GTA returning to downtown Gainesville with holiday classic 'It's a Wonderful Life'

GAINESVILLE - In 1949, U.S. armed forces were recovering from World War II while grappling with an aggressive Soviet Union following the division of East and West Germany, RCA perfected a system for broadcasting television programs in color (though most households wouldn't have a color TV for 10 years), and gas was 17 cents a gallon. After years of suffering in the war effort, the post-war prosperity was just beginning, with homes, cars and hair-dos getting bigger. <br /> <br /> Against this backdrop, Gainesville Theatre Alliance's (GTA's) production of "It's a Wonderful Life," a staged radio play set in 1949, will take place Dec. 18-28 in downtown Gainesville, creating a local "Bedford Falls" where neighbors visit the local shops and chime holiday wishes to each other. The show, with an all-professional six-person cast, will be staged in Brenau University's Theatre on the Square in the Brenau Downtown Center