It doesn't get more classic than this old-school Christmas drama. George Bailey (James Stewart) is a worn-down businessman on the brink of making a tragic decision. His despair prompts a visit from his guardian angel (Henry Travers), who takes George on a journey to prove to him that his life does matter by showing him how the world would have been if he'd never been born. The film is a beacon of old Hollywood, but not many people know that it's based on a short story: The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern.