I can't wait for them to watch Vertigo. A lot of that performance, you can see even here in this movie. Stewart was that type of bonafide star where countless impressions were made of his cadence. But that made him all the more original and translated to a bigger than life image on the silver screen. Always liked stars having a distinct way of sound to em.
Believe it or not,I actually met Jimmy Stewart in 1982. I was a banquet server in Denver. His wife was greeting other people at the function that they were attending. He was sitting at a table alone,by himself. I was just passing by his table, and he asked me to sit down and keep him company while his wife was with other friends. My banquet manager saw me sit down next to him and come over to inquire about why I was sitting with him. Mr. Stewart looked him right in the eye and said " this nice young man is going to keep me company for awhile, you don't have a problem with that...do you? Well he couldn't turn down the request from such a prominent Hollywood icon. I sat there throughout the entire event. What a wonderful experience for me. Mr. Stewart and his wife were both very nice people. He talked about the old days of movie making. To this day I cherish that conversation I had with him.
The kindness that George and Mary show toward Martini and his family is often overlooked. At this time in American history, Italian immigrants often faced discrimination and prejudice, and the fact that the Building & Loan took a financial risk on helping him buy a modern, well-constructed house when people like Potter would keep him in a slum, is a powerful statement.
Good catch. Few ever comment on that. Sadly, our modern American Public school system ONLY addresses BLACK discrimination (& especially slavery) when it teaches American History! It completely skips over, or at most 'hand waves', all the WHITE/ European discrimination that occurred! (Italian, Irish, even Catholic, etc.)
@@sharkdentures3247 The movie Gangs of New York really demonstrates the hatred by native white Americans of the Irish immigrants who came to this country in the mid 19th century.
@@sharkdentures3247 They'd have to mention how those communities got co-opted by white supremacy to divide and conquer so they wouldn't see themselves in common struggle with the Black Americans.
Real talk: George is the protagonist and a good man in difficult situations, but Mary is the hero of his story. He ends up so devoted to helping everyone else that she is the one that comes through for him.
Jimmy Stewart was suffering from PTSD from being a bomber pilot in World War II. Whether he wanted to or not, he applied it to his performance in "It's a Wonderful Life".
This has pretty much become a oft-repeated story that really isn't true. He's an actor and a very good one. Not to say he didn't have PTSD from the war. But it's one of those "facts" that so-called movie crickets like to throw out to try to prove something. Before WWII, he plays a character who has a few lunatic moments in the 2nd Thin Man film. (It's a NYE film) He does emotions just fine in that movie without WWII recall.
@@drcornelius8275 PTSD disorder is well documented since WWI what the hell are you talking about? It's nothing to do with "being opressed" or victimizing oneself, It's a REAL disorder well defined in every manual of mental disorder... It's very possible that James Stewart used that experience for his acting, although he wasn't a method actor he surely knew those techniques that can be useful
@@drcornelius8275 You come across as a very ignorant, stupid person. I wonder, when you kiss your partner, do you like the smell of your best friend's sweaty nutsack on their hairy chin?
I think it's interesting that George had dreams of building great things and making his mark in the world, but never realized he'd built something great in his hometown, built a wonderful life with his wife and community, and was appreciated and loved far beyond anything he could have imagined.
That's the whole point. It happens to a lot of people. They don't realize what they have actually done in life. They're too focused on what they didn't do, where they fell short, instead of what they've actually done.
FYI: Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in 1843. By the time "It's a Wonderful Life" was released, there had been at least ten film versions (the first in 1901) of "A Christmas Carol" with more to follow over the next few decades.
Lionel Barrymores performance as Mr Potter in this great movie is just pure class from the wonderful actor that he was. He was the great uncle of Drew Barrymore.
Key Largo great great movie, I've heard that Barrymore mainly played the role of a nice/good guy. This role was something different, being the bad guy for a change.
@@DaVic133 Lionel Barrymore playing the rich and incredibly mean Mr. Potter was on the mind of casting directors looking for someone to play Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol. They wound up giving the part to Alastair Sim but apparently Barrymore was in the running.
@@jamesalexander5623 He really was wheelchair bound. In the movie You Can't Take it with You, he gets around in cruches. That was also his first with Jimmy Stewart.
@@moeball740i'm not certain that barrymore was ever in contention for the role of scrooge in the 1951 adaptation, but he was certainly the actor that mgm wanted for their 1938 adaptation of the dickens novella, given his close association with the role through his well known portrayals in annual radio broadcasts of the story. however, even by then, barrymore was too debilitated to play the part on screen, and the role went to veteran british actor reginald owen in the 1938 film.
The “hotdog!” thing is a lighter people would use for cigars. His little tradition is to make a wish and see if he can get it to light on the first try (Similar to throwing rocks at the old house). He had big dreams and wishes that never came to be, but the angel helped him realize how great his life is.
Everyone remembers “ …an Angel gets his wings.” But to me, it’s the part that says “no man is a failure who has *friends*” That’s gotten me through some low moments in my life. Such an epic film.
That line breaks me also, but not necessarily in a good way. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for any sympathy or pity, but I don't think I've ever had any real friends. Definitely not like those in the movie. Plenty of acquaintances, but no true friends. And according to the rule laid down by Clarence, that makes me a true failure. Like I said, it breaks me.
@@philphilips1020 I've had 2 real pals ,now dead ,but I have brothers and a sister to lean on , the film was a failure on it's release but has gained much praise over the years. If you have empathy for humanity you are not a failure.
I read today a story of the little girl that played Zuzu, she's in her 80's now, how Jimmy Stewart tracked her down 46 years after this movie just to check up on her after all that time. She has said he was always the nicest person.
Im on a 3rd reaction to this classic in last 2 days, a very smart South American girl named Vanessa was very perceptive in seeing when Potter had the 8 THous and she realized how all of the TOWN was affected by George's actions and Im sure Samantha will have even better reactions
Been looking forward to this all week! This was James Stewart's first movie since he fought as a bomber pilot in WW2 & he was suffering from PTSD. Whenever he cries it breaks my heart, it feels so real. My mom & I love this movie, thanks for reacting to it!
His performance is Oscar worthy and we know why. He reminds me of Jim Carrey in his more serious roles. He has an “Everyman” quality. You watch the characters he plays and you feel like you know him. Or he’d be a good buddy.
This is without a doubt the best Xmas movie made. I know generations younger than mine may disagree but the story is timeless. I'm 66 years old and have seem this every year without fail. First with my mom and dad and later with my children. To this day, I still cry at the end because after all, "George Bailey is and always has been the richest man in town".. in so many ways..
Gets me every time too, and I've seen this movie dozens of times over the years. I was so bummed when that line didn't make it on the AFI list of 100 greatest movie quotes!!!
Every Frank Capra movie, and I mean every Frank Capra movie, conjures such intense human emotions. He was one of the greatest geniuses to ever grace Hollywood, bar none. The scene at the train station where the camera follows George, as he realizes his brother isn't going to take over at the savings and loan, gets me every time. No words are spoken but we know exactly what he's feeling.
Great reactions. I remember the cast of Saturday Night Live did a skit featuring an alternate ending to this movie. Billy remembered that he handed the newspaper with the money to Potter and informed George about it. Everyone left the party, went to Potter's building and beat the crap out of him. LoL.😄
I just want to say first that you two are my favorite "comfort food" reactors. I was in the same boat forever, seeing the commercial on NBC every year and thinking it was just some old shmaltzy film that wouldn't interest me. Then maybe 15 years or so ago I was wrapping the kids' present downstairs in the family room. With all the paper and bags and stuff everywhere, I couldn't find the remote. So it was just on in the background as I kept wrapping. I started sort of watching at the pharmacy scene, and then completely sucked in and weeping like a baby by the end of it. After three hours with commercials, I realized I had only wrapped two presents. 😄 This is a true classic film with a great message that I've watched almost every year since. Merry Christmas, everyone!
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, is about 180 years old, so a wee bit older than this. The trope of seeing what the world would be like if you hadn't been born was copied in a lot of stories and I think that comes from this film. This was Jimmy Stewart's first film after coming from serving as a flight leader in WWII and he was by all accounts likely suffering from PTSD when he started filming. Most think that greatly enhanced his performance, and some accounts say that this film reinstilled in him a love of acting...even though this film was not a success at all. It did so poorly, that the copyright was allowed to lapse. That led to it being shown on TV royalty-free every year and so it was rediscovered.
