My mom loved this movie. She would cry every time when the bell rang. She was battling cancer. She lost her battle in 2011. On the way home from the funeral I heard a bell ring. " Mom." I said. "You got your wings."
My ex met Jimmy Stewart, the actor who played George, once. She was two years old, and wandered off when her mom got distracted talking to a friend in a hotel. They found her in the hotel restaurant, sitting in Jimmy Stewart's lap, eating his pancakes, while he patiently waited for someone to show up and claim her. I always like it when actors turn out to be just as decent human beings as you expect them to be from seeing their performances.
Jimmy Stewart was an exceptionally decent human being. Until he died, I regretted my State did not have write-ins for POTUS election; I would have written in Jimmy Stewart for POTUS, and Davy Crockett for VP. The only two men I'd trust with my republic.
Yeah, this girl comments every two seconds. Much too intrusive. These TH-camrs seem to think they're required to comment constantly. They should only comment when they have something genuinely insightful to say.
@@davelong4416 The inability to hit the pause button, and THEN say something, is funny and sad. But these kids are doing this for the money, and you can't pause when people are watching with you on Patreon.
@@joeymorini7685 I should see the end of her reaction; I gave up when she kept asking questions around the scene of the pill mix-up. She didn't even get the point of the story? Oy vey.🤣
yeah, a shame her moral compass got twisted in later years. Jimmy Stewart lost his son in the skies over Vietnam, yet didn't turn against his country. Donna Reed went looking for a cause and gave aid and comfort to the enemy, ultimately contributing to the fall of S. Vietnam.
@@Pixelologist she didn't oppose war as an abstract concept; nice try. She opposed her country's conduct of the war, giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The VC rebels did not win the Vietnam war. Anti-American media propaganda, such as that perpetrated by Reed and Fonda, led to the fall of S. Vietnam.
Jimmy Stewart had just gotten out of the Army Air Corps and was a genuine war hero. He was probably suffering from PTSD even as he was making this movie. Genuinely the greatest generation
He actually didn’t get out of the Army Air Corps. He stayed on in the reserves, even after it was reorganized as the US Air Force. He retired as a Brigadier General.
no, he'd just gotten out of the Army Air Force. The name changed near the beginning of the war. Everyone who was alive during WWII suffered PTSD, of course. Nobody had survived The Great Depression, and everyone was as fragile, flaky and neurotic as people in 2024. One of the most abused terms of the 21st century is "PTSD".
@@3DJapan Red Vines come in grape , green apple , blue raspberry , spearmint (Christmas Season ) and other companies have chocolate , mango , cinnamon (hot) banana and all the above in sour versions . For awhile they were called Whips now it's just Laces
Yes, I remember what we called shoe laces was very smaller diameter round licorice.... like shoe laces or just a slightly thicker spaghetti noodle size. And it came in longer lengths like a length of rope would be.
The greatest, most life-affirming movie ever made. I've been watching it every Christmas Eve for the last 40 years and it never fails to bring tears of joy to my eyes. 😃 Several years ago, my small-town movie theatre showed the film on the big screen and I threw myself into the arms of a complete stranger upon exiting the theatre, both of us with tears of joy in our eyes. Aaaahhhhhhh......precious memories....!!!
8:03 - remember this is 1919, in a small town. There is no sophisticated way to test medicine. You saw that Mr. Gower mixed the ingredients to actually make the medicine. Once upon a time, before we had the tools we have now, the only way to be sure of what you created was to use your senses, and yes, that included taste, one of the most reliable way to figure out what you have put together for other people to take. Of course he has to taste it: how else will he know what it's in it? Keep in mind the time and place of this movie. It's important.
To elaborate on what others have said: Stewart, who had been a big star before the war, commanded a bomber squadron in Europe. When he came back, he felt like he couldn’t act again due to his PTSD and was reluctant to accept the part. However, Lionel Barrymore (Potter) was a good friend of his and convinced him to do the movie. Both Capra (the director) and Stewart considered it their best movie, respectively. This is my second favorite film, after “The Best Years of Our Lives” (also 1946, from the same independent production company).
Last I looked, three of the Bailey children were still alive. Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu) is 84. Virginia Patton who played Harry Bailey's wife was the last surviving credited actor died two years ago. She was also General George Patton's niece.
Jimmy Hawkins" is still alive...he played little Tommy on Jimmy Stewart's lap. in the late 1950's/early1960's he made quitea few appearacne on the Donna Reed sicom as "Scotty" a teenaged boyfriend of the duaghter Mary Stone, played by Shelley Farbares. He also played on several other sticoms like the Adventeres of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, Gidget, and a host of others and a beach movie or 2.
This movie, besides being such a heart-warmer, is a great encapsulation of small town American life between WWI (1918) and the end of WWII ('46). There is the 1918 flu epidemic, the Roaring Twenties, where EVERYONE danced the Charleston, the Great Depression and the bank runs of the early '30's, and the total involvement of everyone during the Second World War. (George's getting deaf in one ear was important to keep him out of the draft and thus stuck at home.) The Charleston was a specific song and dance, but also part of the giant party atmosphere during the 1920's. Alcohol had been banned by Prohibition, which ironically made everyone want to drink. (Notice when George was getting ready for Harry's graduation party, they hinted at alcohol being served, with the understanding it would happen but for the audience, suggesting it WASN'T - because it was against the law. When Harry returns from school, however, Prohibition had been repealed, so it was legal for Uncle Billy to get snookered.) During the 1920's, women's dresses rose above the knee for the first time in a thousand years. This allowed the wild dance steps, the rapid leg movements, of the Charleston. (People danced the Charleston on top of taxis driving through the city, on top of flag poles, on the wings of airplanes in flight. It was a crazy period.) In Pottersville, there were pawn shops - "pawn" referring to where you need money so you turn it in and get some instant cash but much less than the item was worth. You could redeem the item within something 60 days or the pawn dealer would be free to sell it at a higher price and make a profit. (There is also the word "porn" referring to explicit sexual magazines and movies.)
@@michaelstach5744 Actually I would choose the first Back to the Future, which shows how the world changed in many ways, including social norms, between 1955 and 1985 and beyond. Also although totally a different story, Roger Rabbit, which was directed by the same guy, Robert Zemeckis. If you can stand the racism (which to be fair, was a big part of earlier and still into 1939), watch Gone With The Wind, which covers the mid-1800's. And Pride & Prejudice, which despite being set in England, was pretty much the same as America at the time.
The repeal of Prohibition under the 21st Amendment (which repealed the 18th Amendment enacting Prohibition) wasn't ratified until December, 1933 (about a year and a half after Harry's college graduation in 1932).
@@oliverbrownlow5615 Yes, now that you mention it, Uncle Billie getting drunk must have been on bootleg booze because FDR ended bank runs on March 4th, 1933, two days after he took office, so the end of Prohibition HAD to have come after the end of bank runs. (Ooops!)
In the scene where a drunken Uncle Billy leaves the party at the Bailey's house, it sounds as if he trips into a few garbage cans as he walks off the set. In reality, one of the crew members happened to inadvertently dropped a tray full of props on the floor. Thomas Mitchell (the actor playing Uncle Billy) quickly adlibs the line, "I'm alright, I'm alright." You can see Jimmy Stewart laughing afterward in response. Not only did the director leave it in the final cut, he also gave the crew member a $10 bonus for 'improving the sound'.
