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.

This weekend I plan to watch it. I would like to know how many times I’ve seen this movie. I would guess…30+ times now that I think about it.

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 easily..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 which 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. I was 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.

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, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

44 thoughts on “It’s A Wonderful Life”

  2. Such a wonderful personal connection Max. I watch this every year as well and find it just as enjoyable. Some trivia I heard the other day, stuff you probably know but was new to me, it was filmed during a heat wave and the original snow was painted corn flakes but it was too crunchy!

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      1. Yes it’s hard to believe they used asbestos at one point. My father was an Asbestos Worker, he insulated large boilers and pipes and what not. That stuff killed both of my parents.

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      2. Oh geez…I’m sorry…
        I remember in 10th grade we didn’t go back to school until the end of Sept because of them removing it off the ceiling.

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      3. Horrible the companies held back the secret of the health effects for so many years. My older brother worked with my dad for several years and has died from cancer. When we were little I recall jumping on the fluffy bags of the stuff in the back of my Dad’s truck. Had we only known. Sorry for the ramble there Max.

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      4. Oh no…never be sorry for that Randy. That is so damn horrible. Again I’m so sorry…that pisses me off as well.
        I’m glad it didnt’ get to you.

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      6. Ooh. That’s as scary as my friends riding their bikes behind the DDT fogger when I was a kid. I was plumbing in someone’s basement when I noticed they had their baby stroller stored right under a duct with asbestos hanging off of it. I had to tell them.

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  3. Agreed, Max. A film for all seasons, not just Christmas. Ironically, I have never sat through the entire movie from start to finish. I’ve seen it all from “accumulating” it in bits and pieces over all these years (usually while doing something else Christmas-related). Maybe this is the year I’ll sit and do nothing but watch it lol.

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  5. My daughter is coming over to watch it Saturday night. Bedford Falls is partly Seneca Falls, NY, where you can walk across that bridge, with George Bailey Lane and Bedford Falls Blvd at the ends of the bridge. (see my post of Aug 10, 2022 for photos.) The other movie we often watch is “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947, with a young Natalie Wood).

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    1. I just watched Miracle on 34th Street around 3 years ago for the first time ever…I loved it. I don’t know how I missed it.
      I’ll look up that post…I would like to see that bridge.

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  6. It’s amazing how you can keep watching certain movies over and over again, and they just don’t get boring. I can see why you’d pick “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which looks like a true classic. I’m very familiar with the title but don’t remember if I ever watched it. If I did, it must have been many moons ago during my teenage years back in Germany. At the time, I was watching much more TV than I do nowadays.

    Reflecting on movies I have watched multiple times, the first one that comes to mind is “Casablanca.” I even caught it on the big screen once – must have been like 8-10 years ago. Some independent movie theatre showed it. With Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid and Peter Lorre, you had an incredible cast, and the picture also had a great story and didn’t need any fancy special effects to captivate!

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    1. It’s a movie that is not really a Christmas movie until the very end…so it’s not really a Christmas movie but it was labeled as one…but it works!
      I love Casablanca as well…that is a great choice!
      Another movie I’ve watched over and over is Citizen Kane.

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  7. definitely a classic and a great, and that’s a reminder to myself that we need to watch it . Like you, I think I’ve seen it every Christmas-time since sometime in the ’90s. Often watched it with my mom back then, it was one we both enjoyed. Curious that it was a flop when it first came out and it took a cable TV station looking for movies to play for cheap that resurrected it – thankfully – in the ’80s.

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    1. That is surprising that it was a flop…I mean how can anyone flop this? Another thing about it…it’s not just a Christmas movie…that only happens at the end.

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      1. It is nice when a name comes from more than what is current just now name-wise. And they must fit. We bought a Schnauzer/cross way back when the kids were way younger and the name we had was ‘Deirdre.’ We all looked at her and looked at another and when we said ‘Hi Deirdre’ she just looked up at us, eyes all basset hound-like. We and she knew she was no Deidre and so we wound up with ‘Juno.’ Far better.

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  9. Momo and I watched Miracle On 34th Street a few evenings back; the black and white version. That movie and It’s A Wonderful Life always bring me into the Christmas spirit, as much as anything can. I plan to watch it tonight or tomorrow, I have the DVD.

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      1. Since Disney captured most of the old holiday shows, Charlie Brown Christmas is not shown on regular TV, nor is his Halloween shows. Amazon wants you to rent National Lampoon Christmas. I am glad I found the DVD’s in the Walmart $ 5.00 barrel some years ago.

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      2. Until Disney changes…I won’t watch them…and it looks like by recent news….that the stockholders are going to make them change.

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  11. My wife and I watch this every year as well. Still get choked up when Harry Bailey shows up at the end to toast his big brother George. This movie is the best and really cool that you have a Bailey in your house to remind you of this classic!

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    1. It’s a movie that you can watch any time really. Such a great meaning to that film. Hard to believe it flopped when it was released. Bailey really likes the fact he was named after him.

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  13. Added to my watchlist for Christmas! Loved your blog on the movie. Will give it a like and follow 🙂 May I leave a link to my latest blog?

    Are Ghosts For Real?


    Please feel free to pop over to my website and leave a comment with your link. All the best and good luck with your blogging !

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  14. Pingback: It’s A Wonderful Life | Cobcatnipdew's Blog

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