I subscribe to a ton of reaction channels and for most I always skip the intro and closing discussion and just watch the reaction itself... Not for your videos. I love watching your intros I love listening to your discussion after the reaction you two seem so genuine and thoughtful.. for me your reactions feel like sitting down to watch a movie with a good friend. This comment isn't really specific to this video but I have the same thought every time I see one of your vids show up in my feed and I thought maybe I'd share today. Merry Christmas 😊
The run on the bank scene where George and Mary give away all their money for their honeymoon really epitomizes who George really is and why everyone comes together to help him. He's selfless to a fault and it's both sad and joyous. Most other people would have taken the trip but George is a good man who believes that helping others is what he needs to do, even at the expense of his own immediate happiness.. That scene and the ending never fail to get the tears going.
This, A Christmas Story and the 1951 Alastair Sim version of Scrooge are my favourite Christmas movies. The animated version from 1971 with Alastair Sim is really underrated. The animation is terrific. When George is losing it at the bar, I really feel it.
@@seanrosenau2088 It's the only modern adaptation I watch. I think Carol Kane is the star of the movie. When she knees Bill Murray in the balls, I realized we were in good hands.
Beautiful movie, glad you watched such a classic. I watch it every year, it still hits me when all the people that his life had touched helped him out.
Jimmy Stewart is a treasure, hope you look into more of his movies. He had an interesting role in a western with John Wayne called "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence." Thank you for all your work on this channel, you are spreading joy and affecting people - just like George Bailey! Merry Christmas! 💜
The absolute best Christmas film ever. Hands down. I've watched it countless times. The final message gets me through each year. Did you notice it NEVER snows in Pottersville ? Yes you can see it on the ground but look when George is begging to Clarence that he wants to live again - the moment it starts to snow is when you know he's back in good old Bedford Falls. The snow was a new development for the film too. Capra wanted to use live sound for the close up scenes so the usual Hollywood method - cornflakes bleached or painted in white was out as clearly any walking nearby would create unwanted sound so the special effects team came up with a brand new method. There was actually a record heatwave going on whilst the film was being made ! The Raven that Uncle Billy owns is called 'Jimmy'. He starred in 1000+ films and was quite the star - insured for the equivalent of thousands of dollars today. He's actually the 'crow' that lands on the Scarecrow in 'The Wizard of Oz'. Capra found a part for him in every film he made after 1938. Speaking of Uncle Billy, in the scene where he leaves the frame and there's a crash, a set hand dropped some equipment accidentally and the look of concern from Jimmy Stewart was genuine. Some say 'Uncle Billy' improvised the cry that he was alright, others say it was dubbed on in post. But the crash is genuine and unscripted. Jimmy Stewart was still suffering with PTSD from his WW2 service and credits this movie experience as being therapeutic. In particular, in the prayer scene it wasn't scripted for him to cry and they weren't really setup for a close up to really capture the emotion. Capra knew he couldn't replicate the emotion in a reshoot so he decided to go with the original footage and zoomed in on the negative for the final cut of the film. If you look, it looks grainier because of that but Capra thought it worked in bringing more emotion and it was certainly better than asking Jimmy to go again. Stewart is one of my favourite actors and even more so when you see this performance. So glad new generations are still enjoying this classic - and in black and white as it should be !
Things labeled "poison" back then didn't necessarily mean something like arsenic, it could be an ingredient that if not mixed in small qualities could be fatal and therefore may be labeled "poison", even though it's a safe ingredient in proper dosage.
I went to college as a chemist and we were taught to either taste things, just a tiny amount on the tip of our tongue, or to waft the fumes over from a reaction to smell it. We also knew that on average chemists lived a decade less than everyone else. People used to consume small amounts of some poison for supposed medicinal reasons. For instance, in Agatha Christie's first book, "The Curious Affair at Styles," the victim had been ingested a small amount of strychnine (!) every day. The murderer figures out a way to get her to get the full amount in one dose. (And Christie drew on her knowledge that this actually happened - by accident - several times.) PS - great novel, even better film version with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot.
It's A Wonderful Life is not only timeless, but also a time capsule. As I watch these many reactions, I am reminded of how much our culture and vernacular has changed. 1.) The "sledding" on a snow shovel was mostly out of necessity. In a time when money was really tight, for a larger number of people, a shovel would be a necessity, a sled would be a luxury. 2.) The soda shop/pharmacy where George worked was commonplace. In the movie, George would the 'soda jerk'. 3.) The remark that Mary yells up to her mother, "He's making violent love to me, mother." was INNCREDIBLY risqué language for the time. 4.) The 'telephone' scene George's inner turmoil spills over. He KNOWS that he loves Mary. The inevitable marriage literally puts the last 'nail in the lid on the coffin' of his dreams to see the world. 5.) The $8,000 that Uncle Billy 'lost' has the purchasing power of nearly $130,000 today. 6.) The $20,000 that Mr. Potter offers George is equivalent to nearly $350,000 today. It was not only a trick to destroy the Building and Loan, it was a very dirty trick. Mr. Potter's line, "...I'm offering you a 3 years contract..." Three years and George would out of a job and the Building and Loan would be gone. In my opinion, the aftermath would be catastrophic. 7.) A lot of reactors are not happy about the idea that Mr. Potter gets away with theft. I believe that the movie accomplished two things here ..... a.] Revenge is not going to end well. The old adage 'Two wrongs don't make a right.', in my opinion, is truth. b.] No matter what evil people perpetrate upon you, your happiness, joy and inner peace is a choice. A belief that a person who tries to be honorable and compassionate will experience a favorable outcome. I hope that no matter what you are dealing with during this Holiday Season, that the Peace and Love of God will be with you 🙏. Edit: The scene... 'I wish I had a million dollars. ' 'Hot Dog!' Involved a cigar lighter. Grorge, like other children, was making a wish on it, and if it lit, your wish supposed to come true. The determining factor is the match in the lighter. If the pharmacist or the last person to use it didn't replace the match, it obviously would not light. The strings on Uncle Billy's fingers are there to help him remember important things.
I'm awfully sad current Hollywood (and audiences) would probably think of a story like this to be "schmaltzy". Earnest and feel good media definitely deserve a place in pop culture regardless of the age we're in. We could always use these types of stories to remind us how fortunate we could be. The hit k-drama "Attorney Woo" had this vibe to it which is undoubtedly what made it a surprise success this past summer. Happy holidays to you guys and see you in the new year with more content!
It is irretrievably schmaltzy. That can't be helped, but that is also its charm. Today, dictated by strict corporate studio bottom lines, it would have to be edgier for a young audience, or dripping with religiosity for the more conservative viewers. This film has a nice balance, if you want a religious theme, you've got it. But there's also a fairly sharp critique of capitalism, as well. And nobody needs to get angry at either.
@@Hexon66 Critique of capitalism? Everything George and his father accomplished was through the use of capital. People took out loans and bought homes whose prices doubled using the capital they borrowed from the savings and loan. Harry took George's money and invested in a college education and got a research job with good pay. Sam Wainright did alright for himself through investment and manufacturing. Martini bought a business with a loan of capital; Mr. Gower ran a business for years. Potter was just a greedy old crook, I think the "sharp critique" was of greed and dishonesty.
@@Imyerda Seriously? banks, loans, businesses, private home ownership it is all capitalism. Whether you like it or not. But go ahead and lay the "big difference" out for us.
The look of love in Samantha’s eyes when TBR is taking his turn to talk at the end of the movie is heartwarming. You two are a wonderful couple to watch, thank you for this channel that allows us to take a tiny peek into a lovely relationship. Happy holidays you two:)
There was a deleted scene where Clarence, with his newly-given wings, stopped by Potter's place to say how shameful his behavior was. The mere Supernatural presence alone was enough to scare Potter into a fatal heart attack while he was counting the stolen money. It was even filmed, but it was considered too disturbing and macabre for a film that was supposed to be giving cheer, so it was cut and burned in the trash bin it was disposed in on the cutting room floor, making it a lost deleted scene. However, you can find the script that includes the creepy encounter as it would've been filmed.
