Don't Make a Scene: It's a Wonderful Life

The Story: Frank Capra's first film after his World War II service with the Army Signal Corps was It's a Wonderful Life, which was such a box-office dud when it was released that, after it was shuffled from studio acquisition to studio acquisition, it was allowed to lapse into the public domain. There, it enjoyed renewed life with airings by local television affiliates and the regular Holiday showings at art-house theaters...and becoming a classic. "It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen," said Capra of what was reportedly his favorite film. "The film has a life of its own now, and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I'm like a parent whose kid grows up to be president. I'm proud ... but it's the kid who did the work. I didn't even think of it as a Christmas story when I first ran across it. I just liked the idea."

When he first ran across it, the story was a long-held property of RKO films for whom Capra had contracted his new production company, Liberty Films, to make product. It was Capra's (and star James Stewart's) first post-war film after their service, and for the director, whose work supervising war documentaries for the government was taxing personally and professionally, it reflected more pessimism than his previous work (Capra had been struck by "the worst human beings could be" after seeing director George Stevens' filmed records of Auschwitz), and although his character George Bailey never undergoes any comparable hardship (or even sees service during the war) his crisis is treated as a nightmarish turning of the American Dream, where Fat-Cats in league with authority figures can turn a common man's hard work into hard labor (The FBI even considered the film as anti-business and anti-upper-class—"a common trick used by Communists").

As entertaining as it is, it is also a film that has a raw, cruel side to it, and I would submit that the ending is only as emotionally provoking as it is for the personal Hell that George Bailey must go through, before he learns that he doesn't have it so bad, after all, all realities considered. Given our visit to Life's Hell (which makes me think we might be living in "The United States of Pottersville" now), one should allow for Heaven and angels, if only for balance...and perspective. Equal time.

Ring a couple bells this year. We need more angels.

The Set-Up: It is business as usual, on Earth as it is in Heaven. George Bailey (James Stewart) is a man of great ambitions, but has seen his personal ambitions thwarted by personal responsibilities to his family and his community. Life may be good, but not in the ways he thought it would. He's a respected member of the Bedford Falls community, has a lovely wife and family. But, a financial crisis has put his life, liberty and happiness in jeopardy to the point where the thought off losing all has driven him to the point of considering suicide. Heaven forbid. A guardian angel (Henry Travers) is sent to intervene by appealing to George's basic altruistic instincts. And although his life is spared, his spirit is not and a plan is made to give George a little perspective on how important his life really is. And it begins with a drying out period under the watchful eye of the local bridge tollkeeper (the unbilled Tom Fadden).

Action.

WIPE TO:
INTERIOR TOLL HOUSE ON BRIDGE -- NIGHT

MEDIUM SHOT -- George, Clarence, and the tollkeeper. George is seated before a wood-burning stove before which his clothes are drying on a line. He is in his long winter underwear. He is sipping a mug of hot coffee, staring at the stove, cold, gloomy and drunk, ignoring Clarence and the toll-keeper, preoccupied by his near suicide and his unsolved problems.

Clarence is standing on the other side of the stove, putting on his undershirt. This is a ludicrous seventeenth century garment which looks like a baby's night shirt -- with embroidered cuffs and collar, and gathered at the neck with a drawstring. It falls below his knees.

The tollkeeper is seated against the wall eyeing them suspiciously. Throughout the scene he attempts to spit, but each time is stopped by some amazing thing Clarence does or says. Clarence becomes aware that his garment is amazing the tollkeeper.

CLARENCE I didn't have time to get some stylish underwear. My wife gave me  this on my last birthday. 

CLARENCE  I passed away in it.

The tollkeeper, about to spit, is stopped in the middle of it by this remark.

Clarence, secretly trying to get George's attention, now picks up a copy of "Tom Sawyer" which is hanging on the line, drying.

He shakes the book.

CLARENCE (cont'd) Oh, Tom Sawyer's drying out, too. 

CLARENCE You should read the new book Mark Twain's writing now.

The tollkeeper stares at him incredulously.

TOLLKEEPER How'd you happen to fall in?

CLARENCE I didn't fall in. I jumped in to save George.

George looks up, surprised.

GEORGE You what? To save me?

CLARENCE Well, I did, didn't I? You didn't go through with it, did you?
GEORGE Go through with what?
CLARENCE Suicide.

George and the tollkeeper react to this.

TOLLKEEPER It's against the law to commit suicide around here.

CLARENCE Yeah, it's against the law where I come from, too.

TOLLKEEPER Where do you come from?

He leans forward to spit, but is stopped by Clarence's next statement.

CLARENCE Heaven.

(to George)
CLARENCE  I had to act quickly; that's why I jumped in. 

CLARENCE  I knew if I were drowning you'd try to save me. And you see, you did, and that's how I saved you.

The tollkeeper becomes increasingly nervous. George casually looks at the strange smiling little man a second time.

GEORGE (offhand) Very funny.
CLARENCE Your lip's bleeding, George.

George's hand goes to his mouth.

GEORGE Yeah, I got a bust in the jaw in answer to a prayer a little bit ago.

CLARENCE (comes around to George) Oh, no-no-no. I'm the answer to your prayer. That's why I was sent down here.

GEORGE (casually interested) How do you know my name?

CLARENCE Oh, I know all about you. I've watched you grow up from a little boy.
GEORGE What are you, a mind reader or something?
CLARENCE Oh, no.