George promised to never tell anyone that Mr. Gower was drunk and nearly poisoned a child but Mary witnessed everything and didn't tell either which isn't addressed in the film. Reactors often assume that if George never existed she would have ended up with Sam Wainright but we know from the beginning that Mary would love George Bailey until the day she died. She didn't love Sam. She only ever loved George. No George, no other man for Mary.
Whether black & white or the colorized version, the heart of this movie, the feeling of encouragement and community, the realization of one's impact on others, that message comes through clearly regardless of screen resolution.
The colorized version has very lazy colorization, the foreground and speaking characters are in color while the backgrounds are still black and white. Oh, and Violet always wears purple dresses, because, of course, her name is Violet. Get it?
TOP 24 FAVORITE MOVIES, and #3 for a 51 year old man. When I was a little kid, #21 and #22 were the two big ones. 1) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) 2) Man of la Mancha (1972) 3) It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 4) The Prince who was a Thief (1951) 5) Narnia: the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (2005) 6) Let the Right One In (2008) - Swedish with English caption 7) A Silent Voice (2016) - Japanese with English caption 8) My Rainy Days (2009) - Japanese with English caption 9) A Brilliant Young Mind (originally known as "X+Y") (2014) 10) Silence (2016) 11) Spiderman: No Way Home (2021) 12) Beauty and the Beast (2017) 13) Goodbye, Christopher Robin (2017) 14) The Man who Invented Christmas (2017) 15) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) 16) Amen (2002) 17) Red (2010) 18) Fletch (1985) 19) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) 20) Men In Black (1997) 21) Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back (1980) 22) Star Wars: a New Hope (1977) 23) Back to the Future (1985) 24) X-Men (2000)
One day in late 1985, I was watching the "Newhart" episode "The Prodigal Darryl," when Larry mentioned a favorite movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). I made a note to see it when it played during the holiday season. Unfortunately, Ted Turner, the head of TBS, was pushing "Colorized" black-and-white movies then. So I saw the Colorized "It's a Wonderful Life," which didn't work for "grew up with a black-and-white TV and TV programs" me. I don't think much of "old movies in color," especially documentaries, since they "get the mud/grass/buildings/uniforms wrong." So, I prefer the original black-and-white version, and encourage young viewers of this Christmas classic.;) 17:47 Donna Reed had been a Baseball player in high school and she broke the window on the first take. If you're ever in the neighborhood, visit Frostbite Falls, just down the road. ;)
The movie that won Best picture over this 1946 is The Best Years of Our Lives, the best movie ever made about veterans returning from war. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
TBYOOL is probably the best Hollywood studio film of all time. It was constantly in the top ten movies lists of the previous century and was directed by William Wyler and the GOAT of cinematographers Gregg Toland, an innovator of deep focus photography. It should be reacted to much more, I've only seen a few.
@@jimhsfbay I didn't find it too bad. I think the problem with the talking is more the fault of the person doing the editing. But she may be able to do some things to help the editor too.
It's like a broadcaster calling a ballgame over the radio who must paint a picture with words because his listeners aren't seeing the game. Here, we obviously SEE what's going on, and yet she needlessly and incessantly states the obvious. Apparently, she feels that every single thought that pops into her head must be verbalized, no matter how self-evident. Why don't you kiss us instead of talking us to death? Maybe she should go into sports radio broadcasting. That could be her calling.
It's a Wonderful Life was director Frank Capra's first movie after World War II. He intended it as a tribute to all the people who sacrificed during those years. Many people, not just soldiers, set their personal plans aside for the greater good. Jimmy Stewart (George) served as a bomber pilot during the war. He came out of it with PTSD. He drew on it in the scene where he broke down in Martini's bar. When Harry said, "To my big brother George, the richest man in town," it was a callback to an earlier part of the movie, when George told Potter that his father "died a much richer man than you'll ever be." The spirit of Peter Bailey hovers over the whole story. George got his values from his father, and stuck to them even when it was painful for him. Lionel Barrymore, who played Mr. Potter, was Drew Barrymore's grand-uncle. The dance at the gym was filmed at Beverly Hills High School. There really is a swimming pool under the gym floor, which they still use to this day. In the scene where Uncle Billy walks drunkenly off screen followed by a loud crashing sound, a stage hand accidentally dropped a tray full of props. Actor Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy) ad-libbed "I'm all right! I'm all right!" Frank Capra decided he liked it, and kept it in the film. Director Frank Capra offered to have a marksman shoot out one of the windows when Donna Reed (Mary) threw the rock at the house. There was no need. She had played baseball in high school, and had a good arm. She hit the window on the first take. Frank Capra based Mr. Martini on his own father, who was an immigrant from Sicily. The goat in the car was a sort of inside joke. "Capra" means "goat" in Italian. One interesting thing about this movie is that the audience is expected to know how a bank or savings and loan business works. They didn't have to explain what a bank run was, or what Potter was doing to try to destroy the Building and Loan by offering 50 cents on the dollar. The audience in 1946 had lived through the Great Depression, so they understood these things through experience.
Technically, George Bailey broke down in Nick's bar. Also, another fun fact, the stage hand that dropped the tray of props got a $10 bonus for "improving the sound".
1:05:37 One of the reasons this movie became so well known (other than great writing, acting and direction) is because it was in the public domain for about 20-30 years. TV stations in the late 70's to the early 2000's were able to televise it for free. The copyright was restored in the mid 2000's.
The movie's history mirror's George Bailey's life. When it premiered the cast and audiences loved the film but wasn't a big box office success or award winner. Over the years people moved on with their lives and the movie slowly became a distant memory. People must have prayed and wished for Christmas movies like "It's A Wonderful Life" because a little miracle occurred and the studio misplaced some paperwork. The copyright lapsed into the public domain as if an Angel Second Class appeared in the studio offices and made that paperwork disappear. Now in the public domain, cable television played "It's A Wonderful Life" continuously over the Christmas holidays. Families gathered to watch the movie, falling in love again with George and Mary and all of Bedford Falls as Christmas bells would ring. 🔔 🔔 Just like George Bailey, "It's A Wonderful Life" is the richest movie in town. 🔔
the movie is in the public domain, but the score of the film is not. That’s why it is no longer available on every channel. The film can be shown freely if the score can be removed, which of course is impossible.
@@BenLapke Rifftrax - who do funny commentary/jokes over movies - had to edit down the movie because the entire part where George sees how it was if he was never born had to be cut out because of copyright. It made it funny in its own rite, going from meeting Clarence, George asking "you wouldn't happen to have 8 thousand bucks, would you", directly to George celebrating and running from the bridge, yelling Merry Christmas. "Well, I guess Clarence had the money after all". lol
There’s a Saturday Night Live “alternate ending”, where someone remembers seeing Potter with the $8000 and the whole Christmas Party goes and beats him to death. I think Dana Carvey plays George Bailey.