Great, I'm sobbing again LOL. Such a gorgeous piece of history. Grew up watching it with my mum and nan every Christmas and it shows us even in real life how many lives we actually impact on a daily basis and how bad it could be if we wereny around. Awesome reaction guys and merry Christmas/happy holidays from Scotland xxxx
Fun...the crash heard when the uncle drunkenly walks off ,was a genuine accident by a stage hand, Stewartstown reaction was genuine and the off camera call out of "I'm OK...I'm OK..." was an ad lib by the stage habd.. that was kept in.
That's it for me with this film. It just feels so real. I cry throughout this film. I think many of us have been there a time or two. We can relate to that pain of knowing your life didn't work out exactly as you had planned and you feel stuck. But when you take stock, you realize you've had a wonderful life. I, for one, am not where I thought I would be, and yet I am exactly where I need to be. I wouldn't change a single thing from my past, all the heartache, all the mistakes and failures, because it would change so much of what I have now. But getting here was so hard. I cry with George the whole way because I know how he is feeling. Man, but Jimmy Stewart can take you along for the ride and pull you right into it. My all time favorite Christmas film. Once a year, it reminds me that it's a wonderful life.
Stewart was fresh out of the war when he starred in this film. In the scene in Martini's bar, you can see the depth of anguish that, as an actor, he can call upon from his experiances. Unforgettable. You're at the perfect time of life to see this. Your maturity will lead to a deeper appreciation for the message. Merry Christmas, love you both.
Mr. Stewart was a bomber pilot in WW2, flying missions over Occupied France, Occupied Netherlands and Germany and he agonized for the rest of his life about innocent people that his ordinance had killed when the bomb didn't land on the war infrastructure they were intended to.
Every time you watch this movie, it impacts you in different ways. You realize the nuances, like his dad. When his dad is trying to explain how the savings and loan is helping the community, George doesn't get it. The dad is sad because he understands the ramifications of his business on the community. The dad knows that the savings and loan is the solitary thin line fighting Potter. George has to learn that over the course of his life.
If you recall in "Forest Gump" how impactful he is on the world with throwaway thoughts, comments, and actions. The same happens in "It's A Wonderful Life". One thing that always gets overlooked is Sam Wainright talking about opening a plastics factory and George mentioning a factory in Bedford Falls just shut down, that Sam could set up there, and he does. You just know by WWII, this is providing a big economic boost to the community. George generates opportunity and hope for Bedford Falls, while Potter generates cynicism and self-service for Pottersville.
@@chris...9497 That's right. Great point. He says why Rochester? Why not here? Half the town was put out of work when the tool factory went under. They could get the factory for cheap and all the labor he needed. George made a huge impact right there and Sam ended up offering $25K in the end that George didn't end up needing anyway.
@@chris...9497 I watched the movie, probably 20 times before I noticed the voice in the background on Sam's end. Sam tells George, you remember when we were at Martini's that day reading about making plastic out of soybeans? Then a voice in the background says "chili beans" and Sam says "shut up, will ya!" 😆😆😆
It's alright if you can't stop crying at the end. Neither can I, even if I have watched it every holiday season for decades. Glad you two enjoyed it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both!
I'm sure many people have already mentioned that Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was published and became an instant best-seller in 1843. Did you notice the reference to the newel post in "Christmas Vacation"? Clark doesn't deal with it as well as George Bailey, but the reference is there. The original audience for this film were able to identify with George Bailey because they had lived through the same years he had. My parents graduated from high school in 1932. Just in time to look for work as the Depression was at its worst. As my mother said, "Who will hire a kid just out of high school to run the cash register in your dime store when you can get a math teacher?" They both wanted to go to college, but it was not possible. My parents married in 1938 and were just settling down and enjoying themselves when the war came. There were a lot of others besides George Bailey who had had their plans kicked apart over and over by circumstances. In 1946 they were hoping it wouldn't happen again now they were putting their lives together after the war.
What I love about this movie is the fact that most of the movie is following George through his life. This allows the audience to really see the character development, fall in love with the characters, and draw more from the timeline where George does not exist. We saw the significant events that happened, but we do not see the regular events in between. We even forget through the movie some of the events that took place, or can’t draw conclusions from what is not shown on screen. The alternate timeline not only shows the impact of the significant acts like Harry, Mr. Gower, Mr. Martini, and Mary. But, it also show others that were indirectly affected like Bert, Ernie, Ma Bailey, Violet, Uncle Billy, and the rest of the town. We could all learn a lot from this movie. I bet many times we see things through George’s eyes where we only see the negative right in front of us at the time. One of the quotes that hits me now is “Strange isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole doesn’t he?” Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New year!
Hard to believe this flopped when it came out, I can't imagine life without it. I've watched this and Mickey's Christmas Carol every Christmas for about as long as I can remember. Nice to see Mary getting some appreciation for everything she did. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!
Mr. Potter is played by Lionel Barrymore. The Barrymore's are one of the first families of film and stage. Many members of the family were respected actors. Lionel Barrymore is the granduncle of Drew Barrymore
Jimmy Stewart came back from World War II not sure if he could do this role and it was Lionel Barrymore, the actor who played Potter, who encouraged him to give it a try.
I just took part in a stage production of It's A Wonderful Life. I played George Bailey. It was my first play. I'm hoping one day to make it as an actor and I'm so happy this was my first performance.
For a movie that didn't do really well when it came out, it is now one of the most beloved Christmas films around thanks to it being shown in reruns on tv. Because of that, this movie reached the status that it enjoys today. Was made in the summertime as well. Excellent movie.
You hit the nail on the head - life is happy and sad, celebratory and mournful, hilarious and devastating. When you step back and look at it, it’s all a huge part of what makes you wonderful. This movie is just amazing.
As we all journey along in this life, it's very likely that we often don't realize the impact we have on other people. Especially casual friends and coworkers. For example, I worked as a manager for a hotel chain in my twenties and had some close working friendships with a couple of coworkers. After moving we lost touch. 24+ years later, I ran into one of them and sat down and talked a bit. I was astounded that they had really admired my interactions with other employees and had tried to emulate me when they helped their associates. I have always believed that you should treat people they same way you want to be treated. Especially if you are their boss. I never considered, in my twenties, how other people might look up to me. This movie is a perfect example of how you treat others can come back to you in surprising ways. Merry Christmas 🎄 TBR and Samantha.
“Burt an’ Ernie??” Yes, that Burt and Ernie. Jim Henson named the two muppets after these characters bc “It’s A Wonderful Life” was his favorite movie. Great reaction.
Just a beautiful movie in every way. It shows how our life touches others that sometimes we don’t even know. And to appreciate what you have. I’m 62 and still LOVE this movie. I watch it every Christmas 🎄 ❤
There is a sign on the wall in the Bailey Building & Loan under his father's photo which is considered to be the company's motto and it says this: "All you can take with you is that which you've given away".
this movie has always been a must-watch for me every year. they used to play it on NBC every Christmas Eve and my family and I would watch it as we decorated our tree, baked cookies and listened to Christmas music. such an amazing movie with a beautiful message, perfect for the holiday season. and it always makes me cry, even through reaction videos. Happy Holidays guys! ❤
Now you know what an incredible masterpiece this film is. So don't lose any sleep over what you've missed, go forward and enjoy and LIVE the film and its message. There's plenty to read about it, too...to get some idea of how Capra was able to accomplish this cinematic miracle. Your reaction more than 75 years after the film's creation only validates its greatness and profound beauty (and "re-awakens" me to it, too).
I have seen this film numerous times and that final scene still brings a tear to corner of my old, jaded eyes. Wonderful film. And a wonderful performance from Jimmy Stewart, who as others have said, was suffering from his own demons when making this movie. I might even go so far as to say that it is a perfect movie.
First of all, "MERRY CHRISTMAS" TBR and SAM. I've watched this movie every year since I was 8 years old. I'm in my 60s now. It's such a wonderful movie. I'm glad you both liked it.
Fun fact: when Uncle Billy wanders off-screen drunkenly, a stage-hand dropped a bunch of film canisters irl. Uncle Billy capitalizes on this chance occurrence, the stage-hand gets a $20 bonus (which in 1946 was a huge amount) and cinema history is born
From context almost everyone can tell that the $8,000 that gets "lost" is a lot of money. But if you look up the value of that in 1945 I was shocked to learn that it was worth over $125,000. It makes of lot of the fear and subsequent reactions more understandable. Oh, and that $20,000 a year job Potter offered George? He turned down the equivalent of over $430,000 a year!
