Under the Radar reports that “this 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition of director Fran Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life is available now on Blu-ray and DVD. Jimmy Hawkins, who played George Bailey’s son Tommy in the movie, is still with us and he talked to us about the movie, how it became a classic and why making the film was so important for returning WWII veterans Jimmy Stewart and director Frank Capra.”

“After Hawkins grew up, he appeared in a couple of movies with Elvis Presley and was a regular guest star on ’60s television shows. He later worked as a film and TV producer and became the acknowledged expert on It’s a Wonderful Life, writing several books and producing documentary tributes to the film.”

“The new release includes a beautiful black-and-white transfer of the original film and a colorized version that was done in 2007 (and is far better than the colorization process you might remember from the ’80s. There’s also “The Making of It’s A Wonderful Life,” a documentary featurette hosted by Tom Bosley. Both the Blu-ray and DVD set include collectible, limited edition art cards featuring images of original ads and lobby cards.”