It Happened One Christmas

- Please help my friend Mary, Lord.

- Mary's in trouble, please help her, Lord.

- She's a really nice person, help her, Lord.

- I wouldn't have anything without her,

please help her.

- Mary's been such a good wife to me,

won't you help her?

- Dear Lord, my daughter Mary.

- Please God, help my mommy.

Help my sister, Mary.

- Bless mommy and daddy, and especially mom.

Who has been assigned

to look into these prayers, Teresa?

- Oh we're still looking, Joseph,

Christmas Eve is a very busy night,

and this Christmas especially.

- There's an entire town praying for one woman,

Teresa, those prayers must be attended.

Now who is available to attend them?

Clara.

Who else?

Just Clara.

- This is a delicate task, Teresa,

and in the 200 years Clara has been here,

she has never been trusted

with even the simplest assignment.

- Well then all the more reason.

- Not only that, she still hasn't earned her wings.

- Well that's difficult to do if you've never--

- I don't intend to discuss this, Teresa.

Yes, Joseph.

- Now who is available to help Mary Bailey

on this most crucial night of her life?

No one.

Then send for Clara.

The angel Clara.

- Please don't, don't blow the trumpet

for every announcement.

- I'm thrilled and honored.

Not now, Clara.

Oh.

- In order to help this woman

for whom everyone in Bedford Falls is praying,

you must know something about her, do you understand?

- Oh yes, and I just want to say--

- All right then, come, we have a long journey.

Lord God--

- God bless my daddy and my mommy.

- And your servant, Mary. - Lord God.

- Your good servant, Mary. - Please help Mary, Lord.

- Please shine your light on her now.

- Come to her aid in our greatest

hour of need. - Dear God.

- Please bring mommy back.

- Dear Lord, my daughter Mary,

she's so full of spirit she probably won't ask for herself.

- I ask you to, to, to guide her.

To give her a sign.

- Now pay attention, Clara,

I'm going to tell you the story of Mary.

- I just want to take this oppoturnity

to tell you how pleased and excited I am

to earn me wings by savin' someone so many people

are prayin' for, oops, op.

- You're not to save Mary, you're to guide her.

- I meant guide, I just said save.

- Now this is Bedford Falls.

- Charming, a little dark, but charming.

Oh!

Will I be able to do that after I save Mary

and get me wings?

- Clara, you're not to save her.

- Guide her, I really do mean guide when I say save.

- Because you cannot interfere with events

by saving someone.

- Of course not, that's why you have to guide them.

- So watch carefully because these are the events

in Mary's life you must know in order to--

- Guide her, and earn me wings.

Let's go, George.

- Come on (drown out by children chattering)

Watch out.

Knock it off.

Punch where you're at.

Now come on, Mary.

- That's Mary, Clara, little Mary Bailey.

- Oh, she looks so young to be in so much trouble.

- She's only 11 here, Clara.

- Oh, well then, that's probably why

she looks so young.

- I'll beat you next time, Mary.

Come on, Sam.

- Come on Sam, you can do it.

Oh no, I got it, Sam.

Ow!

- Too bad Sam, all right, come on Harry, you're next.

All right, give him a big push.

All right, come on Harry. - Come on baby brother,

you can do it, you can beat the mark.

(children shouting encouragement)

- You show 'em Harry, give it to 'em.

- Come on Harry, let's go Harry.

- He did it, right, Harry did it!

All right!

Beat you by a mile.

Hey!

Harry, Harry!

Harry!

- Here, grab ahold, Harry.

We gotta get him out!

Harry, hang in there.

- Harder Harry, come on, come on Harry, it's me.

Harry.

- Get him out, get him out.

He's out.

- We got him. - He's out.

- It was very impressive the way she saved

her little brother, Harry, and I just want to say

how charming I think it all is,

the people, the town, the little girl.

She'll be very easy to save.

- Guide, and it's not all that charming, Clara.

- Get outta the way, get outta the way, trotters right.

- That, for example, is Henry F. Potter,

the richest and of course the meanest man in town.

- There's always one who's worse than the others.

- Yes, and there's always one who's better,

like Mary's father, Peter Bailey.

Don't go in there.

- Uncle Willie, I gotta see my dad.

- Potter, I'm just asking for a little time.

- Uh, in my business, time is a hand out.

You don't have two nickles to rub together

and call a dime, Bailey.

Stop running the benevolent society for deadbeats.

- Deadbeats, hell, without their work and industry,

you'd be flat broke,

Potter. - Foreclose.

- I can't, those people have children.

- They're not my children Bailey.

If they can't afford children,

they shouldn't have 'em in the first place.

Foreclose a couple of 'em, that'll raise the 5,000

you owe the bank, teach a few of these deadbeats a lesson.

- What makes you so miserable, Potter?

You have no family, and there's no children.

You can't even begin to spend the money you do have.

- Ah, I suppose I should give it away,

to failures like you and that idiot brother of yours.

My pop's not a failure.

No, not now, Mary.

- You're better than him, all he's got is money!

My pop's not afraid of you,

everybody knows that! - Yeah, thick old Bailey,

all sentimental.

- She's good at it, but I consider that a challenge.

- Clara, that's George Hatch,

the boy Mary Bailey has a crush on.

- Oh, does he like her too?

- Yes, of course, that's why he doesn't look at her

and she doesn't look at him.

- Do they spend a lot of time

not lookin' at each other?

- No, after school Mary runs errands

for her father at the Bailey Building & Loan.

And George Hatch works for the druggist, Mr. Gower.

Oh yes, there's something you should know

about Mary and Mr. Gower.

- Now what did you want?

Some licorice,

but first a cup of phosphate.

What's the matter with him?

His son, the one in college,

was killed last night in an accident.

Hi Mary.

Hi Vi.

Hiya, Georgie.

Uh, what'll it be, Vi?

- Well I don't know, George, a fudge sundae maybe.

Or no, strawberry.

I'll get the licorice.

- You better worry about my sundae.

- Uh, I gotta get this prescription out.

Mr. Gower?

- Mary please, go away, I, I, I don't have time for you now.

Mr. Gower.

Mr. Gower.

- George, George, stop your lollygagging

and get this over to Jimmy Bishop's right away,

he's got influenza.

Mr. Gower.

Mary, will you please leave--

The medicine's poison.

Huh, poison?

Well it is.

I am going to give you the

thrashing that you deserve. - Please Mr. Gower,

don't hurt me.

George told me about your son, I know you didn't mean to.