And honestly maybe even more really. I think a lot of straight inflation charts don't really capture what the value of money was at specific times, because there were so many less people (the US had what...maybe 40% of its modern population then?). I saw some economic historian talk about it once and he said a better approximation of money over time periods would be the percentage of the economy at the time. It's not just inflation.
And Lionel Barrymore and Thomas Mitchell all Oscar Winners. 5 starring in one film. Henry Travers ( Clarence ) Beulah Bondi ( George's Mother) and H.B. Warner ( Mr. Gower ) were Oscar nominees during their Careers
I've seen this movie since I was a kid in the mid 80's, and have always loved it. It means more as I grow older and tends to get more tears out of me as the years go on. Thanks for watching this one.
I've watched quite a few reactions to this movie. It seems that none of the younger generation understands the Great Depression. When Ernie, the cab driver says this looks like a run, that's a common event at that time. The stock market had crashed hard. The banking system, including savings and loans, we're leveraged. Meaning that they had assets (people's houses, etc) but not more cash than a working operation. A run was a public panic. People we're scared their bank might go bankrupt before they could withdraw their money. George saved the business by explaining how the system worked. The people trusted him, so it worked.
I am 48 years old, GenX. My grandparents lived thru the Great Depression as children. So I have their stories I grew up on. Younger generations probably have no family members that grew up during that era. Most Millennials would have Boomers as parents or grandparents. The stories of the depression are no longer retold to the kids nowadays. That's not to say that younger generations can't read up on the depression, but a lot of people don't like history topics. That's why reactors don't understand.
@@marcuscato9083 True, but not like back then. There were way more small state banks back then with no insurance. As we should all know by now, the Federal Reserve is insured by the taxpayers now. They can steal our money to keep from going bankrupt. They gamble with our money at high risk until they lose and we pay to bail them out under threat of force. If people knew this, there would be a revolution.
"It's easy to focus on the little things that are going wrong," you say. What George was dealing with wasn't little things. He was about to go to prison. He wasn't exaggerating that. Prison. His life was one letdown after another. Every time he got his hopes up, somebody pulled the rug out. The one life he _didn't_ want was exactly the life he got. The only bright spot in his whole life was Mary. He wasn't dealing with "little things."
I loved watching this with you!!! It’s my first Christmas with no family (well apart from my 2 girls, cats!), so this was much needed. My hope for you 2, and everybody on here, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hopefully 2023 Is going to be epic (hopefully) ❤️❤️❤️❤️
For anyone wanting to watch the complete film, be aware that because of various copyright issues over the years there are some messed up versions of this film floating around. Even Amazon Prime is known to show a terrible "abridged" version that cuts out a huge and important portion of the film in its last half, completely ruining the point of the story. Also versions with replaced soundtrack, which are obvious from the title credits because their music sounds somewhat modern. So make sure you're watching the original, black and white, 2 hour 10 minute version.
Great reaction guys! Love this movie and its a masterpiece! 12:20, what happened was the great depression hit and the stock market crashed. The banks ran out of money.
When I was a kid we had a color tv in the living room and a black & white portable that we had to watch when my parents were watching something boring. Watching something in black & white was just so common. Lots of the reruns they played were in B&W like The Little Rascals. Had you grown up in my era you would have instantly recognized Alfalpha at the high school dance.
Lol. It was the same with me. Color tv on the living room and I had a 13" b&w tv in my room. It was a total shock to me when I realized that The Wizard of Oz and The Women had color parts to them . I was a freshman in high school before I got a chance to watch either one on the color console in the living room. I watched those old movies with my grandma and she only had a small b&w tv.
Yup, Carl Dean Switzer. As Alfafa, his trademark look was he always had a stand-up cowlick at the back of his hair he couldn't get to comb down. Like many childhood stars, as an adult, he wasn't as successful. He died of a gunshot in 1959.
The thing that blows my mind about this film is that everyone has the same response and if the movie made you cry (and it makes nearly everyone cry), I promise you will never watch it without crying. For some reason it hits everytime. And it is always the happy resolution at the end that opens the floodgates and has the audience in tears. Even if someone does get a little teary earlier in the film it will almost always be at some moment of happiness. It really is a special film and deserves its place not only in the Christmas rotation but also its consistent placement on lists of greatest films of all time.
![It's a Wonderful Life (1946) First Time Watching [ Movie Reaction ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/N-IFX6I66Fw/mqdefault.jpg)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!
YOU TOO GUYS❤🎄
Merry Christmas everybody! 🎅🎄
Merry Christmas to all.
Here's the lost ending of "It's a Wonderful Life", where Potter gets his comeuppance: th-cam.com/video/vw89o0afb2A/w-d-xo.html
"A Christmas Carol" was by Charles Dickens in the 1800's. "It's a Wonderful Life" was written around 1946.
Jimmy Stewart is a different breed of actor. Top tier.
I can't wait for them to watch Vertigo. A lot of that performance, you can see even here in this movie.
Stewart was that type of bonafide star where countless impressions were made of his cadence. But that made him all the more original and translated to a bigger than life image on the silver screen. Always liked stars having a distinct way of sound to em.
So is Donna Reed, he has nothing on her!
Jim Carrey reminds me of him in his more serious roles like The Majestic and Truman Show.
@@ChrisWake would love to see a Rear Window reaction too
Believe it or not,I actually met Jimmy Stewart in 1982. I was a banquet server in Denver. His wife was greeting other people at the function that they were attending. He was sitting at a table alone,by himself. I was just passing by his table, and he asked me to sit down and keep him company while his wife was with other friends. My banquet manager saw me sit down next to him and come over to inquire about why I was sitting with him. Mr. Stewart looked him right in the eye and said " this nice young man is going to keep me company for awhile, you don't have a problem with that...do you? Well he couldn't turn down the request from such a prominent Hollywood icon. I sat there throughout the entire event. What a wonderful experience for me. Mr. Stewart and his wife were both very nice people. He talked about the old days of movie making. To this day I cherish that conversation I had with him.
Great Classic
I think Samantha was the first reactor that knew what the strings on the finger were
Yes, exactly what I thought. 😃
@@vorlon1 me too!!!!!!!
I know that and I’m almost 70. Learned from my mother. It was common knowledge.
Ditto 😮
The kindness that George and Mary show toward Martini and his family is often overlooked. At this time in American history, Italian immigrants often faced discrimination and prejudice, and the fact that the Building & Loan took a financial risk on helping him buy a modern, well-constructed house when people like Potter would keep him in a slum, is a powerful statement.
When Potter tries to buy George, he refers to "all those garlic-eaters you hang out with."
Good catch. Few ever comment on that.
Sadly, our modern American Public school system ONLY addresses BLACK discrimination (& especially slavery) when it teaches American History!
It completely skips over, or at most 'hand waves', all the WHITE/ European discrimination that occurred! (Italian, Irish, even Catholic, etc.)
@@sharkdentures3247 The movie Gangs of New York really demonstrates the hatred by native white Americans of the Irish immigrants who came to this country in the mid 19th century.
@@sharkdentures3247 They'd have to mention how those communities got co-opted by white supremacy to divide and conquer so they wouldn't see themselves in common struggle with the Black Americans.
@@bubhub64 the director, Frank Capra, was an Italian immigrant himself.
Real talk: George is the protagonist and a good man in difficult situations, but Mary is the hero of his story. He ends up so devoted to helping everyone else that she is the one that comes through for him.
Yeah - she is definitely a loyal wife. Best wifey material possible.
"Reliable people need someone to rely on too!" - Gus Porter
YES , Mary is the real hero ,great story great film .
Jimmy Stewart was suffering from PTSD from being a bomber pilot in World War II. Whether he wanted to or not, he applied it to his performance in "It's a Wonderful Life".
This has pretty much become a oft-repeated story that really isn't true. He's an actor and a very good one. Not to say he didn't have PTSD from the war. But it's one of those "facts" that so-called movie crickets like to throw out to try to prove something. Before WWII, he plays a character who has a few lunatic moments in the 2nd Thin Man film. (It's a NYE film) He does emotions just fine in that movie without WWII recall.
@@drcornelius8275 PTSD disorder is well documented since WWI
what the hell are you talking about? It's nothing to do with "being opressed" or victimizing oneself, It's a REAL disorder well defined in every manual of mental disorder...
It's very possible that James Stewart used that experience for his acting, although he wasn't a method actor he surely knew those techniques that can be useful
Yeah back in the day stars actually cared about America and served. Unfortunately these days they don't for the most part.