@@flpndrox your response is humorous, but misses the mark. A reactor who chatters all the way through and as a result misses the details they should be noticing, is not reacting at all. They're just rambling.
As depicted, George Bailey's life is the epitome of John Lennon's lyric from "Beautiful Boy": "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."
The original source of the phrase "Life is what happens when you're making plans" is attributed to Allen Saunders, who first used it in a 1957 Reader's Digest article, though it is widely associated with John Lennon due to its frequent attribution to him. On the other hand it is such a great phrase I wonder where Allen Saunders stole it from?!😂
It’s good any time of year, but best at Christmastime. You’re very talented thinking out loud during the whole movie like that. Have a wonderful Christmas season.
James Stewart who played George Baily was an air fighter pilot in WW2 and this was his first film he did after that and he used his PTS during his freak out scenes, that is why it felt so real
The panicking crowd wasn''t at the bank. They were at the Bailey Building and loan (where George works). And he didn't leave Mary in the cab because he was worried about his own money in the bank. He was concerned because he saw the crowd outside the Building and Loan, suggesting something bad was happening. We see George helping (or speaking up) for other people since he was a kid. I'm surprised that you misjudge George's selflessness in a lot of scenes when you are pretty spot on about everything else. (For example, he asked Ruth if the research job Harry was offered was a good job, which means he wants what's best for Harry -- even if it leaves him stuck in his own job. Is he disappointed for himself? Sure, but that doesn't mean he begrudges Harry's decision if he decides to take it. We don't see what happens offscreen, but I would imagine George talking Harry into accepting the job).
Actually you're wrong in 1933 in America people would make a run on the bank which was the cab drivers words. In those days the federal government did not insure banking accounts until later. Those who ran to the bank first got their money..when the money was gone people became penniless. In this movie people also ran to the building and loan
There's a great documentary title Five Came Back about five famous directors who helped in the war effort -- Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler and George Steven's. Capra made the Why We Fight series, Ford filmed the attack on Midway island, Wyler lost his hearing, and Steven's filmed the first liberation of the Nazi death camps. All their Hollywood films are great.
Why is it a Christmas movie. I think because Christmas/New Year is the time people consider their lives and where they are at in them. Are you famous? No. Are you wealthy? No. Are you successful? No. Many people are none of these things and many people are alone at that time. Many are older. They are looking backwards and perhaps unhappy with where they are now. So they see themselves in George. They understand his pain. His frustration. And they are elated at the end when he gets his life back and his friends step in to help him and share the Christmas joy with him. In A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge changes his life around after being shown what his fate is. He becomes a better person. In this movie, George is a good person who has bad things happen to him but he discovers that his life has value and that he has friends who will help him out. Scrooge and George are opposite sides of the same coin. One needs to change. The other needs to realize his life is good as it is.
The man who played Potter is the real-life great uncle of Drew Barrymore who has been in many things. She was a child actress in E.T., and in The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and the reboot of Charlie's Angels. She now has her own talk show
Lionel Barrymore, the actor who plays Mr. Potter, has a famous grandniece by the name of Drew Barrymore. The Barrymore family has a long lineage of actors
What this movie needed for an ending? A newspaper headline that said, Mr Potter arrested for bank robbery! Saturday night Live did a funny skit where several townspeople find out what he did and beat the crap out of him!
Any comeuppance of Mr. Potter would have made the end about Potter, not George and his realization that he had everything he'd really ever needed though.
This movie is also somewhat of a microcosm of American history starting in 1919 (right after WW1 ended) and going through 1945. And the movie came out in 1946, so the audience would have related to each event in the movie starting with the Spanish Flu when old man Gower's son died from that. Then the roaring 20s ending in that big high school dance in 1928 and the Charleston dance. Then the Run on the Banks in 1933 and the great depression. And then WW2 in the last scenes. 26 years total which is why Mr. Potter was still alive. lol.
When they filmed the scene where Mr. Gower slaps George for not taking the pills to the sick boy, the actor who played Mr. Gower- H.B.Warner- thought it would make the scene more authentic if he was really drunk. He accidentally slapped Bobby J. Anderson- the actor playing George- and really made his ear bleed. After they finished filming the scene, Warner hugged Anderson and apologized to him. In the scene where Mary throws the rock and breaks the window of the old Granville House, Frank Capra had hired a marksman to shoot out the window on cue, but Donna Reed broke the window on her first throw. It turned out she had played baseball in high school and had a strong throwing arm. Lionel Barrymore- Mr. Potter- didn't believe Donna Reed's claim about growing up on a farm in Iowa, so one day there was a live cow backstage and Barrymore bet Reed $50.00 she couldn't milk it. Reed won the bet and said it was the easiest $50.00 she ever earned. The reason Mr. Potter is always seen sitting down was because he had crippling arthritis. His character was based on Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" and, in fact, was supposed to play Scrooge in the 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol" but had to drop out because of his arthritis. The part went to Reginald Owen instead. Kathryn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey, never watched the movie until she was in her 40's. Clarence doesn't appear onscreen until the last 30 minutes of the movie and is only onscreen for a total of 15 minutes. The movie was filmed during a summer heat wave. That's why, in the scene where George is on the bridge thinking about jumping into the water, you can see perspiration on his face.
Actually, Lionel Barrymore was injured years earlier while acting onstage, when a curtain counterweight came loose overhead and fell on him, striking his hip and shattering his pelvis. Even after he recovered he was never physically the same again. He could get around without the wheelchair, but only with difficulty, and he couldn't remain on his feet for more than brief periods.
@user-mg5mv2tn8q I think I had heard that something had happened to him but I couldn't remember what. But he did have arthritis before that happened so that obviously made it worse. I bet he would have made a great Scrooge. He did play him on radio.
@@j.woodbury412 In fact, Lionel Barrymore played Scrooge almost every year in a radio version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL from 1934 to 1953. He had played the role ten times by 1946, and it was one of his claims to fame. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE's original audiences would have been acutely aware the the Scrooge-like Potter was being played "Scrooge."
The man who played Nick the Bartender is Sheldon Leonard who later went on to produce the Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960's. Merry Christmas to you and your family and may God Bless You!
The guy who George stole Mary away from at the dance was played by Carl "Alfalfa' Switzer. He is best known for the "Little Rascals" and "Our Gang" shorts of the 1930s.
It has some scary creepy moments, specially his closeup where he looks insane! The patriarch of Drew Barrymore's family is the guy in the wheelchair. Jimmy was loaded with PTSD and didn't want to act anymore. Barrymore convinced him to do this movie, and it actually helped Jimmy with his PTSD. His wife here is Donna Reid. Also a big time actress and ahead of her time, in both looks and brains! He calls zuzu his ginger snap. The cookie company had ginger cookies, they didn't sell well. After this movie, they renamed them ginger snaps, and they took off! But some very good actors were in this movie.
