Search results for

NPR's Rick Karr reports on how a 1946 box office flop became so ubiquitous on television this time of year. It's a Wonderful Life is a sentimental favorite... in part because of Jimmy Stewart, but also because no one ever bothered to file the papers to extend the copyright on the movie.

Runners from Mexico reach New York carrying a torch in honor of the Lady of Guadalupe -- a symbol of hope for Mexico's down-trodden. In Manhattan, Mexican Americans packed a city block to greet the flame's arrival Thursday. Rachel Dornhelm reports.

Traditional retailers see ho-hum sales during the 2002 holiday season, but online merchants report record numbers. Yet there are also signs that the growth of Internet commerce may be peaking. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Carrie Johnson, an analyst with Forrester Research.

Santa's not the only one who checks his list. Companies who hire shopping-mall St. Nicks are going to greater lengths to make sure their Christmas-time helpers don't have naughty tendencies. NPR's Cara Gerhard reports.

Mechanical engineer Don Gilmore has the key to a persistent musical problem: how to keep a piano perpetually in tune. The top-selling line of Story-Clark grand pianos will soon be outfitted with Gilmore's self-tuning device. Hear from Gilmore and NPR's John Ydstie.

Historian Forrest McDonald describes how George Washington -- a man who many of his time would have accepted as a new monarch -- modestly assumed the duties of the presidency. He shaped the office and the nation forevermore.

The Dallas Museum of Art marks its 100th anniversary by staying open for 100 straight hours, drawing visitors night and day... some younger ones in their pajamas. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Bonnie Pittman, the museum's deputy director.

The "large white" breed of turkey has ruled the commercial market for so long that other regional breeds are dying out. Dedicated foodies try to bring back the "bourbon red," the "American bronze" and other rare breeds. NPR's Robert Smith reports.

The popularity of Chicago could herald the return of the movie musical. The once-popular form never entirely disappeared, but fell victim to a more cynical period in film. Moulin Rouge helped the musical re-emerge. Hear from NPR's Scott Simon and critic Elvis Mitchell.

The new movie Russian Ark takes viewers on a journey through St. Petersburg's famed Hermitage museum. And it's shot in a single, uniterrupted take. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.