@@jamesmcrae5327 Shaddap, you're boring.
@@drcornelius8275 You come across as a very ignorant, stupid person. I wonder, when you kiss your partner, do you like the smell of your best friend's sweaty nutsack on their hairy chin?
I think it's interesting that George had dreams of building great things and making his mark in the world, but never realized he'd built something great in his hometown, built a wonderful life with his wife and community, and was appreciated and loved far beyond anything he could have imagined.
Except no harem. :D
Excellent observation
That's the whole point. It happens to a lot of people. They don't realize what they have actually done in life. They're too focused on what they didn't do, where they fell short, instead of what they've actually done.
He ultimately played a role in saving those men that his brother saved. Through the ripple effect.
Sometimes we look to far and too wide. So much so that we can not see what's standing right in front of us. Its part of the human condition
FYI: Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in 1843. By the time "It's a Wonderful Life" was released, there had been at least ten film versions (the first in 1901) of "A Christmas Carol" with more to follow over the next few decades.
Yeah. Literally more than 100 years before this film. :D
God bless the public school system.
Ha ha #sweaters
@@richardjohann552 It certain needs God's blessings.
Potter could have used 3 ghosts haunting him on Christmas Eve himself.
Lionel Barrymores performance as Mr Potter in this great movie is just pure class from the wonderful actor that he was. He was the great uncle of Drew Barrymore.
He plays another role in a wheelchair. "Key Largo" my favourite Bogie and Bacall movie. Edward G. Robinson is the Bad Guy!
Key Largo great great movie, I've heard that Barrymore mainly played the role of a nice/good guy. This role was something different, being the bad guy for a change.
@@DaVic133 Lionel Barrymore playing the rich and incredibly mean Mr. Potter was on the mind of casting directors looking for someone to play Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol. They wound up giving the part to Alastair Sim but apparently Barrymore was in the running.
@@jamesalexander5623 He really was wheelchair bound. In the movie You Can't Take it with You, he gets around in cruches. That was also his first with Jimmy Stewart.
@@moeball740i'm not certain that barrymore was ever in contention for the role of scrooge in the 1951 adaptation, but he was certainly the actor that mgm wanted for their 1938 adaptation of the dickens novella, given his close association with the role through his well known portrayals in annual radio broadcasts of the story. however, even by then, barrymore was too debilitated to play the part on screen, and the role went to veteran british actor reginald owen in the 1938 film.
The “hotdog!” thing is a lighter people would use for cigars. His little tradition is to make a wish and see if he can get it to light on the first try (Similar to throwing rocks at the old house). He had big dreams and wishes that never came to be, but the angel helped him realize how great his life is.
Thanks. I always wondered.
Yeah. Those old lighters didn't always work so well. So, getting it to light on the first strike was considered good luck.
@@jasonalcantara8380Yes, a Lucky Strike.
Everyone remembers “ …an Angel gets his wings.” But to me, it’s the part that says “no man is a failure who has *friends*” That’s gotten me through some low moments in my life.
Such an epic film.
"My brother George the richest man in town".
That line breaks me also, but not necessarily in a good way.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for any sympathy or pity, but I don't think I've ever had any real friends. Definitely not like those in the movie. Plenty of acquaintances, but no true friends. And according to the rule laid down by Clarence, that makes me a true failure.
Like I said, it breaks me.
@@philphilips1020 I've had 2 real pals ,now dead ,but I have brothers and a sister to lean on , the film was a failure on it's release but has gained much praise over the years. If you have empathy for humanity you are not a failure.
That part always gets me at the end cause we know Clarence did save George
I read today a story of the little girl that played Zuzu, she's in her 80's now, how Jimmy Stewart tracked her down 46 years after this movie just to check up on her after all that time. She has said he was always the nicest person.
Zuzu was the name of a cookie...hence the "my little ginger snap" comment.
Tons of flower stores now uses the name Zuzu's Petals in reference to this movie.
Don’t worry, Sam. Even watching this edited version for the reaction got me tearing up again. Some movies get you every time. 😂
Im on a 3rd reaction to this classic in last 2 days, a very smart South American girl named Vanessa was very perceptive in seeing when Potter had the 8 THous and she realized how all of the TOWN was affected by George's actions and Im sure Samantha will have even better reactions
seriously I cant watch this or reactions to it without coming to tears every time. Im too emotional over happy endings
Been looking forward to this all week! This was James Stewart's first movie since he fought as a bomber pilot in WW2 & he was suffering from PTSD. Whenever he cries it breaks my heart, it feels so real. My mom & I love this movie, thanks for reacting to it!
His performance is Oscar worthy and we know why. He reminds me of Jim Carrey in his more serious roles. He has an “Everyman” quality. You watch the characters he plays and you feel like you know him. Or he’d be a good buddy.
Jimmy Stewart was my Dad's favourite actor. He served with him in the 445th Bomb Group ( B-24's ) based at Tibbenham, England in WW II
@@christhornycroft3686 I had to check it out, Lawrence Olivier won that year for Henry V
@@christhornycroft3686 Tom Hanks, I think.
This is without a doubt the best Xmas movie made. I know generations younger than mine may disagree but the story is timeless. I'm 66 years old and have seem this every year without fail. First with my mom and dad and later with my children. To this day, I still cry at the end because after all, "George Bailey is and always has been the richest man in town".. in so many ways..
"To my big brother George . . . the richest man in town." - - gets me every single time. I'm glad you both discovered this classic.
Gets me every time too, and I've seen this movie dozens of times over the years. I was so bummed when that line didn't make it on the AFI list of 100 greatest movie quotes!!!
Every Frank Capra movie, and I mean every Frank Capra movie, conjures such intense human emotions. He was one of the greatest geniuses to ever grace Hollywood, bar none. The scene at the train station where the camera follows George, as he realizes his brother isn't going to take over at the savings and loan, gets me every time. No words are spoken but we know exactly what he's feeling.
Agreed. Also, the closeups of Mary's face when George comes home, at the end of his rope, as he rails against his own kids.
@@josephpaul4548 yes the microexpressions and character acting are top notch in this film. Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart nailed it.
Great reactions. I remember the cast of Saturday Night Live did a skit featuring an alternate ending to this movie. Billy remembered that he handed the newspaper with the money to Potter and informed George about it. Everyone left the party, went to Potter's building and beat the crap out of him. LoL.😄
"You made one mistake, Mr. Potter. You double-crossed me and you left me alive!"
Was just wondering if anyone was going to mention this. 😂
@@brad1092 that was the best line!
It’s a must watch! It’s the ending everyone wants who’s watched it’s a wonderful life!
I think it this skirt it was Clarence who in heaven actually saw Potter take the money.
I just want to say first that you two are my favorite "comfort food" reactors.
I was in the same boat forever, seeing the commercial on NBC every year and thinking it was just some old shmaltzy film that wouldn't interest me. Then maybe 15 years or so ago I was wrapping the kids' present downstairs in the family room. With all the paper and bags and stuff everywhere, I couldn't find the remote. So it was just on in the background as I kept wrapping. I started sort of watching at the pharmacy scene, and then completely sucked in and weeping like a baby by the end of it. After three hours with commercials, I realized I had only wrapped two presents. 😄
This is a true classic film with a great message that I've watched almost every year since.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
This is beautiful! Merry Christmas!
It's not only the greatest Christmas film of all time - it's one of the greatest films of all time. As perfect a film as it gets;)
The woman who plays Mary is Donna Reed! She is popular too! She even got her very own tv show called The Donna Reed Show!!!
A real contrast is her performance, Oscar winning, in From Here to Eternity.
3:25: “Don’t hurt my sore ear again” makes me cry…every. single. time.
Jeez, me too. That kid was a great actor.
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, is about 180 years old, so a wee bit older than this. The trope of seeing what the world would be like if you hadn't been born was copied in a lot of stories and I think that comes from this film. This was Jimmy Stewart's first film after coming from serving as a flight leader in WWII and he was by all accounts likely suffering from PTSD when he started filming. Most think that greatly enhanced his performance, and some accounts say that this film reinstilled in him a love of acting...even though this film was not a success at all. It did so poorly, that the copyright was allowed to lapse. That led to it being shown on TV royalty-free every year and so it was rediscovered.
