It's a Wonderful Life

I owe everything to George Bailey.

Help him, dear Father.

Joseph, Jesus and Mary,

help my friend Mr. Bailey.

Help my son George tonight.

He never thinks about himself, God.

That's why he's in trouble.

George is a good guy.

Give him a break, God.

I love him, dear Lord.

Watch over him tonight.

Please, God.

Something's the matter with Daddy.

Please bring Daddy back.

Please bring Daddy home.

Watch over him tonight.

Please bring Daddy back.

Hello, Joseph. Trouble?

Looks like we'll have to send someone down.

A lot of people asking for help

for a man named George Bailey.

George Bailey?

Yes. Tonight's his crucial night. You're right.

We'll have to send someone down immediately. Whose turn is it?

That's why I came to see you, sir.

It's that clockmaker's turn again.

Oh, Clarence.

Hasn't got his wings yet, has he?

We've passed him up right along.

Because, you know, sir, he's got the IQ of a rabbit.

Yes, but he's got the faith of a child. Simple.

Joseph, send for Clarence.

You sent for me, sir?

Yes, Clarence.

A man down on Earth needs our help.

Splendid. Is he sick?

No, worse. He's discouraged.

At exactly 10:45 p.m. Earth time,

that man will be thinking seriously

of throwing away God's greatest gift.

Oh, dear, dear, his life?

Then I've only an hour to dress.

What are they wearing now?

You will spend that hour getting acquainted with George Bailey.

Sir, if I should accomplish this mission,

I mean, uh, might I perhaps win my wings?

I've been waiting for over 200 years now, sir,

and people are beginning to talk.

What's that book you've got there?

Oh, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Clarence, you do a good job with George Bailey

and you'll get your wings.

Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you.

Poor George. Sit down.

Sit down? What are we...

If you're going to help a man,

you want to know something about him, don't you?

Well, naturally, of course. I...

Now, keep your eyes open.

See the town?

Where? I--I don't see a thing.

Oh, I forgot. You haven't got your wings yet.

Now, look, I'll help you out.

Concentrate.

Begin to see something?

Why, yes. This is amazing.

If you ever get your wings, you'll see all by yourself.

Oh, wonderful.

Yay! Yippee!

Okay, boys, let's go.

Hey, who's that?

That's your problem. George Bailey.

A boy?

That's him when he was 12 back in 1919.

Something happens here you'll have to remember later on.

Come on, Marty.

Let's go, Marty!

Attaboy, Marty.

Hee-haw!

Let's go, Sam. Hee-haw, Sammy!

Here comes the scare-baby, my kid brother Harry Bailey.

I'm not scared.

Come on, Harry.

Let's go, Harry!

Come on, Harry! Come on, Harry!

Come on, Harry! Come on, Harry!

Help, George, help!

Help!

Don't worry, Harry. I'm coming!

Help! Hang on, Harry!

Help. Make a chain--chain, gang.

George saved his brother's life that day,

but he caught a bad cold which infected his left ear.

Cost him his hearing in that ear.

It was weeks before he was able to go back

to his after-school job at old man Gower's drugstore.

Mr. Potter.

Who's that, a king?

That's Henry F. Potter,

the richest and meanest man in the county.

Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw!

Go to work, slave.

Don't worry, we'll take care of it.

Wish I had a million dollars.

Hot dog!

It's me, Mr. Gower. George Bailey.

You're late.

Yes, sir.

Hello, George.

Hello, Mary.

Hello, Violet.

Two cents' worth of shoelaces?

She was here first.

I'm still thinking.

Shoelaces?

Please, Georgie.

I like him.

You like every boy.

What's wrong with that?

Here you are.

Help me down?

Help you down?

Made up your mind yet?

I'll take chocolate.

With coconuts?

I don't like coconuts.

You don't like coconuts?

Say, brainless, don't you know where coconuts come from?

Lookit here.

From Tahiti, the Fiji islands, the Coral Sea.

A new magazine. I never saw it before.

Of course you never. Only us explorers can get it.

I've been nominated for membership

in the National Geographic Society.

Is this the ear you can't hear on?

George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die.

I'm going out exploring someday. You watch.

And I'm gonna have a couple of harems

and maybe three or four wives.

Wait and see.

George. George!

Yes, sir?

You're not paid to be a canary.

No, sir.

Mr. Gower, do you want something? Anything?

No.

Anything I can do back here?

No.

I'll get them, sir.

Quick, take those capsules over to Mrs. Blaine.

She's waiting for them.

Yes, sir.

They have the diphtheria there, haven't they, sir?

Yeah.

Is it a charge, sir?

Yes, George.

Mr. Gower, I... Oh, get going.

Yes, sir.

Avast there, Captain Cook. Where you heading?

I've got to see Pop, Uncle Billy.

Some other time, George. It's important.

There's a squall in there. It's shaping up into a storm.

Uncle Billy, telephone. Who is it?

Bank examiner.

Bank examiner?

I should have called him yesterday.

Switch it inside.

I'm not crying, Mr. Potter.

Well, you're begging. That's a whole lot worse.

All I'm asking for is 30 days more.

Pop. Just a minute, Son.

Just 30 short days. I'll dig up that $5,000 somehow.

Shove me up, shove me up. Pop.

Just a minute. Have you put any real pressure

on these people of yours to pay those mortgages?

Times are bad, Mr. Potter.

A lot of these people are out of work. Well, then, foreclose.

I can't do that. These families have children.

Pop. They're not my children.

But they're somebody's children, Mr. Potter.

Are you running a business or a charity ward?

Well, all right... Not with my money.

Mr. Potter, what makes you such a hard-skulled character?

You have no family, no children.

You can't begin to spend all the money you've got.

Oh, I suppose I should give it to miserable failures

like you and that idiot brother of yours to spend for me.

He's not a failure!

You can't say that about my father. George, George.

Quiet, George.

You're not. You're the biggest man in town...

Run along, run along. ...bigger than him, bigger than everybody.

Gives you an idea of the Baileys.

Don't let him say that about you, Pop.

All right, Son. All right. Thanks.

I'll talk to you tonight.

What?

Why, that medicine should have been there an hour ago.

It will be over in five minutes, Mrs. Blaine.

Where's Mrs. Blaine's box of capsules?