The aspect of having adventures is that you will not have a family. I have had adventures. I've traveled the world. George Baily deep in heart did want to have adventures because he wanted to be like his father.
t's a Wonderful Life is more than a Christmas movie I am not christen and I love it. It is a feel good movie and one of the first time travel element movies. It is so much about time travel or alternative realities that Back to the future allude to it :). Fun fact the movie was not a financial success when it came out and was forgotten. Only because of a copyright registration error ( Which was fixed decades later) the movie was considered public domain for years and because of the that the Tv Networks aired over and over every Christmas till it became a cult classic. Another fun fact the scene with the uncle that was drunk and fell down was adlib because one of the stage worker dropped something in the middle of filming. I love George speech to Mr Potter about the working class. The actor who plays Mr Potter is by the way Drew Barrymore great uncle. If you want another great Jimmy Stewart movie you should watch Mr Smith goes to Washington.
Frank Capra, the director of this movie, liked using many of the same actors, a bit like a repetory company, so that is why many of the older character actors in the story appear never to age. It’s not realistic, but it adds to the feeling of Bedford Falls being a community where everyone pulls together. It’s most noticeable with the actors who play Mr. Gower and the high school principal, who appear to be the same age for about a quarter century.
Oddly enough, I don't react to this as a Christmas movie. In 1978 I had a summer job, an overnight maintenance shift that started at midnight. This meant watching late night movies while waiting to go to work. "Wonderful Life" had just lost its copyright, so nearly every tv station around us played it in June and July. They thought so little of this movie which no one remembered that I saw it 3 times in 2 months that summer. And I thought it was a Wonderful Movie! I'm glad folks have come to the same opinion. But I still react to it as if the temperature is 100 Fahrenheit.
There is an interesting 1970 interview on YT where Canadian director Don Shebib tells how he was greatly influenced by a little known Frank Capra movie "It's a Wonderful Life" In 1970, it was little known, later when the copyright was lost and it went into semi public domain (disputed) it was able to be replayed often and became an icon
Uncle Billy is Thomas Mitchell. If you want to see him as a bad guy watch "Secret of the Incas." 1954. Very good movie with location filming at Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
But dodging copyright does mean being a reactor. Which makes one consider: is this form of entertainment necessary? Besides, the whole idea is to get people to watch the movies with them on Patreon. Getting paid to watch movies is very 21st century, I guess. I had to flip burgers and stuff when I was young
@@Otokichi786 Also quite interesting are the two musicals based on this story: IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (1949), starring Judy Garland, and the Broadway musical SHE LOVES ME, recorded in a beautiful 2016 professionally-shot video starring Zachary Levi.
I always believed It's a Wonderful Life is an in-depth character examination with George Bailey being a more modern take on the tragic hero archetype. Impulsively acts selflessly but always thinks selfishly. His first instinct is to do what's best for others and will lament later what he had to sacrifice to do it. He gave up everything he wanted to stay at home and fight a financial war against Potter. All he has to do is lose that war and, in his mind, his whole life has been for nothing. That's how I see it, anyway.
@VenezuelaGirlReacts Glad you enjoyed the film too. But please refrain from your incessant talking every few seconds & try to actually listen. We have two ears & one mouth for a reason. We've all seen the film before, you haven't, we don't need a running commentary. This film requires empathy & emotional engagement. Continuous talking keeps us in our own heads rather than engaging in the emotions on screen. Sorry for the rant, but feedback may help you to get subscribers. Good luck!
Ironically the film was a commercial failure at its release and nearly bankrupted the production company. It wasn’t until over 20 years later it went into public domain that it became popular.
My mom loved this movie. She would cry every time when the bell rang. She was battling cancer. She lost her battle in 2011. On the way home from the funeral I heard a bell ring. " Mom." I said. "You got your wings."
My ex met Jimmy Stewart, the actor who played George, once. She was two years old, and wandered off when her mom got distracted talking to a friend in a hotel. They found her in the hotel restaurant, sitting in Jimmy Stewart's lap, eating his pancakes, while he patiently waited for someone to show up and claim her. I always like it when actors turn out to be just as decent human beings as you expect them to be from seeing their performances.
My Granna met Dick van Dyke at a little country store when they were camping at a lake. She said he seemed so much like how he’s portrayed in films.
Jimmy Stewart was an exceptionally decent human being. Until he died, I regretted my State did not have write-ins for POTUS election; I would have written in Jimmy Stewart for POTUS, and Davy Crockett for VP. The only two men I'd trust with my republic.
@@turbulentlobster Rip Jimmy. One of the greatest.
All answers are provided in the dialogue. One just needs to sit and watch
I’m glad someone said it😂
Yeah, this girl comments every two seconds. Much too intrusive. These TH-camrs seem to think they're required to comment constantly. They should only comment when they have something genuinely insightful to say.
@ the movie felt like it went over her head, which is crazy because it’s not a difficult message 😂
@@davelong4416 The inability to hit the pause button, and THEN say something, is funny and sad. But these kids are doing this for the money, and you can't pause when people are watching with you on Patreon.
@@joeymorini7685 I should see the end of her reaction; I gave up when she kept asking questions around the scene of the pill mix-up. She didn't even get the point of the story? Oy vey.🤣
I thought Donna Reed was stunningly beautiful the first time I saw this movie as a kid. I feel the same way now decades later.
I agree. Stunningly beautiful!
yeah, a shame her moral compass got twisted in later years. Jimmy Stewart lost his son in the skies over Vietnam, yet didn't turn against his country. Donna Reed went looking for a cause and gave aid and comfort to the enemy, ultimately contributing to the fall of S. Vietnam.
@ Wow! I never heard any of that. Please share any links that might help me learn more about Donna Reed.
@@gnericgnome4214 Yeahhhh, terrible thing to oppose war. 🙄 Speaking of twisted moral compasses....
@@Pixelologist she didn't oppose war as an abstract concept; nice try.
She opposed her country's conduct of the war, giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The VC rebels did not win the Vietnam war. Anti-American media propaganda, such as that perpetrated by Reed and Fonda, led to the fall of S. Vietnam.
Jimmy Stewart had just gotten out of the Army Air Corps and was a genuine war hero. He was probably suffering from PTSD even as he was making this movie. Genuinely the greatest generation
The greatest generation would really be the Founding Fathers.
He actually didn’t get out of the Army Air Corps. He stayed on in the reserves, even after it was reorganized as the US Air Force. He retired as a Brigadier General.
Jimmy Stewart had more balls and humanity in him than Ronald Reagan and should have been President instead of him.
no, he'd just gotten out of the Army Air Force. The name changed near the beginning of the war.
Everyone who was alive during WWII suffered PTSD, of course. Nobody had survived The Great Depression, and everyone was as fragile, flaky and neurotic as people in 2024.
One of the most abused terms of the 21st century is "PTSD".
yes he was and he was coaxed to do this movie. It saved his life.
"Shoe laces...?"
In this context, shoe laces were long thin strips of licorice. They came in either red or black.
Basically Red Vines today.
@@3DJapan Red Vines come in grape , green apple , blue raspberry , spearmint (Christmas Season ) and other companies have chocolate , mango , cinnamon (hot) banana and all the above in sour versions . For awhile they were called Whips now it's just Laces
Yes, I remember what we called shoe laces was very smaller diameter round licorice.... like shoe laces or just a slightly thicker spaghetti noodle size. And it came in longer lengths like a length of rope would be.
But you could also buy actual shoelaces there too.
She was just using shoelaces as an excuse to talk to George.