I subscribe to a ton of reaction channels and for most I always skip the intro and closing discussion and just watch the reaction itself... Not for your videos. I love watching your intros I love listening to your discussion after the reaction you two seem so genuine and thoughtful.. for me your reactions feel like sitting down to watch a movie with a good friend. This comment isn't really specific to this video but I have the same thought every time I see one of your vids show up in my feed and I thought maybe I'd share today. Merry Christmas 😊
There is an old saying that the movie always reminds me of.
Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.
-Allen Saunders
The run on the bank scene where George and Mary give away all their money for their honeymoon really epitomizes who George really is and why everyone comes together to help him. He's selfless to a fault and it's both sad and joyous. Most other people would have taken the trip but George is a good man who believes that helping others is what he needs to do, even at the expense of his own immediate happiness.. That scene and the ending never fail to get the tears going.
This, A Christmas Story and the 1951 Alastair Sim version of Scrooge are my favourite Christmas movies. The animated version from 1971 with Alastair Sim is really underrated. The animation is terrific. When George is losing it at the bar, I really feel it.
I also remember the 1971 British animated version. One of my favorite Christmas shows!
What do y'all think about Bill Murray's Scrooged?
You just named my favorite Christmas movies!
@@seanrosenau2088 It's the only modern adaptation I watch. I think Carol Kane is the star of the movie. When she knees Bill Murray in the balls, I realized we were in good hands.
The Alistair Sim version has been my husband's and my favorite version forever!
Beautiful movie, glad you watched such a classic. I watch it every year, it still hits me when all the people that his life had touched helped him out.
Gets me every time!!
Jimmy Stewart is a treasure, hope you look into more of his movies. He had an interesting role in a western with John Wayne called "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence."
Thank you for all your work on this channel, you are spreading joy and affecting people - just like George Bailey! Merry Christmas! 💜
The absolute best Christmas film ever. Hands down. I've watched it countless times. The final message gets me through each year. Did you notice it NEVER snows in Pottersville ? Yes you can see it on the ground but look when George is begging to Clarence that he wants to live again - the moment it starts to snow is when you know he's back in good old Bedford Falls. The snow was a new development for the film too. Capra wanted to use live sound for the close up scenes so the usual Hollywood method - cornflakes bleached or painted in white was out as clearly any walking nearby would create unwanted sound so the special effects team came up with a brand new method. There was actually a record heatwave going on whilst the film was being made !
The Raven that Uncle Billy owns is called 'Jimmy'. He starred in 1000+ films and was quite the star - insured for the equivalent of thousands of dollars today. He's actually the 'crow' that lands on the Scarecrow in 'The Wizard of Oz'. Capra found a part for him in every film he made after 1938. Speaking of Uncle Billy, in the scene where he leaves the frame and there's a crash, a set hand dropped some equipment accidentally and the look of concern from Jimmy Stewart was genuine. Some say 'Uncle Billy' improvised the cry that he was alright, others say it was dubbed on in post. But the crash is genuine and unscripted.
Jimmy Stewart was still suffering with PTSD from his WW2 service and credits this movie experience as being therapeutic. In particular, in the prayer scene it wasn't scripted for him to cry and they weren't really setup for a close up to really capture the emotion. Capra knew he couldn't replicate the emotion in a reshoot so he decided to go with the original footage and zoomed in on the negative for the final cut of the film. If you look, it looks grainier because of that but Capra thought it worked in bringing more emotion and it was certainly better than asking Jimmy to go again. Stewart is one of my favourite actors and even more so when you see this performance.
So glad new generations are still enjoying this classic - and in black and white as it should be !
Things labeled "poison" back then didn't necessarily mean something like arsenic, it could be an ingredient that if not mixed in small qualities could be fatal and therefore may be labeled "poison", even though it's a safe ingredient in proper dosage.
I went to college as a chemist and we were taught to either taste things, just a tiny amount on the tip of our tongue, or to waft the fumes over from a reaction to smell it. We also knew that on average chemists lived a decade less than everyone else.
People used to consume small amounts of some poison for supposed medicinal reasons. For instance, in Agatha Christie's first book, "The Curious Affair at Styles," the victim had been ingested a small amount of strychnine (!) every day. The murderer figures out a way to get her to get the full amount in one dose. (And Christie drew on her knowledge that this actually happened - by accident - several times.) PS - great novel, even better film version with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot.
@@johnnehrich9601 A tradition which continues (at least in spirit) with homeopathic medicine.
There was a time in 90s when this movie was unavoidable on cable, like A Christmas Story is now.
Thanks for your pfp 🧡
The "I wish" thing is a cigar lighter. They didn't always light on the first click.
It's A Wonderful Life is not only timeless, but also a time capsule.
As I watch these many reactions, I am reminded of how much our culture and vernacular has changed.
1.) The "sledding" on a snow shovel was mostly out of necessity. In a time when money was really tight, for a larger number of people, a shovel would be a necessity, a sled would be a luxury.
2.) The soda shop/pharmacy where George worked was commonplace. In the movie, George would the 'soda jerk'.
3.) The remark that Mary yells up to her mother, "He's making violent love to me, mother." was INNCREDIBLY risqué language for the time.
4.) The 'telephone' scene George's inner turmoil spills over. He KNOWS that he loves Mary. The inevitable marriage literally puts the last 'nail in the lid on the coffin' of his dreams to see the world.
5.) The $8,000 that Uncle Billy 'lost' has the purchasing power of nearly $130,000 today.
6.) The $20,000 that Mr. Potter offers George is equivalent to nearly $350,000 today.
It was not only a trick to destroy the Building and Loan, it was a very dirty trick. Mr. Potter's line, "...I'm offering you a 3 years contract..."
Three years and George would out of a job and the Building and Loan would be gone. In my opinion, the aftermath would be catastrophic.
7.) A lot of reactors are not happy about the idea that Mr. Potter gets away with theft.
I believe that the movie accomplished two things here .....
a.] Revenge is not going to end well. The old adage 'Two wrongs don't make a right.', in my opinion, is truth.
b.] No matter what evil people perpetrate upon you, your happiness, joy and inner peace is a choice. A belief that a person who tries to be honorable and compassionate will experience a favorable outcome.
I hope that no matter what you are dealing with during this Holiday Season, that the Peace and Love of God will be with you 🙏.
Edit:
The scene... 'I wish I had a million dollars. '
'Hot Dog!'
Involved a cigar lighter.
Grorge, like other children, was making a wish on it, and if it lit, your wish supposed to come true.
The determining factor is the match in the lighter. If the pharmacist or the last person to use it didn't replace the match, it obviously would not light.
The strings on Uncle Billy's fingers are there to help him remember important things.
YES!!
This was the very first James Stewart movie I saw in school when I was in the fifth grade and it's one of the best Christmas movies ever made.
Its THE BEST!😉
One of the best Movies ever made
I'm awfully sad current Hollywood (and audiences) would probably think of a story like this to be "schmaltzy". Earnest and feel good media definitely deserve a place in pop culture regardless of the age we're in. We could always use these types of stories to remind us how fortunate we could be. The hit k-drama "Attorney Woo" had this vibe to it which is undoubtedly what made it a surprise success this past summer.
Happy holidays to you guys and see you in the new year with more content!
It is irretrievably schmaltzy. That can't be helped, but that is also its charm. Today, dictated by strict corporate studio bottom lines, it would have to be edgier for a young audience, or dripping with religiosity for the more conservative viewers. This film has a nice balance, if you want a religious theme, you've got it. But there's also a fairly sharp critique of capitalism, as well. And nobody needs to get angry at either.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo was a big surprise. I never thought I'd enjoy but it was pretty amazing.
@@Hexon66 Critique of capitalism? Everything George and his father accomplished was through the use of capital. People took out loans and bought homes whose prices doubled using the capital they borrowed from the savings and loan. Harry took George's money and invested in a college education and got a research job with good pay. Sam Wainright did alright for himself through investment and manufacturing. Martini bought a business with a loan of capital; Mr. Gower ran a business for years. Potter was just a greedy old crook, I think the "sharp critique" was of greed and dishonesty.
@@bluebird3281 capital not capitalism. Big difference
@@Imyerda Seriously? banks, loans, businesses, private home ownership it is all capitalism. Whether you like it or not. But go ahead and lay the "big difference" out for us.
