It's a Wonderful Life Page #11

He looks at his watch, as though about to leave.

GEORGE (cont'd)

Well, I . . .

MARY (desperately)

It was nice about your brother Harry, and Ruth, wasn't it?

GEORGE:

Oh . . . yeah, yeah. That's all right.

MARY:

Don't you like her?

GEORGE:

Well, of course I like her. She's a peach.

MARY:

Oh, it's just marriage in general you're not enthusiastic about,

huh?

GEORGE:

No, marriage is all right for Harry, and Marty, and Sam and you.

INTERIOR STAIRS:

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT �� Mrs. Hatch, in a bathrobe, and with her hair

in curlers, is leaning over the banister as she calls:

MRS. HATCH

Mary! Mary!

INTERIOR PARLOR �� NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT �� George and Mary seated on the divan.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE

Who's down there with you?

MARY:

It's George Bailey, Mother.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE

George Bailey? What's he want?

MARY:

I don't know.

(to George)

What do you want?

GEORGE (indignant)

Me? Not a thing. I just came in to get warm.

MARY (to mother)

He's making violent love to me, Mother.

George is aghast.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE

You tell him to go right back home, and don't you leave the

house, either. Sam Wainwright promised to call you from New York

tonight.

GEORGE (heatedly)

But your mother needn't . . . you know I didn't come here to . .

. to . . .

to . . .

MARY (rising)

What did you come here for?

GEORGE:

I don't know. You tell me. You're supposed to be the one that has

all the answers. You tell me.

MARY (terribly hurt)

Oh, why don't you go home?

GEORGE (almost shouting)

That's where I'm going. I don't know why I came here in the first

place! Good night!

As George leaves the room, the telephone in the hall starts

ringing.

MARY (to George)

Good night!

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE

Mary! Mary! The telephone! It's Sam!

INTERIOR HALL �� NIGHT

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT �� Mary comes into the hall.

MARY (almost weeping)

I'll get it.

As Mary comes into the hall, she stops by the phonograph, which

is still playing "Buffalo Gals," takes off the record with a

jerk, and smashes it against

the machine. The phone is still ringing.

MRS. HATCH

Mary, he's waiting!

MARY:

Hello.

As Mary picks up the phone, George comes in from the front porch.

GEORGE:

I forgot my hat.

MARY (overly enthusiastic)

Hee-haw! Hello, Sam, how are you?

SAM'S VOICE

Aw, great. Gee, it's good to hear your voice again.

George has stopped, hat in hand, to hear the first greetings.

MARY:

Oh, well, that's awfully sweet of you, Sam.

(glances toward door, sees George still there)

There's an old friend of yours here. George Bailey.

SAM:

You mean old moss-back George?

MARY:

Yes, old moss-back George.

SAM'S VOICE

Hee-haw! Put him on.

MARY:

Wait a minute. I'll call him.

(calling)

George!

MRS. HATCH

He doesn't want to speak to George, you idiot!

MARY:

He does so. He asked for him.

(calling)

Geo . . . George, Sam wants to speak to you.

She hands the instrument to George.

GEORGE:

Hello, Sam.

INTERIOR SAM'S NEW YORK OFFICE �� NIGHT

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT �� Sam is seated at his desk, while a couple of

his friends are nearby, with highballs in their hands.

SAM (into phone)

Well, George Baileyoffski! Hey, a fine pal you are. What're you

trying to do? Steal my girl?

INTERIOR HATCH HALL �� NIGHT

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT �� George and Mary.

GEORGE (into phone)

What do you mean? Nobody's trying to steal your girl. Here . . .

here's Mary.

SAM'S VOICE

No, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I want to talk to both of you.

Tell Mary to get on the extension.

GEORGE (to Mary)

Here. You take it. You tell him.

MARY:

Mother's on the extension.

INTERIOR UPPER HALLWAY �� NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT �� Mrs. Hatch. As she hears this, she hastily hangs up

the extension phone on which she has been listening.

BACK TO SHOT �� George and Mary.

MARY:

We can both hear. Come here.

Mary takes the telephone from George and holds it so that of

necessity George's cheek is almost against hers. He is very

conscious of her proximity.

MARY (on phone)

We're listening, Sam.

SAM'S VOICE

I have a big deal coming up that's going to make us all rich.

George, you remember that night in Martini's bar when you told me

you read

someplace about making plastics out of soybeans?

GEORGE:

Huh? Yeah-yeah-yeah . . . soybeans. Yeah.

SAM'S VOICE

Well, Dad's snapped up the idea. He's going to build a factory

outside of Rochester. How do you like that?

Mary is watching George interestedly. George is very conscious of

her, close to him.

GEORGE:

Rochester? Well, why Rochester?

SAM'S VOICE

Well, why not? Can you think of anything better?

GEORGE:

Oh, I don't know . . . why not right here? You remember that old

tool and machinery works? You tell your father he can get that

for a song. And all the

labor he wants, too. Half the town was thrown out of work when

they closed down.

SAM'S VOICE

That so? Well, I'll tell him. Hey, that sounds great! Oh, baby, I

knew you'd come through. Now, here's the point. Mary, Mary,

you're in on this

too. Now listen. Have you got any money?

GEORGE:

Money? Yeah . . . well, a little.

SAM'S VOICE

Well, now listen. I want you to put every cent you've got into

our stock, you hear? And George, I may have a job for you; that

is, unless you're

still married to that broken-down Building and Loan. This is the

biggest thing since radio, and I'm letting you in on the ground

floor. Oh, Mary . . . Mary . . .

MARY (nervously)

I'm here.

SAM'S VOICE

Would you tell that guy I'm giving him the chance of a lifetime,

you hear? The chance of a lifetime.

As Mary listens, she turns to look at George, her lips almost on

his lips.

MARY (whispering)

He says it's the chance of a lifetime.

George can stand it no longer. He drops the phone with a crash,

grabs Mary by the shoulders and shakes her. Mary begins to cry.

GEORGE (fiercely)

Now you listen to me! I don't want any plastics! I don't want any

ground floors, and I don't want to get married �� ever �� to

anyone! You

understand that? I want to do what I want to do. And you're . . .

and you're . . .

He pulls her to him in a fierce embrace. Two meant for each other

find themselves in tearful ecstasy.

GEORGE (cont'd)

Oh, Mary . . . Mary . . .

MARY:

George . . . George . . . George . . .

GEORGE:

Mary . . .

CLOSE SHOT �� Mrs. Hatch is at the top of the stairs. She

practically faints at what she sees.

WIPE TO:

George and Mary tie the knot/Trouble at the Building and Loan

INTERIOR FRONT HALL BAILEY HOME �� DAY �� SEVERAL MONTHS LATER

CLOSEUP �� Cousin Tilly's face fills the screen as she cries:

COUSIN TILLY:

Here they come!

CAMERA PULLS BACK, and we hear the SOUND of the Wedding March.

People are crowded into the rooms

family, friends, neighbors. There is a din

of conversation. Mary and George appear at the top of the stairs

in traveling clothes, with Mrs. Hatch, red-eyed, behind them.

Mary throws her bouquet,

which is caught by Violet Bick. As they come out onto the porch,

we see that it is raining. Nevertheless, Cousin Eustace has his

camera equipment set up

and is taking pictures of the group. George and Mary dodge

through the rain and a shower of rice and get into Ernie's

taxicab, which pulls away from

the curb.

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