The greatest, most life-affirming movie ever made. I've been watching it every Christmas Eve for the last 40 years and it never fails to bring tears of joy to my eyes. 😃 Several years ago, my small-town movie theatre showed the film on the big screen and I threw myself into the arms of a complete stranger upon exiting the theatre, both of us with tears of joy in our eyes. Aaaahhhhhhh......precious memories....!!!
8:03 - remember this is 1919, in a small town. There is no sophisticated way to test medicine. You saw that Mr. Gower mixed the ingredients to actually make the medicine. Once upon a time, before we had the tools we have now, the only way to be sure of what you created was to use your senses, and yes, that included taste, one of the most reliable way to figure out what you have put together for other people to take. Of course he has to taste it: how else will he know what it's in it? Keep in mind the time and place of this movie. It's important.
To elaborate on what others have said: Stewart, who had been a big star before the war, commanded a bomber squadron in Europe. When he came back, he felt like he couldn’t act again due to his PTSD and was reluctant to accept the part. However, Lionel Barrymore (Potter) was a good friend of his and convinced him to do the movie. Both Capra (the director) and Stewart considered it their best movie, respectively.
This is my second favorite film, after “The Best Years of Our Lives” (also 1946, from the same independent production company).
this myth gets more elaborate with each retelling.
@@gnericgnome4214 That's the definition of a legend.
Frank Capra is one of the best movie directors, ever. His choices for movies often dealt with injustice in America.
Last I looked, three of the Bailey children were still alive. Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu) is 84. Virginia Patton who played Harry Bailey's wife was the last surviving credited actor died two years ago. She was also General George Patton's niece.
Jimmy Hawkins" is still alive...he played little Tommy on Jimmy Stewart's lap. in the late 1950's/early1960's he made quitea few appearacne on the Donna Reed sicom as "Scotty" a teenaged boyfriend of the duaghter Mary Stone, played by Shelley Farbares. He also played on several other sticoms like the Adventeres of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, Gidget, and a host of others and a beach movie or 2.
@@thomastimlin1724 Jimmy Hawkins also had a career as a recording artist, I believe.
This movie, besides being such a heart-warmer, is a great encapsulation of small town American life between WWI (1918) and the end of WWII ('46). There is the 1918 flu epidemic, the Roaring Twenties, where EVERYONE danced the Charleston, the Great Depression and the bank runs of the early '30's, and the total involvement of everyone during the Second World War. (George's getting deaf in one ear was important to keep him out of the draft and thus stuck at home.)
The Charleston was a specific song and dance, but also part of the giant party atmosphere during the 1920's. Alcohol had been banned by Prohibition, which ironically made everyone want to drink. (Notice when George was getting ready for Harry's graduation party, they hinted at alcohol being served, with the understanding it would happen but for the audience, suggesting it WASN'T - because it was against the law. When Harry returns from school, however, Prohibition had been repealed, so it was legal for Uncle Billy to get snookered.)
During the 1920's, women's dresses rose above the knee for the first time in a thousand years. This allowed the wild dance steps, the rapid leg movements, of the Charleston. (People danced the Charleston on top of taxis driving through the city, on top of flag poles, on the wings of airplanes in flight. It was a crazy period.)
In Pottersville, there were pawn shops - "pawn" referring to where you need money so you turn it in and get some instant cash but much less than the item was worth. You could redeem the item within something 60 days or the pawn dealer would be free to sell it at a higher price and make a profit. (There is also the word "porn" referring to explicit sexual magazines and movies.)
You follow this with Forrest Gump and you get a college course on American history.
@@michaelstach5744 Actually I would choose the first Back to the Future, which shows how the world changed in many ways, including social norms, between 1955 and 1985 and beyond. Also although totally a different story, Roger Rabbit, which was directed by the same guy, Robert Zemeckis.
If you can stand the racism (which to be fair, was a big part of earlier and still into 1939), watch Gone With The Wind, which covers the mid-1800's. And Pride & Prejudice, which despite being set in England, was pretty much the same as America at the time.
The repeal of Prohibition under the 21st Amendment (which repealed the 18th Amendment enacting Prohibition) wasn't ratified until December, 1933 (about a year and a half after Harry's college graduation in 1932).
@@oliverbrownlow5615 Yes, now that you mention it, Uncle Billie getting drunk must have been on bootleg booze because FDR ended bank runs on March 4th, 1933, two days after he took office, so the end of Prohibition HAD to have come after the end of bank runs. (Ooops!)
In the scene where a drunken Uncle Billy leaves the party at the Bailey's house, it sounds as if he trips into a few garbage cans as he walks off the set. In reality, one of the crew members happened to inadvertently dropped a tray full of props on the floor. Thomas Mitchell (the actor playing Uncle Billy) quickly adlibs the line, "I'm alright, I'm alright." You can see Jimmy Stewart laughing afterward in response. Not only did the director leave it in the final cut, he also gave the crew member a $10 bonus for 'improving the sound'.
🤣
George promised to never tell anyone that Mr. Gower was drunk and nearly poisoned a child but Mary witnessed everything and didn't tell either which isn't addressed in the film. Reactors often assume that if George never existed she would have ended up with Sam Wainright but we know from the beginning that Mary would love George Bailey until the day she died. She didn't love Sam. She only ever loved George. No George, no other man for Mary.
Glad to see reactions to classic movies. There are lots of very good classic movies. :)
Films/scripts were more like live plays back in this era, and i love it.
Bawling my eyes out. 1/2 a pack of tissues, snotty nose, ...and have seen this movie countless times. 🤣✌️♥️
its very costly to be a good person. its demonstrated even in the movie
The actress who played Zuzu is the last surviving member of the cast -- she is now 84 years old...
Janie (Carol Coombs) and Tommy (Jimmy Hawkins)are still alive also.
@@Dave-hb7lx Thank you... fixed it...
Another great Capra/Stewart collaboration is the movie MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON.
The Christmas season starts with...watching It's A Wonderful Life reactions.
Whether black & white or the colorized version, the heart of this movie, the feeling of encouragement and community, the realization of one's impact on others, that message comes through clearly regardless of screen resolution.
The colorized version has very lazy colorization, the foreground and speaking characters are in color while the backgrounds are still black and white. Oh, and Violet always wears purple dresses, because, of course, her name is Violet. Get it?
the school gym is in Beverly Hills and still has the floor over the pool
TOP 24 FAVORITE MOVIES, and #3 for a 51 year old man. When I was a little kid, #21 and #22 were the two big ones.
1) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
2) Man of la Mancha (1972)
3) It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
4) The Prince who was a Thief (1951)
5) Narnia: the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (2005)
6) Let the Right One In (2008) - Swedish with English caption
7) A Silent Voice (2016) - Japanese with English caption
8) My Rainy Days (2009) - Japanese with English caption
9) A Brilliant Young Mind (originally known as "X+Y") (2014)
10) Silence (2016)
11) Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)
12) Beauty and the Beast (2017)
13) Goodbye, Christopher Robin (2017)
14) The Man who Invented Christmas (2017)
15) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
16) Amen (2002)
17) Red (2010)
18) Fletch (1985)
19) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
20) Men In Black (1997)
21) Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back (1980)
22) Star Wars: a New Hope (1977)
23) Back to the Future (1985)
24) X-Men (2000)
Mr Potter is really related too drew Barrymore in real life
One day in late 1985, I was watching the "Newhart" episode "The Prodigal Darryl," when Larry mentioned a favorite movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). I made a note to see it when it played during the holiday season. Unfortunately, Ted Turner, the head of TBS, was pushing "Colorized" black-and-white movies then. So I saw the Colorized "It's a Wonderful Life," which didn't work for "grew up with a black-and-white TV and TV programs" me. I don't think much of "old movies in color," especially documentaries, since they "get the mud/grass/buildings/uniforms wrong." So, I prefer the original black-and-white version, and encourage young viewers of this Christmas classic.;) 17:47 Donna Reed had been a Baseball player in high school and she broke the window on the first take. If you're ever in the neighborhood, visit Frostbite Falls, just down the road. ;)
Agreed. As I've always said, "classic black and white movies aren't coloring books."
The mean old guy played by Lionel Barrymore, a relative of Drew Barrymore
One of the greatest movies ever!
13:45 That's Alfalfa.
The movie that won Best picture over this 1946 is The Best Years of Our Lives, the best movie ever made about veterans returning from war. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
TBYOOL is probably the best Hollywood studio film of all time. It was constantly in the top ten movies lists of the previous century and was directed by William Wyler and the GOAT of cinematographers Gregg Toland, an innovator of deep focus photography. It should be reacted to much more, I've only seen a few.
Wth is the wolf on this video...it's not on other movies here...distracting and ruining the experience
You can look at the wolf, or you can look at the pretty woman with the sexy accent. I choose to look at the woman.
Its known as a watermark, which is usually used so someone else can't steal the video content.
Senorita: a word to the wise: when it comes to commentary, sometimes less is more.
Before I watch this, is she still just describing what everyone is doing?
@@jimhsfbay I didn't find it too bad. I think the problem with the talking is more the fault of the person doing the editing. But she may be able to do some things to help the editor too.
Much much less is more
You can't talk over dialogue, we cant understand it or the reactor
It's like a broadcaster calling a ballgame over the radio who must paint a picture with words because his listeners aren't seeing the game. Here, we obviously SEE what's going on, and yet she needlessly and incessantly states the obvious. Apparently, she feels that every single thought that pops into her head must be verbalized, no matter how self-evident.
Why don't you kiss us instead of talking us to death?
Maybe she should go into sports radio broadcasting. That could be her calling.
I've probably seen this movie a hundred times but I never noticed George's dad was talking into his trick ear before. Excellent observation!
It's a Wonderful Life was director Frank Capra's first movie after World War II. He intended it as a tribute to all the people who sacrificed during those years. Many people, not just soldiers, set their personal plans aside for the greater good.
Jimmy Stewart (George) served as a bomber pilot during the war. He came out of it with PTSD. He drew on it in the scene where he broke down in Martini's bar.
When Harry said, "To my big brother George, the richest man in town," it was a callback to an earlier part of the movie, when George told Potter that his father "died a much richer man than you'll ever be." The spirit of Peter Bailey hovers over the whole story. George got his values from his father, and stuck to them even when it was painful for him.
Lionel Barrymore, who played Mr. Potter, was Drew Barrymore's grand-uncle.
The dance at the gym was filmed at Beverly Hills High School. There really is a swimming pool under the gym floor, which they still use to this day.
In the scene where Uncle Billy walks drunkenly off screen followed by a loud crashing sound, a stage hand accidentally dropped a tray full of props. Actor Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy) ad-libbed "I'm all right! I'm all right!" Frank Capra decided he liked it, and kept it in the film.
Director Frank Capra offered to have a marksman shoot out one of the windows when Donna Reed (Mary) threw the rock at the house. There was no need. She had played baseball in high school, and had a good arm. She hit the window on the first take.
Frank Capra based Mr. Martini on his own father, who was an immigrant from Sicily. The goat in the car was a sort of inside joke. "Capra" means "goat" in Italian.
One interesting thing about this movie is that the audience is expected to know how a bank or savings and loan business works. They didn't have to explain what a bank run was, or what Potter was doing to try to destroy the Building and Loan by offering 50 cents on the dollar. The audience in 1946 had lived through the Great Depression, so they understood these things through experience.
Thanks for explaining why WWII was a disaster for the U.S.
Most folks don't realize that.
Technically, George Bailey broke down in Nick's bar. Also, another fun fact, the stage hand that dropped the tray of props got a $10 bonus for "improving the sound".
1:05:37 One of the reasons this movie became so well known (other than great writing, acting and direction) is because it was in the public domain for about 20-30 years. TV stations in the late 70's to the early 2000's were able to televise it for free. The copyright was restored in the mid 2000's.
Through legal trickery, in my opinion.
Another GREAT Jimmy Stewart film (around Christmas time, too!) is “THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER”… you’ll LOVE it.
The movie's history mirror's George Bailey's life. When it premiered the cast and audiences loved the film but wasn't a big box office success or award winner. Over the years people moved on with their lives and the movie slowly became a distant memory. People must have prayed and wished for Christmas movies like "It's A Wonderful Life" because a little miracle occurred and the studio misplaced some paperwork. The copyright lapsed into the public domain as if an Angel Second Class appeared in the studio offices and made that paperwork disappear. Now in the public domain, cable television played "It's A Wonderful Life" continuously over the Christmas holidays. Families gathered to watch the movie, falling in love again with George and Mary and all of Bedford Falls as Christmas bells would ring. 🔔
🔔 Just like George Bailey, "It's A Wonderful Life" is the richest movie in town. 🔔
the movie is in the public domain, but the score of the film is not. That’s why it is no longer available on every channel. The film can be shown freely if the score can be removed, which of course is impossible.
@@BenLapke Rifftrax - who do funny commentary/jokes over movies - had to edit down the movie because the entire part where George sees how it was if he was never born had to be cut out because of copyright. It made it funny in its own rite, going from meeting Clarence, George asking "you wouldn't happen to have 8 thousand bucks, would you", directly to George celebrating and running from the bridge, yelling Merry Christmas. "Well, I guess Clarence had the money after all". lol
If u want another... little guy against the world...watch Jimmy in, Mr Smith goes to Washington!
There’s a Saturday Night Live “alternate ending”, where someone remembers seeing Potter with the $8000 and the whole Christmas Party goes and beats him to death. I think Dana Carvey plays George Bailey.
"Ladyhawke" and "The Man from Snowy River." 🙂
They were dancing, the shuffle, 100 years before it's time!
Just cause it's old, just cause it's in black and white, does not mean it's not great! ❤
Me at 2:47 - "Is she going to talk through the whole thing?" Me an hour later - "Yep, she did."
lol
Ikr, the gums were bumping the whole time. Irrelevant comments too. Oh well, I can't subscribe to all of them
A reaction channel reacting? The horror /s
@@flpndrox your response is humorous, but misses the mark. A reactor who chatters all the way through and as a result misses the details they should be noticing, is not reacting at all. They're just rambling.
@@bentighe4811 Oh I thought what you said was just banter so it was funny. I guess not.