GEORGE Well, who are you, then?
CLARENCE Clarence Odbody, A-S-2.

GEORGE Odbody . . . A-S-2. What's that A-S-2?

CLARENCE Angel, Second Class.

The tollkeeper's chair slips out from under him with a crash. 

He has been leaning against the wall on it, tipped back on two legs. The Tollkeeper rises and makes his way warily out the door. From his expression he looks like he'll call the nearest cop.

CLARENCE (cont'd)(to tollkeeper)Cheerio, my good man.

George rubs his head with his hand, to clear his mind.

GEORGE Oh, brother. 

GEORGE (Gee, whiz) I wonder what Martini put in those drinks?

He looks up at Clarence standing beside him.

GEORGE (cont'd) Hey, what's with you? What did you say just a minute ago? Why'd you want to save me?

CLARENCE That's what I was sent down for. I'm your guardian angel.

GEORGE I wouldn't be a bit surprised.
CLARENCE Ridiculous of you to think of killing yourself for money. Eight thousand dollars.

GEORGE (bewildered) Yeah . . . just things like that. Now how'd you know that?

CLARENCE I told you -- I'm your guardian angel. I know everything about you.

GEORGE Well, you look about like the kind of an angel I'd get. 

GEORGE Sort of a fallen angel, aren't you? What happened to your wings?

CLARENCE I haven't won my wings yet. That's why I'm an angel Second Class.

GEORGE I don't know whether I like it very much being seen around with an angel without any wings.

CLARENCE Oh, I've got to earn them, and you'll help me, won't you?
GEORGE (humoring him) Sure, sure. How?
CLARENCE By letting me help you.

GEORGE Only one way you can help me. You don't happen to have eight thousand bucks on you?
CLARENCE Oh, no, no. We don't use money in Heaven.
GEORGE Oh, that's right, I keep forgetting. Comes in pretty handy down here, bub.
CLARENCE Oh, tut, tut, tut.

GEORGE I found it out a little late. I'm worth more dead than alive.

CLARENCE Now look, you mustn't talk like that. I won't get my wings with that attitude. You just don't know all that you've done. If it hadn't been for you . . .

GEORGE (interrupts) Yeah, if it hadn't been for me, everybody'd be a lot better off. My wife, and my kids and my friends.
(annoyed with Clarence)

GEORGE Look, little fellow, go off and haunt somebody else, will you?

CLARENCE No, you don't understand. I've got my job . . .

GEORGE (savagely) Aw, shut up, will you.

Clarence is not getting far with George. He glances up, paces across the room, thoughtfully.

CLARENCE (to himself) This isn't going to be easy.

CLARENCE So you still think killing yourself would make everyone feel happier, eh?

GEORGE (dejectedly) Oh, I don't know. I guess you're right. I suppose it would have been better if I'd never been born at all.

CLARENCE What'd you say?
GEORGE I said I wish I'd never been born.

CLARENCE Oh, you mustn't say things like that. You . . .
(gets an idea)

CLARENCE. . . wait a minute. Wait a minute. That's an idea.

(glances up toward Heaven)
CLARENCE What do you think? Yeah, that'll do it. All right.
(to George)

CLARENCE You've got your wish. You've never been born.

As Clarence speaks this line, the snow stops falling outside the building, a strong wind springs up which blows open the door to the shack.

Clarence runs to close the door.

CLARENCE (cont'd)(looking upward) You don't have to make all that fuss about it.

As Clarence speaks, George cocks his head curiously, favoring his deaf ear, more interested in his hearing than in what Clarence has said.

GEORGE What did you say?
CLARENCE You've never been born. You don't exist. You haven't a care in the world.

George feels his ear as Clarence talks.

CLARENCE (cont'd) No worries -- no obligations -- no eight thousand dollars to get -- no Potter looking for you with the Sheriff.

CLOSEUP -- George and Clarence. George indicates his bad ear.

GEORGE Say something else in that ear.

CLARENCE (bending down) Sure. You can hear out of it.

GEORGE Well, that's the doggonedest thing . . . I haven't heard anything out of that ear since I was a kid. 

GEORGE Must have been that jump in the cold water.

CLARENCE Your lip's stopped bleeding, too, George.

George feels his lip, which shows no sign of the recent cut he received from Welch.

He is now thoroughly confused.

GEORGE What do you know about that . . . What's happened?

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT -- George looks around, as though to get his
bearings.

GEORGE It's stopped snowing out there, didn't it? 

GEORGE What's happened here?

GEORGE What I need is a couple of stiff drinks. How about you, angel? You want a drink?

Clarence laughs uncomfortably.
(standing up)

GEORGE Come on, soon as these clothes of ours are dry . . .

CLARENCE Our clothes are dry.

George feels the clothes on the line.

GEORGE What do you know about that? Stove's hotter than I thought. Now, come on, get your clothes on, and we'll stroll up to my car and get . . .

They start dressing. George interrupts himself.

GEORGE (cont'd) Oh, I'm sorry. I'll stroll. You fly.

CLARENCE I can't fly. I haven't got any wings.
GEORGE You haven't got your wings. Yeah, that's right.

It's a Wonderful Life

Words by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling (but also Michael Wilson and Dorothy Parker) and Frank Capra

Pictures by Joseph F. Biroc, Joseph Walker, and Frank Capra 

It's a Wonderful Life is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Paramount Home Video (these days).