– I must have watched It’s a Wonderful Life a half-dozen times, and every time I notice the piano player who pounds out a smoking-hot stomp tune at Nick’s, the boisterous speakeasy in which Clarence, Jimmy Stewart’s hapless guardian angel, makes the mistake of ordering mulled wine from the tough-guy bartender (“We serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast, and we don’t need any characters around to give the joint
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
