It’s A Wonderful Life

If someone said…you can only watch just one Christmas movie every year…this one would be it. It’s very close to a long Twilight Zone. I have seen this movie more times than any other…hands down. We were thinking of names for our unborn child and couldn’t think of one…I was watching this movie in November of 1999 and it hit me…Bailey…so the movie means more than some movies do. 

I didn’t watch this great movie until the late 80s. All it took was one time and I haven’t missed a year of watching it. I don’t tear up very easy..but it never fails at the end of the movie when Zuzu says… Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings…it gets me every time. This movie was released in 1946.

Poor George Bailey. All he wanted to do was travel and get out of Bedford Falls to see the world. Every single time he gets close…so close that it hurts…something happens and George ends up doing the right thing.

Bedford Falls needs George Bailey…every town needs a George Bailey but many end up with only a Mr. Potter. There is one thing about this movie that was unusual. Mr. Potter was never punished for what he did…which drew criticism at the time but it was more in line with reality to me. This is a Christmas movie but really only the last part of the movie is about Christmas. It is a movie for any time not just for December. 

Here is a small summary from IMDB…don’t read it…watch the movie instead. If you haven’t seen it…give it a shot…whether it is Christmas or July.

George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint, Mr. Potter, from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George’s modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George’s Uncle Billy loses the business’s $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

34 thoughts on “It’s A Wonderful Life”

      2. LOL…I thought…well I only did two….and then I looked. Shit! I really have 4 today…I have a baseball blog. I never post on it but today of course I did.

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  3. My daughter and I watch this movie together every year and every year we cry. They adopted a dog just before Christmas two years ago and named him Bailey, after George. The bridge that is pivotal to the plot is in Seneca Falls, NY and the road across is signed “George Bailey Ln” and “Bedford Falls Blvd”. I agree – Potter getting away with everything seems closer to reality and saves it from being a sappy Christmas movie with the villain seeing the error of his ways and turning into a good guy in the end.

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  4. Just reading you, remembering Zuzu’s petals, there’s a teardrop coming at the corner of eyes. It happened the same last night, watching the movie for the… I don’t know how many time I saw it. My own review soon be released.
    You’re right, it’s not only a Christmas movie. And could a Christmas movie be so dark ? Opening with a man who wants to kill himself, and following the same Georgie chained in Bedford Falls just like Truman was in Seahaven, could it be a merry tale? I’m not sure. And that’s probably why “it’s a wonderful life” passes the ages without getting one wrinkle.
    Personally, I always crush with Violet.

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    1. Violet was awesome! I always wondered if Sesame Street got the Bert and Ernie from this movie.
      It is dark…I’ve watched it so many times I sometimes forget it. The range Stewart showed was great.
      I’m glad it hit other people the same… by the end some tears are always there.

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      2. My first drops are coming with Gower understanding that he made a mistakes with the pills. And other come further.
        I don’t know for Sesame Street but it’s a possibilty.
        In France there’s only a small part of the audience that knows this film, mainly composed by the Capra admirers. I’ve met the film probably in the nineties, and since that it’s my favorite Christmas movie, probably one of my favorite of all times.

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      3. Oh…when you started to talk about “Gower” that got my attention…I didn’t think of the movie because that is MY last name lol.
        Another reason I liked the movie!

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  6. Most definitely a classic and a must see! We’ll probably watch it Friday night I’m guessing, we have it on DVD in case it’s not on a streaming service we have. You didn’t see it until the late-80s? NOONE did! Well, exaggerating obviously but it is worth remembering it was a flop when it came out and basically forgotten about til some cable station needed cheap fodder essentially to run at Christmas and it was re-discovered.

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