The Moviegoer, Dec. 17-23

It’s a Wonderful Life Director Frank Capra’s bittersweet 1946 classic about a suicidal small-town banker, family man and all-around good guy, George Bailey (James Stewart) and the wingless angel Clarence (Henry Travers) sent to give him hope, is perhaps America’s favorite Christmas movie and, upon re-watching, always a wee bit darker than we remember. With Lionel Barrymore as the conniving Mr. Potter and Donna Reed as Mary Bailey (saved by George from, gasp, spinsterhood and a career as a librarian!). American Cinematheque, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 466-3456. Dec. 21-22, 7:30 p.m.; American Cinematheque, Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-1528. Dec. 23, 4 and 7:30 p.m. $12; $8 for Cinematheque members. www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/ Also at the Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Dr., Hollywood, (323) 660-6639. Dec. 24, 10:15 a.m. www.vintagecinemas.com/vista

Afternoon Classics Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner star in director William Wyler’s 1961 film The Children’s Hour, adapted from the Lillian Hellman play of the same name. Hepburn and MacLaine play longtime friends who run a boarding school for girls and who face scandal and disgrace when they are “accused” of having a lesbian affair. Wyler’s first film adaptation of the play, “These Three,” in 1936, was written to exclude any mention of a same-sex relationship. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 938-4038. Dec. 20, 2 p.m. $6. thenewbev.com

Elf Will Ferrell delights as Buddy, an orphaned human raised as an elf at the North Pole in director Jon Favreau’s charming 2003 family favorite. The top-notch cast includes Bob Newhart as Papa Elf, James Caan as Buddy’s biological father, Zooey Deschanel as Buddy’s love interest and Ed Asner as Santa Claus. (The Aero will screen digitally, while the New Beverly will screen a 35 mm print). American Cinematheque, Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 260-1528. Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m. $12; $8 for Cinematheque members. www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/ New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 938-4038. Dec. 23-24, 2 p.m. $6. Thenewbev.com

Bing Crosby Double Feature Musical duo turned big-time Broadway producers (Crosby and Danny Kaye) fall head over heels for cute sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) in director Michael Curtiz’s 1954 White Christmas. Irving Berlin re-tooled his titular Oscar-winning song, which was introduced in the second feature on the bill, Holiday Inn (1942). Crosby, the spurned lover in a musical trio turned love triangle (with Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale), opens a country inn in Connecticut with the just-crazy-enough idea to open on only big holidays. Crosby’s heart recovers when he meets cute with ingenue Marjorie Reynolds. Modern-audience warning: There is a scene in which blackface is used in an ill-advised tribute to Abraham Lincoln. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 260-1528. Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. $12; $8 for Cinematheque members. www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/

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