The man who played Old man Potter is Lionel Barrymore. He is the great uncle of actress Drew Barrymore.
I love your honest reaction. I never get tired of watching this movie every year
thank you
29:36 George is an archetype of a man who sacrifices for the betterment of those around him.
As depicted, George Bailey's life is the epitome of John Lennon's lyric from "Beautiful Boy": "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."
The original source of the phrase "Life is what happens when you're making plans" is attributed to Allen Saunders, who first used it in a 1957 Reader's Digest article, though it is widely associated with John Lennon due to its frequent attribution to him. On the other hand it is such a great phrase I wonder where Allen Saunders stole it from?!😂
It’s good any time of year, but best at Christmastime. You’re very talented thinking out loud during the whole movie like that. Have a wonderful Christmas season.
Thanks, you too!
You should be crying at the end of this movie
James Stewart who played George Baily was an air fighter pilot in WW2 and this was his first film he did after that and he used his PTS during his freak out scenes, that is why it felt so real
James Stewart was a U.S. Army Air Force bomber pilot, who led his group into battle over Europe.
George always wanted to do something big and important .
And he surely did .
And don't forget : it's a wonderful wife , too !
It's A Wonderful Reaction 😊😊😊
"Meddling in adult business..."???? Come on.
The panicking crowd wasn''t at the bank. They were at the Bailey Building and loan (where George works). And he didn't leave Mary in the cab because he was worried about his own money in the bank. He was concerned because he saw the crowd outside the Building and Loan, suggesting something bad was happening. We see George helping (or speaking up) for other people since he was a kid. I'm surprised that you misjudge George's selflessness in a lot of scenes when you are pretty spot on about everything else. (For example, he asked Ruth if the research job Harry was offered was a good job, which means he wants what's best for Harry -- even if it leaves him stuck in his own job. Is he disappointed for himself? Sure, but that doesn't mean he begrudges Harry's decision if he decides to take it. We don't see what happens offscreen, but I would imagine George talking Harry into accepting the job).
Actually you're wrong in 1933 in America people would make a run on the bank which was the cab drivers words. In those days the federal government did not insure banking accounts until later. Those who ran to the bank first got their money..when the money was gone people became penniless. In this movie people also ran to the building and loan
The goat in the car was a nod to the directors Italian origins. Frank Capra was born in Sicily and his last name Capra means goat.
think of all the lives the men on that transport would have touched
Good one, Miss VG! it's a keeper, isn't it? So glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for sharing it.
thanks for watching
There's a great documentary title Five Came Back about five famous directors who helped in the war effort -- Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler and George Steven's. Capra made the Why We Fight series, Ford filmed the attack on Midway island, Wyler lost his hearing, and Steven's filmed the first liberation of the Nazi death camps. All their Hollywood films are great.
I'm so glad you're discovering & enjoying some good old traditional holiday films!
🌬️☃️🌨️🤍
What an amazing movie. Thanks for doing this and sharing your thoughts with us.
my pleasure!
@@VenezuelaGirlReacts Those kids weren't being mean. They were just being rambunctious like boys are.
Why is it a Christmas movie. I think because Christmas/New Year is the time people consider their lives and where they are at in them. Are you famous? No. Are you wealthy? No. Are you successful? No. Many people are none of these things and many people are alone at that time. Many are older. They are looking backwards and perhaps unhappy with where they are now. So they see themselves in George. They understand his pain. His frustration. And they are elated at the end when he gets his life back and his friends step in to help him and share the Christmas joy with him. In A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge changes his life around after being shown what his fate is. He becomes a better person. In this movie, George is a good person who has bad things happen to him but he discovers that his life has value and that he has friends who will help him out. Scrooge and George are opposite sides of the same coin. One needs to change. The other needs to realize his life is good as it is.
Wonderful write up on WHY these two stories resonate so much with so many and WHY they are great Christmas movies.
The man who played Potter is the real-life great uncle of Drew Barrymore who has been in many things. She was a child actress in E.T., and in The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and the reboot of Charlie's Angels. She now has her own talk show
Most reactors hate Potter and should see Lionel Barrymore in an earlier performance like Captains Courageous where he is much more favourable.
Lionel Barrymore, the actor who plays Mr. Potter, has a famous grandniece by the name of Drew Barrymore. The Barrymore family has a long lineage of actors
Shoelaces were a term for long pieces of licorice candy.
What this movie needed for an ending? A newspaper headline that said, Mr Potter arrested for bank robbery! Saturday night Live did a funny skit where several townspeople find out what he did and beat the crap out of him!
true
Any comeuppance of Mr. Potter would have made the end about Potter, not George and his realization that he had everything he'd really ever needed though.
This movie is also somewhat of a microcosm of American history starting in 1919 (right after WW1 ended) and going through 1945. And the movie came out in 1946, so the audience would have related to each event in the movie starting with the Spanish Flu when old man Gower's son died from that. Then the roaring 20s ending in that big high school dance in 1928 and the Charleston dance. Then the Run on the Banks in 1933 and the great depression. And then WW2 in the last scenes. 26 years total which is why Mr. Potter was still alive. lol.
When they filmed the scene where Mr. Gower slaps George for not taking the pills to the sick boy, the actor who played Mr. Gower- H.B.Warner- thought it would make the scene more authentic if he was really drunk. He accidentally slapped Bobby J. Anderson- the actor playing George- and really made his ear bleed. After they finished filming the scene, Warner hugged Anderson and apologized to him.
In the scene where Mary throws the rock and breaks the window of the old Granville House, Frank Capra had hired a marksman to shoot out the window on cue, but Donna Reed broke the window on her first throw. It turned out she had played baseball in high school and had a strong throwing arm.
Lionel Barrymore- Mr. Potter- didn't believe Donna Reed's claim about growing up on a farm in Iowa, so one day there was a live cow backstage and Barrymore bet Reed $50.00 she couldn't milk it. Reed won the bet and said it was the easiest $50.00 she ever earned.
The reason Mr. Potter is always seen sitting down was because he had crippling arthritis. His character was based on Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" and, in fact, was supposed to play Scrooge in the 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol" but had to drop out because of his arthritis. The part went to Reginald Owen instead.
Kathryn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey, never watched the movie until she was in her 40's.
Clarence doesn't appear onscreen until the last 30 minutes of the movie and is only onscreen for a total of 15 minutes.
The movie was filmed during a summer heat wave. That's why, in the scene where George is on the bridge thinking about jumping into the water, you can see perspiration on his face.
Actually, Lionel Barrymore was injured years earlier while acting onstage, when a curtain counterweight came loose overhead and fell on him, striking his hip and shattering his pelvis. Even after he recovered he was never physically the same again. He could get around without the wheelchair, but only with difficulty, and he couldn't remain on his feet for more than brief periods.
@user-mg5mv2tn8q I think I had heard that something had happened to him but I couldn't remember what. But he did have arthritis before that happened so that obviously made it worse. I bet he would have made a great Scrooge. He did play him on radio.
@@j.woodbury412 In fact, Lionel Barrymore played Scrooge almost every year in a radio version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL from 1934 to 1953. He had played the role ten times by 1946, and it was one of his claims to fame. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE's original audiences would have been acutely aware the the Scrooge-like Potter was being played "Scrooge."
