Indeed, it is a wonderful life

TOM HARRISON
Preacher, Church of Christ

The movie It’s A Wonderful Life (IAWL) was released in 1946 and flopped at the box office. Despite receiving bad reviews from critics, it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, but didn’t win in any category. It went the way of most films, ending up in a film vault. In 1974, after its copyright had lapsed, the movie experienced a resurgence on television when the networks and the newly created cable industry began showing it without paying royalty fees. You can find it on TV almost daily during the Christmas season. It was during the mid-70s that I first saw it on late-night TV.

While the premiere of IAWL was on Dec. 20, 1946, the director, Frank Capra, claimed he never intended for it to be a Christmas movie. He found inspiration for the film in a short story written by Phillip Van Doren Stern, “The Greatest Gift.” Stern released it in 1943 as a Christmas card, sending 200 to friends and family. One of those cards was discovered by Capra, and he shared it with James Steward, the actor who played the main character in IAWL, George Bailey.

The setting for the movie is the fictional town of Bedford Falls. Bedford Falls is believed to be based in the city of Seneca Falls, N.Y. Several things in the film lend credibility to this. First, mention is made of cities in the state of New York, not far from Seneca Falls, including Elmira and Rochester. Secondly, and most importantly, a bridge in Seneca Falls is identical to the bridge in the movie, and there is a plaque on it commemorating the death of a man who jumped off it to save another. As the story goes on, Capra visits a friend in Seneca Falls, where he plans to make the movie, and learns about the bridge story at the barber shop.

The city of Seneca Falls hosts an “It’s A Wonderful Life Festival” every year in December. The city limit sign has been changed to Beford Falls, and you can even mail a letter and have it marked as coming from Beford Falls. One of the weekend’s highlights is a dinner hosted by Capra’s granddaughter, where the menu is identical to the one served at the premiere dinner in 1946. Another highlight is meeting and visiting with the living child actors who were in the movie, including Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu, the youngest daughter of George and Mary (played by Donna Reed).

I’m unsure how often I have watched the movie, but it’s not a stretch to say it’s in the hundreds. Before my wife and I left for New Zealand in 1989, we purchased our first copy in case they didn’t show it on television there. I’m glad we took it with us! It’s been our tradition to watch it multiple times during the Christmas season and even a few times the rest of the year. I have often written, taught, and preached lessons from the movie.

Watching it recently with friends, I was struck by two scenes, one after discovering the missing money due to the mishap of the forgetful Uncle Billy.

George Bailey, played by James Stewart, has tried to help his uncle remember what he had done with the money to no avail. In frustration, George grabs him by the collar and yells, “Where’s the money, you silly old fool? Where’s the money? Do you know what this means? It means bankruptcy, scandal, and prison! That’s what it means! One of us is going to jail; well, it’s not gonna be me!” He then leaves Uncle Billy in tears and goes to the only person in town who can help him, “… Old man Potter, the richest and meanest man in town.” While there, George takes responsibility for the missing money, although Potter knows it’s Billy’s mistake because Potter has the money! He got it when Uncle Billy accidentally handed it to him in a folded newspaper.

Between this scene and the second one, George is planning to take his life but is rescued by his guardian angel, Clarence. George is given the opportunity to see what life for his family and friends would be like without him. He was granted this because he had said, “I suppose it would have been better if I’d never been born at all.” He came to learn that he indeed had “a wonderful life!” Back at the bridge where he had planned to end it all by jumping, he asked God to “get him back” to his life and family. Restored and still facing the consequences of their uncle’s error, he arrives home. He finds the bank examiner with a police officer there to arrest him. He declares, “Isn’t it wonderful? I’m going to jail!”

I love the contrast between these two scenes. The first is from a frustrated young man, and the second is after he learned the blessing of life. The circumstances were the same. He had not yet learned about Mary’s efforts to get help from their friends in the community. Still, he was content to face jail time, realizing it was better than the alternative. Here is the lesson: No matter how bad things are, life is a gift from God, and we can face anything that life throws at us because He cares. Life is good! Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful life!