Geoff Peterson was born in 1946, the same year It's a Wonderful Life came out and The Best Years of Our Lives won for best picture. Before he turned one year of age The Lost Weekend would take home the honor. Brando had just got off a bus at Port Authority and would appear in Truckline Café. Charlie Parker played nightly on 52nd Street. Families were glad to be still among the living and thought hard about putting their lives to good use. So what happened? That's what Peterson writes about.