Signal Corps after the North African campaign.

Attack in the Pacific

Attack in the Pacific

1944

Director

Directing

Part of a a video series that documents the fighting between the United States and Imperial Japan during and immediately after World War II.

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia

1943

Director, Producer

6.7
Directing Producing

The fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, revealing the nature and process of the fight between the Soviet Union and German...

Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain

Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain

1943

Director

6.7
Directing

The fourth of Frank Capra's Why We Fight series of seven propaganda films, which made the case for fighting and winning the Second World War. It was r...

Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer

Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer

1943

Director, Producer

6.8
Directing Producing

The third film of Frank Capra's 'Why We Fight" propaganda film series, dealing with the Nazi conquest of Western Europe in 1940.

Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike

Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike

1943

Director

6.3
Directing

The second film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series. It introduces Germany as a nation whose aggressive ambitions began in 1863 with ...

Why We Fight: Prelude to War

Why We Fight: Prelude to War

1942

Director

6.4
Directing

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was ma...

Meet John Doe

Meet John Doe

1941

Director, Producer

7.3
Directing Producing

As a parting shot, fired reporter Ann Mitchell prints a fake letter from unemployed "John Doe," who threatens suicide in protest of social ills. The p...

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940

as Self

6.5
Acting

This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeche...

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940

Supervisor of Production Resources

6.5

This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeche...

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1939

Director

7.9
Directing

After the death of a United States Senator, idealistic Jefferson Smith is appointed as his replacement in Washington. Soon, the naive and earnest new ...

You Can't Take It with You

You Can't Take It with You

1938

Director, Producer

7.5
Directing Producing

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish m...

Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12

Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12

1938

as Frank Capra

6.0
Acting

A visit to Buck Jones's new ranch and his horse, Silver, to James Gleason and his dog, to Charles Ruggles and his kennels; on the set of 'You Can't Ta...

Another Romance of Celluloid

Another Romance of Celluloid

1938

as Self (uncredited)

5.0
Acting

This second entry in MGM's "Romance of Film" series documents how celluloid movie film is processed and features behind-the-scenes glimpses of current...

Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon

1937

Director, Producer

7.0
Directing Producing

British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash-land in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the hidden, id...

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

1936

Director, Producer

7.5
Directing Producing

Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow moves to the bi...

Broadway Bill

Broadway Bill

1934

Director, Producer

6.0
Directing Producing

Tycoon J.L. Higgins controls his whole family, but one of his sons-in-law, Dan Brooks, and his daughter Alice are fed up with that. Brooks quits his j...

It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night

1934

as Bus Singer (uncredited)

7.8
Acting

A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them be...

It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night

1934

Producer, Director

7.8
Producing Directing

A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them be...

Lady for a Day

Lady for a Day

1933

Director

7.0
Directing

Never-wed, poor, rough around the edges Apple Annie has always written to her daughter, Louise, in Spain that she is married and a member of New York'...

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

1932

Director, Producer

6.2
Directing Producing

An American missionary is gradually seduced by a courtly warlord holding her in Shanghai.

American Madness

American Madness

1932

Producer, Director

7.0
Producing Directing

Socially-conscious banker Thomas Dickson faces a crisis when his protégé is wrongly accused of robbing the bank, gossip of the robbery starts a bank r...

Screen Snapshots (Series 12, No. 2)

Screen Snapshots (Series 12, No. 2)

1932

as Himself

6.0
Acting

A Columbia Pictures promotional short which explains how a movie is made.

Forbidden

Forbidden

1932

Writer, Director, Producer

6.7
Writing Directing Producing

On a cruise to Cuba, Lulu Smith falls in love with Bob Grover. Back home, she breaks off the romance when he tells her he is married. Lulu has a baby ...

Platinum Blonde

Platinum Blonde

1931

Producer, Director

6.7
Producing Directing

Anne Schuyler is an upper-crust socialite who bullies her reporter husband into conforming to her highfalutin ways. The husband chafes at the confinem...

The Miracle Woman

The Miracle Woman

1931

Director, Producer

6.6
Directing Producing

After an unappreciated minister dies, his daughter loses her faith in God, prompting her to open a phony temple with a con man. Can the love of a blin...

Dirigible

Dirigible

1931

Director

5.6
Directing

Dirigible commander Jack Braden and Navy pilot 'Frisky' Pierce fight over the glory associated with a successful expedition to the South Pole and the ...

Rain or Shine

Rain or Shine

1930

Director, Producer

6.2
Directing Producing

Young Mary Rainey takes the reins of her deceased father's failing circus. With the help of the Inimitable Smiley Johnson, she hopes to bring fortune ...

Ladies of Leisure

Ladies of Leisure

1930

Director

6.1
Directing

Kay Arnold is a gold digger who wanders from party to party with the intention of catching a rich suitor. Jerry Strong is a young man from a wealthy f...

Flight

Flight

1929

Director, Dialogue

6.3
Directing

Two Marine pilots in love with the same girl are assigned a mission to find a notorious bandit in Nicaragua. This early talkie from director Frank Cap...

The Donovan Affair

The Donovan Affair

1929

Director

6.0
Directing

Inspector Killian tries to solve a murder case with his assistant Carney.

The Younger Generation

The Younger Generation

1929

Director

6.5
Directing

Soap-opera about a social-climbing Jewish man and his old-world parents who are heartbroken by his rejection of them. Young Morris Goldfish follows hi...

The Power of the Press

The Power of the Press

1928

Director

6.2
Directing

The naive newspaper cub Clem lands a scoop when he's sent out to cover a murder. In his enthusiasm he writes that the main suspect is Jane. When she c...

The Burglar

The Burglar

1928

Director, Writer

5.0
Directing Writing

A man, accidentally locked out of his house is mistaken for a burglar as he attempts to re-enter the house. The gag is that the person mistaking him,...