The look of love in Samantha’s eyes when TBR is taking his turn to talk at the end of the movie is heartwarming. You two are a wonderful couple to watch, thank you for this channel that allows us to take a tiny peek into a lovely relationship. Happy holidays you two:)
There was a deleted scene where Clarence, with his newly-given wings, stopped by Potter's place to say how shameful his behavior was. The mere Supernatural presence alone was enough to scare Potter into a fatal heart attack while he was counting the stolen money. It was even filmed, but it was considered too disturbing and macabre for a film that was supposed to be giving cheer, so it was cut and burned in the trash bin it was disposed in on the cutting room floor, making it a lost deleted scene. However, you can find the script that includes the creepy encounter as it would've been filmed.
Great, I'm sobbing again LOL. Such a gorgeous piece of history. Grew up watching it with my mum and nan every Christmas and it shows us even in real life how many lives we actually impact on a daily basis and how bad it could be if we wereny around. Awesome reaction guys and merry Christmas/happy holidays from Scotland xxxx
The ending of this movie makes me cry every dang time.
Fun...the crash heard when the uncle drunkenly walks off ,was a genuine accident by a stage hand, Stewartstown reaction was genuine and the off camera call out of "I'm OK...I'm OK..." was an ad lib by the stage habd.. that was kept in.
I think you mean it was an ad-lib by Thomas Mitchell 😊😊
Thomas Mitchell tripped and gave us the ad lib. Inebriated.
James Stewart was my mom`s favorite actor...Mom used to say that he never made a bad movie and this one is a true classic.
Some other great Jimmy Stewart films: "THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER"... and "MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON"... Both brilliant films.
Merry Christmas!
That's it for me with this film. It just feels so real. I cry throughout this film. I think many of us have been there a time or two. We can relate to that pain of knowing your life didn't work out exactly as you had planned and you feel stuck. But when you take stock, you realize you've had a wonderful life. I, for one, am not where I thought I would be, and yet I am exactly where I need to be. I wouldn't change a single thing from my past, all the heartache, all the mistakes and failures, because it would change so much of what I have now. But getting here was so hard. I cry with George the whole way because I know how he is feeling. Man, but Jimmy Stewart can take you along for the ride and pull you right into it. My all time favorite Christmas film. Once a year, it reminds me that it's a wonderful life.
Exactly. I cry as much for the happy scenes as for the sad ones.
Stewart was fresh out of the war when he starred in this film. In the scene in Martini's bar, you can see the depth of anguish that, as an actor, he can call upon from his experiances. Unforgettable. You're at the perfect time of life to see this. Your maturity will lead to a deeper appreciation for the message. Merry Christmas, love you both.
Mr. Stewart was a bomber pilot in WW2, flying missions over Occupied France, Occupied Netherlands and Germany and he agonized for the rest of his life about innocent people that his ordinance had killed when the bomb didn't land on the war infrastructure they were intended to.
@@billolsen4360 Wasn't he a General at S.A.C. for awhile?
@@guscarlson7021 He was a Air Force Reserve General. He made a movie about the Strategic Air Command before he made General, tho.
Every time you watch this movie, it impacts you in different ways. You realize the nuances, like his dad. When his dad is trying to explain how the savings and loan is helping the community, George doesn't get it. The dad is sad because he understands the ramifications of his business on the community. The dad knows that the savings and loan is the solitary thin line fighting Potter. George has to learn that over the course of his life.
If you recall in "Forest Gump" how impactful he is on the world with throwaway thoughts, comments, and actions. The same happens in "It's A Wonderful Life". One thing that always gets overlooked is Sam Wainright talking about opening a plastics factory and George mentioning a factory in Bedford Falls just shut down, that Sam could set up there, and he does. You just know by WWII, this is providing a big economic boost to the community. George generates opportunity and hope for Bedford Falls, while Potter generates cynicism and self-service for Pottersville.
@@chris...9497 That's right. Great point. He says why Rochester? Why not here? Half the town was put out of work when the tool factory went under. They could get the factory for cheap and all the labor he needed. George made a huge impact right there and Sam ended up offering $25K in the end that George didn't end up needing anyway.
@@chris...9497 I watched the movie, probably 20 times before I noticed the voice in the background on Sam's end. Sam tells George, you remember when we were at Martini's that day reading about making plastic out of soybeans? Then a voice in the background says "chili beans" and Sam says "shut up, will ya!" 😆😆😆
It's alright if you can't stop crying at the end. Neither can I, even if I have watched it every holiday season for decades. Glad you two enjoyed it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both!
Even when you (i.e. me) watch all these first-time reactions. I think it gets better each time I watch it.
It's one of my favorite movies of all time. Makes you thankful for what you have
I'm sure many people have already mentioned that Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was published and became an instant best-seller in 1843.
Did you notice the reference to the newel post in "Christmas Vacation"? Clark doesn't deal with it as well as George Bailey, but the reference is there.
The original audience for this film were able to identify with George Bailey because they had lived through the same years he had. My parents graduated from high school in 1932. Just in time to look for work as the Depression was at its worst. As my mother said, "Who will hire a kid just out of high school to run the cash register in your dime store when you can get a math teacher?" They both wanted to go to college, but it was not possible. My parents married in 1938 and were just settling down and enjoying themselves when the war came. There were a lot of others besides George Bailey who had had their plans kicked apart over and over by circumstances. In 1946 they were hoping it wouldn't happen again now they were putting their lives together after the war.
Saw this for the first time last week and was blown away.
I watch this alone every Christmas Eve and have for many many years. One of my favorite movies
"A Christmas Carol" was by Charles Dickens in the 1800's. "It's a Wonderful Life" was written around 1946.
What I love about this movie is the fact that most of the movie is following George through his life. This allows the audience to really see the character development, fall in love with the characters, and draw more from the timeline where George does not exist. We saw the significant events that happened, but we do not see the regular events in between. We even forget through the movie some of the events that took place, or can’t draw conclusions from what is not shown on screen. The alternate timeline not only shows the impact of the significant acts like Harry, Mr. Gower, Mr. Martini, and Mary. But, it also show others that were indirectly affected like Bert, Ernie, Ma Bailey, Violet, Uncle Billy, and the rest of the town.
We could all learn a lot from this movie. I bet many times we see things through George’s eyes where we only see the negative right in front of us at the time. One of the quotes that hits me now is “Strange isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole doesn’t he?”
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New year!
Hard to believe this flopped when it came out, I can't imagine life without it. I've watched this and Mickey's Christmas Carol every Christmas for about as long as I can remember. Nice to see Mary getting some appreciation for everything she did. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!
Mr. Potter is played by Lionel Barrymore. The Barrymore's are one of the first families of film and stage. Many members of the family were respected actors. Lionel Barrymore is the granduncle of Drew Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore usually played sympathetic characters in films, so he really displayed his skills at his craft in this one.
Jimmy Stewart came back from World War II not sure if he could do this role and it was Lionel Barrymore, the actor who played Potter, who encouraged him to give it a try.
John Wayne never served. Jimmy did five year tour during the war, purple heart. Jimbo is a true American hero.
I just took part in a stage production of It's A Wonderful Life. I played George Bailey. It was my first play. I'm hoping one day to make it as an actor and I'm so happy this was my first performance.
For a movie that didn't do really well when it came out, it is now one of the most beloved Christmas films around thanks to it being shown in reruns on tv. Because of that, this movie reached the status that it enjoys today. Was made in the summertime as well. Excellent movie.
You hit the nail on the head - life is happy and sad, celebratory and mournful, hilarious and devastating. When you step back and look at it, it’s all a huge part of what makes you wonderful. This movie is just amazing.
A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens and came out in 1843. It's A Wonderful Life was adapted by from a short story written in 1943.
As we all journey along in this life, it's very likely that we often don't realize the impact we have on other people.
Especially casual friends and coworkers.
For example, I worked as a manager for a hotel chain in my twenties and had some close working friendships with a couple of coworkers. After moving we lost touch.
24+ years later, I ran into one of them and sat down and talked a bit.
I was astounded that they had really admired my interactions with other employees and had tried to emulate me when they helped their associates.
I have always believed that you should treat people they same way you want to be treated. Especially if you are their boss.
I never considered, in my twenties, how other people might look up to me.
This movie is a perfect example of how you treat others can come back to you in surprising ways.
Merry Christmas 🎄 TBR and Samantha.
It is people like you two that give me faith in the younger generation
First time I watched this was last Christmas. I cried for almost an hour after it was over and reflecting on it.