The man who played Nick the Bartender is Sheldon Leonard who later went on to produce the Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960's.
Merry Christmas to you and your family and may God Bless You!
.. and the "I Spy" TB series too, among others.
The guy who George stole Mary away from at the dance was played by Carl "Alfalfa' Switzer. He is best known for the "Little Rascals" and "Our Gang" shorts of the 1930s.
It was a pleasure watching your pleasure experiencing this movie. It baffles the mind that it was not better received when it debuted in the cinema.
thank you
Very WONDERFUL response !!! I watch this movie every Christmas !
thanks
the guy who opened the floor was Alphalfa from the little Rascals
It has some scary creepy moments, specially his closeup where he looks insane! The patriarch of Drew Barrymore's family is the guy in the wheelchair. Jimmy was loaded with PTSD and didn't want to act anymore. Barrymore convinced him to do this movie, and it actually helped Jimmy with his PTSD. His wife here is Donna Reid. Also a big time actress and ahead of her time, in both looks and brains! He calls zuzu his ginger snap. The cookie company had ginger cookies, they didn't sell well. After this movie, they renamed them ginger snaps, and they took off! But some very good actors were in this movie.
The aspect of having adventures is that you will not have a family. I have had adventures. I've traveled the world. George Baily deep in heart did want to have adventures because he wanted to be like his father.
t's a Wonderful Life is more than a Christmas movie I am not christen and I love it. It is a feel good movie and one of the first time travel element movies. It is so much about time travel or alternative realities that Back to the future allude to it :). Fun fact the movie was not a financial success when it came out and was forgotten. Only because of a copyright registration error ( Which was fixed decades later) the movie was considered public domain for years and because of the that the Tv Networks aired over and over every Christmas till it became a cult classic. Another fun fact the scene with the uncle that was drunk and fell down was adlib because one of the stage worker dropped something in the middle of filming. I love George speech to Mr Potter about the working class. The actor who plays Mr Potter is by the way Drew Barrymore great uncle. If you want another great Jimmy Stewart movie you should watch Mr Smith goes to Washington.
Frank Capra, the director of this movie, liked using many of the same actors, a bit like a repetory company, so that is why many of the older character actors in the story appear never to age.
It’s not realistic, but it adds to the feeling of Bedford Falls being a community where everyone pulls together.
It’s most noticeable with the actors who play Mr. Gower and the high school principal, who appear to be the same age for about a quarter century.
I've enjoyed your reaction to this Classic movie more than any other I have seen !! Sincerely, a 67 yr old usa Rock and Roller....
thanks!
Now that you've seen the movie, you should look up the Saturday Night Live "lost" ending to the movie. 👍
Such'a Christmas Classic🎄,,,Love'iT!!,,,GreatReact Thanks for Posting!!!!🌎📽️🎶🎶🎶
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
i didnt expect any tears from venezuela girl, but you just never know.. until you know these things
Oddly enough, I don't react to this as a Christmas movie. In 1978 I had a summer job, an overnight maintenance shift that started at midnight. This meant watching late night movies while waiting to go to work. "Wonderful Life" had just lost its copyright, so nearly every tv station around us played it in June and July. They thought so little of this movie which no one remembered that I saw it 3 times in 2 months that summer. And I thought it was a Wonderful Movie! I'm glad folks have come to the same opinion. But I still react to it as if the temperature is 100 Fahrenheit.
There is an interesting 1970 interview on YT where Canadian director Don Shebib tells how he was greatly influenced by a little known Frank Capra movie "It's a Wonderful Life" In 1970, it was little known, later when the copyright was lost and it went into semi public domain (disputed) it was able to be replayed often and became an icon
One of my all time favorite Christmas movie. This and "Miracle on 34th St. The original B&W one.
The grass is always greener? What!
Well ain't you just the most cutest little tart in the bakery yes you are!
Uncle Billy is Thomas Mitchell. If you want to see him as a bad guy watch "Secret of the Incas." 1954. Very good movie with location filming at Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
He was also great as the drunk doctor in "Stagecoach."
I've seen an interview with the woman who played Zuzu. She said that she didn't see the movie until she was in her 40s, (the 1980s).
way too much talking....could not watch past 4 minutes.... to understand a film, one needs to listen more than talk.
You might like The Bishop's wife (1947) with Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven.
I love the wolf watermark. Much nicer to look at than text.
Thanks! I think so too.
Another great movie of Jimmy Stewart done before the war is Mr. Smith Goes Washington.
Also Destry Rides Again, made in the same year.
Stop talking and watch the movie. Geez! Made me leave after 5 minutes. HOW can ANYONE talk through an entire movie!!!!????
Being a reactor doesn't mean talking continuously.
Behind the wolf? and the non stop talking, is there a movie in there somewhere?
This girl gotta realize there's a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth.
Her nonstop talking would be ok if the sound of the movie were equally loud
But dodging copyright does mean being a reactor. Which makes one consider: is this form of entertainment necessary? Besides, the whole idea is to get people to watch the movies with them on Patreon. Getting paid to watch movies is very 21st century, I guess. I had to flip burgers and stuff when I was young
If you want to watch the movie, go watch the movie.
Sorry you made it unwatchable. You talk too much. LOL
Fyi the 8000 Potter kept from uncle Billy is worth 144 and a half thousand today
Jimmy Stewart kills me in The Shop Around The Corner too. Lovely film, and a bit more eccentric than this one.
Or, you can watch the computer age version, "You've Got Mail" (1998). But "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940) is far more interesting.
@@Otokichi786 Also quite interesting are the two musicals based on this story: IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (1949), starring Judy Garland, and the Broadway musical SHE LOVES ME, recorded in a beautiful 2016 professionally-shot video starring Zachary Levi.
Surprised you didn't catch George taking about working in the Venezuela oil fields
Congratulations you didn’t cry : thumbs down 👎
I always believed It's a Wonderful Life is an in-depth character examination with George Bailey being a more modern take on the tragic hero archetype. Impulsively acts selflessly but always thinks selfishly. His first instinct is to do what's best for others and will lament later what he had to sacrifice to do it. He gave up everything he wanted to stay at home and fight a financial war against Potter. All he has to do is lose that war and, in his mind, his whole life has been for nothing. That's how I see it, anyway.
Some UK viewers call "It's a Wonderful Life" the American "A Christmas Carol."
My favorite reaction from you! Perfect amount of comments and observations while watching.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@VenezuelaGirlReacts Glad you enjoyed the film too.
But please refrain from your incessant talking every few seconds & try to actually listen. We have two ears & one mouth for a reason.
We've all seen the film before, you haven't, we don't need a running commentary.
This film requires empathy & emotional engagement.
Continuous talking keeps us in our own heads rather than engaging in the emotions on screen.
Sorry for the rant, but feedback may help you to get subscribers. Good luck!
About time you cried. 😂
Ironically the film was a commercial failure at its release and nearly bankrupted the production company. It wasn’t until over 20 years later it went into public domain that it became popular.
Please stop talking over the dialogue, it’s distracting and you are missing a lot.