By Barbara Arnstein
The timeless, heart-warming movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which turns eighty next year, is about a small-town banker, George Bailey (played by James Stewart), who dreams of traveling the world but stays where he is to thwart the greedy schemes of the town’s other banker, the wealthiest man in town and a slumlord. It is set in fictitious Bedford Falls, which characters imply is somewhere around Buffalo, Rochester and Elmira, NY. (At one point, George and his future wife Mary (played by Donna Reed) sing “Buffalo Gal” together.) The villain’s last name is Potter and his first name is Henry (for which Harry is a nickname), like the name of a modern young wizard character. (Although the banker’s first name is never mentioned, it is visible on his office door, backwards.) When Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore) steals his rival’s bank’s cash (at that time, the equivalent of over $140,000), just before a bank examiner’s visit, Bailey heads for a nearby bridge intending to make it a one-way trip, but is stopped by his guardian angel, who shows him how awful his town would’ve been if he’d never lived. The movie ends with George’s family and his many friends celebrating together on Christmas Eve, as they chip in to replace the stolen money and express how much he means to them.
wonderfullifemuseum.com and www.therealbedfordfalls.com for more.
“Life” is mostly set in the winter but it was shot during a heat wave. Although it received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Recording, it won only one: for the Special Effects Department’s new method of making artificial snow. Earlier movies with snow scenes often used cornflakes underfoot, that crunched so much that lines had to be rerecorded later.
It’s number one on many lists of the best Christmas movies, such as Entertainment Weekly’s, and appears on many lists of the best and most popular films. However, when the movie first premiered in 1946, the Federal Bureau of Investigation accused it of being “communist propaganda” because (according to them) it “villainized…the upper class” (represented by Potter). During their most dramatic confrontation, Bailey tells him, “You said (tenants) had to wait and save their money before they even thought of a decent home. Wait for what? Until they’re old and broken down? This ‘rabble’ you’re talking about do most of the working and paying…in this community. But to you, they’re cattle!” Happily, in 1947, when the House Un-American Activities Committee held a hearing about the film, critic John Charles Moffitt testified that “it showed that the power of money can be used oppressively and it can be used benevolently.”
“It’s a Wonderful Life” was first released in black-and-white but can also be seen colorized, and it was made into a musical. Seneca Falls, NY has an “It’s a Wonderful Life Museum” because many believe it inspired the creation of Bedford Falls. Certain facts seem to bolster this belief, such as the fact that the director, Frank Capra, paid a visit there while he and the other two scriptwriters were working on the script. This past weekend, the town presented its annual “It’s a Wonderful Life Festival” revolving around elements of the movie. The many events included a parade, featuring their first-ever float contest, and the “It’s a Wonderful Run 5K”. Actors who played George’s children, and Donna Reed’s daughter (who’s named Mary) were among the guests of honor. For more information about the museum, go to wonderfullifemuseum.com or call (315) 568-5838.