But I don’t like them either, so that makes it all even.

Potter: George, I am an old man and most people hate me. Ruthless businessman that he is, Potter recognizes the business opportunity in bringing George onto his team… especially as the flivver-driving George’s cynicism continues to grow. George: Aw, you never miss a trick, do you, Potter? Well, you’re going to miss this one!Ī few years later, we see the positive effects of George’s community leadership as he and Mary are able to welcome a working-class family into their new home in Bailey Park, a housing development financed by George’s building and loan that allows the people of Bedford Falls to own their own homes rather than renting from Potter. Just tell them to bring their shares over here and I will pay 50 cents on the dollar. Potter: I may lose a fortune, but I’m willing to guarantee your people, too. Building and Loan afloat and ensuring the livelihood of his lendees, neighbors, and town acquaintances. Rather than letting the entire town fall into Potter’s hands, George and Mary invest their entire honeymoon savings into keeping the Bailey Bros. We follow George through a Capra-esque montage of childhood and Charleston-dancing up through his courtship and eventual marriage to Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), which happens to coincide on a catastrophic day during the Great Depression that finds the bank in George’s small-town selling out to the avaricious Mr. The man in question, George Bailey (James Stewart), spends a depressing Christmas Eve questioning his existence… prompting a visit from his guardian angel to remind him of the titular wonderful life that he has led. James Stewart as George Bailey, newlywed bankerīedford Falls, NY, fall 1932 through spring 1934Ĭostume Designer: Edward Stevenson BackgroundĪlthough the film takes place over the course of one man’s whole life, It’s a Wonderful Life has earned a comfortable home among nostalgic holiday cinema.

James Stewart as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Vitals

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