Its A Wonderful Life
Christmas, Family, Fantasy
Universal Studios  (1946) 130 mins Approved

8.6 (82,897 votes) Top 250: #31
George Bailey is a generous, loving husband and father in the small town of Bedford Falls. All his life he has worked hard and made sacrifices to benefit his neighbors and his family. The officer of a small bank loan business, George misplaces an $8,000 bank loan on Christmas Eve and is so distraught that he contemplates suicide. Not only is he upset about the lost money, but he surveys his life and determines that the world would have been better off if he had never been born. Because of the decency in his heart and the prayers of his family, a junior angel named Clarence comes down to show George what the world really would have been like if he had never existed. George discovers that the life he once thought insignificant and unimportant actually touched many lives and shaped the course of history far beyond what he imagined. He changes his mind about taking his own life and realizes ...

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Cast and Crew
James Stewart  ......  George Bailey
Donna Reed  ......  Mary Hatch
Lionel Barrymore  ......  Mr. Potter
Thomas Mitchell  ......  Uncle Billy
Henry Travers  ......  Clarence
Beulah Bondi  ......  Mrs. Bailey
Director  .....  George Seaton; Frank Capra
Producer  .....  Frank Capra
Writer  .....  Frank Capra; Jo Swerling; Philip Van Doren Stern; Frances Goodrich
Notes
Goofs:
Continuity: When George arrives at home and finds Mary lying there, he puts his right hand on her right hand and kisses her. Next shot he is caressing her head with his right hand. (more)

Trivia:
The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) is showing at the movie house as George runs down the street in Bedford Falls. Henry Travers, who plays Clarence, the angel, starred in that film as Horace P. Bogardus. (more)

Filming Locations:
Beverly Hills High School - 241 Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA (more)

Quotes:
[first lines]
Mr. Emil Gower: I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.
(more)

Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins (more)