Submarine

Submarine

1928

Director

5.5
Directing

Two sailors who are always competing against each other set their sights on the same girl. When she chooses one over the other, their friendship ends ...

Say It with Sables

Say It with Sables

1928

Director, Story

5.0
Directing Writing

In this silent film, now considered lost, Doug Caswell falls for Irene, his wealthy father's mistress. It's up to Doug's stepmother Helen to put thing...

The Way of the Strong

The Way of the Strong

1928

Director

10.0
Directing

A gangster falls for a blind violinist, only for his mobster rivals to kidnap her.

The Matinee Idol

The Matinee Idol

1928

Director, Producer

6.3
Directing Producing

The famous matinee idol and blackface comedian, Don Wilson, heads out of town to escape adulation. There, calling himself Harry Mann, he accidentally ...

The Swim Princess

The Swim Princess

1928

Writer

Writing

The Swim Princess is a silent comedy short.

So This Is Love

So This Is Love

1928

Director

5.3
Directing

So This is Love? was another early Frank Capra production for fledgling Columbia Pictures. The hero, dress designer Jerry McGuire (William Collier Jr....

That Certain Thing

That Certain Thing

1928

Director, Producer, Screenplay

6.5
Directing Producing Writing

Gold-digger Molly marries the heir to a fortune, but things go badly when he is disinherited and starts working as a ditch digger.

Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks

1927

Story

6.0
Writing

Harry will do anything to be a musician, but it takes a junk collector to discover his hidden talents.

For the Love of Mike

For the Love of Mike

1927

Director

5.0
Directing

Three men join forces to raise an adopted son. A lost film.

His First Flame

His First Flame

1927

Story

5.3
Writing

Fire chief Amos McCarthy, a confirmed misogynist, counsels his nephew Harry Howells to avoid matrimony at all costs. Still, the lovestruck Harry is de...

Long Pants

Long Pants

1927

Director

5.5
Directing

Harry Shelby has been kept in knee pants for years by his overprotective parents, but the day finally comes when Harry is given his first pair of long...

The Strong Man

The Strong Man

1926

Director

6.3
Directing

A meek Belgian soldier (Harry Langdon) fighting in World War I receives penpal letters and a photo from "Mary Brown", an American girl he has never me...

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp

1926

Scenario Writer

5.8
Writing

A poor cobbler's son enters a $25,000 cross-country hiking contest sponsored by the footwear company that has nearly bankrupted his father. He also ha...

Saturday Afternoon

Saturday Afternoon

1926

Story

5.6
Writing

Harry and his friend have planned to go out for an afternoon of fun. But first, Harry must figure out how to slip away from his domineering wife with ...

Cold Turkey

Cold Turkey

1925

Scenario Writer

Writing
Lucky Stars

Lucky Stars

1925

Story

7.0
Writing

Harry leaves home to become a doctor, but winds up with "Doc" Healy's Medicine Show.

The Iron Nag

The Iron Nag

1925

Writer

Writing

A jail break turns into a race.

Sneezing Beezers

Sneezing Beezers

1925

Writer

Writing

An exiled king supports his daughter and himself by serving genuine chili con carne at a rapid-service lunch counter. Word arrives that he will be cro...

Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies

Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies

1925

Writer

Writing

An eccentric inventor has thought of a way that automobiles can run on radio waves, without gasoline. His plans put him in conflict with the owner of ...

Good Morning, Nurse

1925

Story

Writing

Roland Royce (Ralph Graves) takes his family and a beautiful nurse (Olive Borden) on a camping trip but everything goes wrong.

The Marriage Circus

1925

Writer

Writing

The Marriage Circus is a 1925 silent comedy short.

Boobs in the Wood

Boobs in the Wood

1925

Writer

6.7
Writing

Chester Winfield tries to make it as a lumberjack, but he's foiled by his lack of strength and the jealous foreman, Big Bill Reardon, after Chester ca...

The Wild Goose Chaser

The Wild Goose Chaser

1925

Writer

3.0
Writing

A Mack Sennett slapstick comedy featuring the cross-eyed man Ben Turpin.

All Night Long

All Night Long

1924

Writer

7.5
Writing

Harry runs into his old Marine sergeant and is reminded of the rivalry they had for a girl while they were stationed in France.

Riders of the Purple Cows

Riders of the Purple Cows

1924

Writer

Writing

When a gang of outlaws put Andy Clyde's ranch house under siege, daughter Alice Day recruits college heart throb Ralph Graves to save daddy.

Little Robinson Corkscrew

Little Robinson Corkscrew

1924

Writer

Writing

Returning to his hometown a fitness equipment salesman falls in love with the store keeper's daughter.

Jubilo, Jr.

Jubilo, Jr.

1924

Scenario Writer

5.8
Writing

A young boy, determined to make money enough to buy his mother a birthday present, finds a variety of odd jobs and finally starts up a makeshift circu...

3 Days to Live

1924

Editor, Writer

Writing

Three stock market investors in San Francisco find themselves the target of a mystery investor, who is driving them to bankruptcy. The mystery investo...

Fulta Fisher's Boarding House

Fulta Fisher's Boarding House

1922

Director

5.2
Directing

Fulta Fisher runs a boarding house catering to seamen passing through the port. A girl known as Anne of Austria has had many lovers amongst the sailor...

The Italian Warship Libia

The Italian Warship Libia

1921

Director, Writer

5.0
Directing Writing

A documentary recording the visit of the Italian navy warship Libia to San Francisco.

The Outcasts of Poker Flat

The Outcasts of Poker Flat

1919

4.0
Acting

The owner of a gambling hall is entrusted with the care of a pretty young girl. He falls in love with her, but he must decide whether to let her go to...