No, it's a wonderful life and Sesame Street is not connected

It's a Wonderful Life is one of the best Christmas movies of all time, a fantastic, poignant film that's also a great indictment of rampant capitalism. Although Frank Capra never expected this movie to be so popularit has become an integral part of the holiday season in many American homes throughout December, as well as a staple of classic cinema.

The film follows James Stewart's idealistic George Bailey, a man who hates the idea of ​​living in his small hometown doing nothing but serving the community…yet at every turn he puts his ambitions aside to help. for others, his dreams keep getting put on hold as incident after incident sends him down a different path than he imagined. But when he falls on hard times and the crushing fist of capitalism threatens to destroy his life's work, George's suicidal thoughts prompt a real-life guardian angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) to show George how he's affected the lives around him through an alternate universe. where he was not born.

Like many films that are considered classics today, It's a Wonderful Life initially struggled to find success as it notoriously bombed at the box office and was also the target of an FBI investigation for its “communist” leanings, as it a banker was depicted. Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) as a despicable villain. And yet the film found new life when it began to be shown on television every Christmas, and more people were exposed to this fantastic fable. So “It's a Wonderful Life” wasn't just that Stewart's favorite among his filmsbut it also became a favorite among movie buffs around the world.

Part of what makes It's a Wonderful Life unique is how many memorable supporting characters it has, from those in George's inner circle to smaller players like Nick the bartender (Sheldon Leonard), Bert the cop (Ward Bonds) and Bert's friend. Ernie the Cab Driver (Frank Faylen). As you've no doubt noticed, the latter two characters share the same names as the iconic roommates Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street, which debuted 23 years after It's a Wonderful Life hit theaters in 1946. But is it just a coincidence, or did Capra's film directly inspire these two particular Muppets?

A popular belief is that Bert and Ernie in “Sesame Street” are actually named after the characters in “It's A Wonderful Life.” Unfortunately, as fun as this Easter egg sounds, it actually isn't. As told by Jerry Yule, one of the original writers of “Sesame Street.” San Francisco Chronicle In 1999, rumors have persisted for decades, even though they are patently false. True, he was not present when the characters of “Sesame Street” were named, but Yule was sure that “Sesame Street” co-creator Jim Henson did not do it on purpose. In his own words:

“Despite his many talents, Jim (Henson) did not remember such details. He, of course, knew the movie ('It's a Wonderful Life'), but he would not have remembered (the names of) the policeman and the taxi driver.”

Going on, Yule admitted that he “couldn't confirm it” with Henson before his death. However, he spoke “shortly afterwards” with John Stone, the original producer and head writer of “Sesame Street” and “the man largely responsible for the format of the show (sadly John is no longer with us).” As Juhl recalled:

“(Stone) assured me that Ernie and Bert were named one day when he and Jim were studying the prototype dolls. They decided that one of them looked like Ernie and the other looked like Bert. The names of the characters in the movie are just a coincidence.”

So it looks like it was all a fluke – unlike that latest reference to “Sesame Street” in “Inside Out 2” which is certainly a knowing tribute to the long-running educational children's show.