“Burt an’ Ernie??” Yes, that Burt and Ernie. Jim Henson named the two muppets after these characters bc “It’s A Wonderful Life” was his favorite movie. Great reaction.
Grew up watching this with my dad it was a family Tradition to Watch this film James Stewart was a great guy.
Just a beautiful movie in every way. It shows how our life touches others that sometimes we don’t even know. And to appreciate what you have. I’m 62 and still LOVE this movie. I watch it every Christmas 🎄 ❤
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays TBR Schmitt Fam !!!
There is a sign on the wall in the Bailey Building & Loan under his father's photo which is considered to be the company's motto and it says this: "All you can take with you is that which you've given away".
this movie has always been a must-watch for me every year. they used to play it on NBC every Christmas Eve and my family and I would watch it as we decorated our tree, baked cookies and listened to Christmas music. such an amazing movie with a beautiful message, perfect for the holiday season. and it always makes me cry, even through reaction videos. Happy Holidays guys! ❤
Now you know what an incredible masterpiece this film is. So don't lose any sleep over what you've missed, go forward and enjoy and LIVE the film and its message. There's plenty to read about it, too...to get some idea of how Capra was able to accomplish this cinematic miracle. Your reaction more than 75 years after the film's creation only validates its greatness and profound beauty (and "re-awakens" me to it, too).
I have seen this film numerous times and that final scene still brings a tear to corner of my old, jaded eyes. Wonderful film. And a wonderful performance from Jimmy Stewart, who as others have said, was suffering from his own demons when making this movie. I might even go so far as to say that it is a perfect movie.
'Bert and Ernie?' Yes, Bert and Ernie. Fun fact, I have an uncle Bert, and a great-uncle Ernie.
Loved seeing you two fall in love with this classic. It remains in my top 10 favorite films of all time and my favorite Christmas film of all time.
There is an old SNL sketch from the 80s with the "other" ending of It's A Wonderful Life". Let's just say that Potter really gets it.
First of all, "MERRY CHRISTMAS" TBR and SAM. I've watched this movie every year since I was 8 years old. I'm in my 60s now. It's such a wonderful movie. I'm glad you both liked it.
Fun fact: when Uncle Billy wanders off-screen drunkenly, a stage-hand dropped a bunch of film canisters irl. Uncle Billy capitalizes on this chance occurrence, the stage-hand gets a $20 bonus (which in 1946 was a huge amount) and cinema history is born
My favorite actor of all time! James(Jimmy) Stewart.
From context almost everyone can tell that the $8,000 that gets "lost" is a lot of money. But if you look up the value of that in 1945 I was shocked to learn that it was worth over $125,000. It makes of lot of the fear and subsequent reactions more understandable. Oh, and that $20,000 a year job Potter offered George? He turned down the equivalent of over $430,000 a year!
And honestly maybe even more really. I think a lot of straight inflation charts don't really capture what the value of money was at specific times, because there were so many less people (the US had what...maybe 40% of its modern population then?). I saw some economic historian talk about it once and he said a better approximation of money over time periods would be the percentage of the economy at the time. It's not just inflation.
Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Gloria Grahame all in one movie makes this a classic. Great review 👍
And Lionel Barrymore and Thomas Mitchell all Oscar Winners. 5 starring in one film. Henry Travers ( Clarence ) Beulah Bondi ( George's Mother) and H.B. Warner ( Mr. Gower ) were Oscar nominees during their Careers
I just finished watching this movie, what a classic.
Me too
The story, the characters and the acting are all top tier.
A true movie classic.
There’s a great rabbit hole of classics like this you can fall into. I hope you react to more classics from the 40’s!
I've seen this movie since I was a kid in the mid 80's, and have always loved it. It means more as I grow older and tends to get more tears out of me as the years go on. Thanks for watching this one.
I've watched quite a few reactions to this movie. It seems that none of the younger generation understands the Great Depression. When Ernie, the cab driver says this looks like a run, that's a common event at that time. The stock market had crashed hard. The banking system, including savings and loans, we're leveraged. Meaning that they had assets (people's houses, etc) but not more cash than a working operation. A run was a public panic. People we're scared their bank might go bankrupt before they could withdraw their money. George saved the business by explaining how the system worked. The people trusted him, so it worked.
I am 48 years old, GenX. My grandparents lived thru the Great Depression as children. So I have their stories I grew up on.
Younger generations probably have no family members that grew up during that era. Most Millennials would have Boomers as parents or grandparents.
The stories of the depression are no longer retold to the kids nowadays.
That's not to say that younger generations can't read up on the depression, but a lot of people don't like history topics.
That's why reactors don't understand.
@@athos1974 True. I'm 52. We both get it. I hope the younger generations do some research about it. You can always benefit from history.
Sadly, bank runs still happen on occasion.
@@marcuscato9083 True, but not like back then. There were way more small state banks back then with no insurance. As we should all know by now, the Federal Reserve is insured by the taxpayers now. They can steal our money to keep from going bankrupt. They gamble with our money at high risk until they lose and we pay to bail them out under threat of force. If people knew this, there would be a revolution.
@@marcuspi999 Pretty soon, it will be bail-ins, then things will really get ugly.
One of my favorite movies
One of the greatest movies of all time IMO. personal fav.
You guys are the best! Merry Christmas to you Both!! Jeff
miracle on 34th street. A Christmas carol, and its a wonderful life are the 3 great movies for Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year.
29:50
A Christmas Carol was written well before movies even existed.
"It's easy to focus on the little things that are going wrong," you say. What George was dealing with wasn't little things. He was about to go to prison. He wasn't exaggerating that. Prison. His life was one letdown after another. Every time he got his hopes up, somebody pulled the rug out. The one life he _didn't_ want was exactly the life he got. The only bright spot in his whole life was Mary. He wasn't dealing with "little things."
I loved watching this with you!!! It’s my first Christmas with no family (well apart from my 2 girls, cats!), so this was much needed. My hope for you 2, and everybody on here, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hopefully 2023 Is going to be epic (hopefully) ❤️❤️❤️❤️
For anyone wanting to watch the complete film, be aware that because of various copyright issues over the years there are some messed up versions of this film floating around. Even Amazon Prime is known to show a terrible "abridged" version that cuts out a huge and important portion of the film in its last half, completely ruining the point of the story. Also versions with replaced soundtrack, which are obvious from the title credits because their music sounds somewhat modern. So make sure you're watching the original, black and white, 2 hour 10 minute version.
Mary was low key a massive hero of this film as well.
Exactly
Never fails to make me cry.
The fact that Potter gets away with it was a big deal at the time. There was a movie code that said bad guys had to repent or get their comeuppance.
This movie has meant so much to me over the years.
Great reaction guys! Love this movie and its a masterpiece!
12:20, what happened was the great depression hit and the stock market crashed. The banks ran out of money.
Back again for a re-watch a year later! (Still bummed TBR didn't cry at the end.) ;)
When I was a kid we had a color tv in the living room and a black & white portable that we had to watch when my parents were watching something boring. Watching something in black & white was just so common. Lots of the reruns they played were in B&W like The Little Rascals. Had you grown up in my era you would have instantly recognized Alfalpha at the high school dance.
Lol. It was the same with me. Color tv on the living room and I had a 13" b&w tv in my room. It was a total shock to me when I realized that The Wizard of Oz and The Women had color parts to them . I was a freshman in high school before I got a chance to watch either one on the color console in the living room.
I watched those old movies with my grandma and she only had a small b&w tv.
Yup, Carl Dean Switzer. As Alfafa, his trademark look was he always had a stand-up cowlick at the back of his hair he couldn't get to comb down. Like many childhood stars, as an adult, he wasn't as successful. He died of a gunshot in 1959.
@@johnnehrich9601 I was watching something about them and Froggy died when he was a teenager. He was hit on his bike while delivering papers.
@@toodlescae In your room? I didn't have a tv in my room until I was able to purchase one. My parents kept that one in their room.
The thing that blows my mind about this film is that everyone has the same response and if the movie made you cry (and it makes nearly everyone cry), I promise you will never watch it without crying. For some reason it hits everytime. And it is always the happy resolution at the end that opens the floodgates and has the audience in tears. Even if someone does get a little teary earlier in the film it will almost always be at some moment of happiness.
It really is a special film and deserves its place not only in the Christmas rotation but also its consistent placement on lists of greatest films of all time.