It's a Wonderful Life
- PG
- Year:
- 1946
- 130 min
- 2,311 Views
Series of shots of various streets and buildings in the town of
Bedford Falls, somewhere in New York State. The streets are
deserted, and snow is falling.
It is Christmas Eve. Over the above scenes we hear voices
praying:
GOWER'S VOICE
I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.
MARTINI'S VOICE
Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my friend Mr. Bailey.
MRS. BAILEY'S VOICE
Help my son George tonight.
BERT'S VOICE
He never thinks about himself, God; that's why he's in trouble.
ERNIE'S VOICE
George is a good guy. Give him a break, God.
MARY'S VOICE
I love him, dear Lord. Watch over him tonight.
JANIE'S VOICE
Please, God. Something's the matter with Daddy.
ZUZU'S VOICE
Please bring Daddy back.
CAMERA PULLS UP from the Bailey home and travels up through the
sky until it is above the falling snow and moving slowly toward a
firmament full of stars. As the camera stops we hear the
following heavenly voices talking, and as each voice is heard,
one of the stars twinkles brightly:
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
Hello, Joseph, trouble?
JOSEPH'S VOICE
Looks like we'll have to send someone down �� a lot of people are
asking for help for a man named George Bailey.
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
George Bailey. Yes, tonight's his crucial night. You're right,
we'll have to send someone down immediately. Whose turn is it?
JOSEPH'S VOICE
That's why I came to see you, sir. It's that clock-maker's turn
again.
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
Oh �� Clarence. Hasn't got his wings yet, has he? We've passed
him up right along.
JOSEPH'S VOICE
Because, you know, sir, he's got the I.Q. of a rabbit.
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
Yes, but he's got the faith of a child �� simple. Joseph, send
for Clarence.
A small star flies in from left of screen and stops. It twinkles
as Clarence speaks:
CLARENCE'S VOICE
You sent for me, sir?
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
Yes, Clarence. A man down on earth needs our help.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Splendid! Is he sick?
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
No, worse. He's discouraged. At exactly ten-forty-five PM
tonight, Earth time, that man will be thinking seriously of
throwing away God's
greatest gift.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Oh, dear, dear! His life! Then I've only got an hour to dress.
What are they wearing now?
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
You will spend that hour getting acquainted with George Bailey.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Sir . . . If I should accomplish this mission �� I mean �� might
I perhaps win my wings? I've been waiting for over two hundred
years
now, sir �� and people are beginning to talk.
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
What's that book you've got there?
CLARENCE'S VOICE
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
FRANKLIN'S VOICE
Clarence, you do a good job with George Bailey, and you'll get
your wings.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you.
JOSEPH'S VOICE
Poor George . . . Sit down.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Sit down? What are . . .
JOSEPH'S VOICE
If you're going to help a man, you want to know something about
him, don't you?
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Well, naturally. Of course.
JOSEPH'S VOICE
Well, keep your eyes open. See the town?
The stars fade out from the screen, and a light,
indistinguishable blur is seen.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Where? I don't see a thing.
JOSEPH'S VOICE
Oh, I forgot. You haven't got your wings yet. Now look, I'll help
you out. Concentrate. Begin to see something?
The blur on the screen slowly begins to take form. We see a group
of young boys on top of a snow-covered hill.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Why, yes. This is amazing.
JOSEPH'S VOICE
If you ever get your wings, you'll see all by yourself.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Oh, wonderful!
EXTERIOR FROZEN RIVER AND HILL �� DAY �� 1919
CLOSE SHOT �� group of boys. They are preparing to slide down the
hill on large shovels. One of them makes the slide and shoots out
onto the ice of a
frozen river at the bottom of the hill.
BOY (as he slides)
Yippee!!
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Hey, who's that?
JOSEPH'S VOICE
That's your problem, George Bailey.
CLARENCE'S VOICE
A boy?
JOSEPH'S VOICE
That's him when he was twelve, back in 1919. Something happens
here you'll have to remember later on.
Series of shots as four or five boys make the slide down the hill
and out onto the ice. As each boy comes down the others applaud.
CLOSE SHOT �� George Bailey at bottom of slide.
GEORGE (through megaphone)
And here comes the scare-baby, my kid brother, Harry Bailey.
CLOSE SHOT �� Harry, on top of hill, preparing to make his slide.
HARRY:
I'm not scared.
BOYS (ad lib)
Come on, Harry! Attaboy, Harry!
MEDIUM SHOT �� Harry makes his slide very fast. He passes the
marks made by the other boys, and his shovel takes him onto the
thin ice at the bend of
the river. The ice breaks, and Harry disappears into the water.
CLOSE SHOT �� George.
GEORGE:
I'm coming, Harry.
MEDIUM SHOT �� George jumps into the water and grabs Harry. As he
starts to pull him out he yells:
GEORGE:
Make a chain, gang! A chain!
WIDER ANGLE �� the other boys lie flat on the ice, forming a
human chain. When George reaches the edge with Harry in his arms,
they pull them both
to safety.
JOSEPH'S VOICE
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 could return to his after-school job at old man Gower's
drugstore.
DISSOLVE:
Drugstore
EXTERIOR MAIN STREET �� BEDFORD FALLS �� SPRING AFTERNOON
MEDIUM SHOT �� Five or six boys are coming toward camera, arm in
arm, whistling. Their attention is drawn to an elaborate
horsedrawn carriage
proceeding down the other side of the street.
MEDIUM PAN SHOT �� The carriage driving by. We catch a glimpse of
CLOSE SHOT �� the boys watching the carriage.
GEORGE:
Mr. Potter!
CLARENCE'S VOICE
Who's that �� a king?
JOSEPH'S VOICE
That's Henry F. Potter, the richest and meanest man in the
county.
The boys continue until they reach Gower's drugstore. The
drugstore is old-fashioned and dignified, with jars of colored
water in the windows and little
else. As the kids stop:
GEORGE:
So long!
BOYS (ad lib)
Got to work, slave. Hee-haw. Hee-haw.
INTERIOR DRUGSTORE �� DAY
MEDIUM SHOT �� George comes in and crosses to an old-fashioned
cigar lighter on the counter. He shuts his eyes and makes a wish:
GEORGE:
Wish I had a million dollars.
He clicks the lighter and the flame springs up.
GEORGE (cont'd)
Hot dog!
WIDER ANGLE �� George crosses over to the soda fountain, at which
Mary Hatch, a small girl, is seated, watching him. George goes on
to get his
apron from behind the fountain.
GEORGE (calling toward back room)
It's me, Mr. Gower. George Bailey.
CLOSE SHOT �� Mr. Gower, the druggist, peering from a window in
back room. We see him take a drink from a bottle.
GOWER:
You're late.
MEDIUM SHOT �� George behind soda fountain. He is putting on his
apron.
GEORGE:
Yes, sir.
WIDER ANGLE �� Violet Bick enters the drugstore and sits on one
of the stools at the fountain. She is the same height as Mary and
the same age, but
she is infinitely older in her approach to people.
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"It's a Wonderful Life" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/it's_a_wonderful_life_872>.
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