It's a Wonderful Life Page #2

VIOLET (with warm friendliness)

Hello, George.

(then, flatly, as she sees Mary)

VIOLET:

'Lo, Mary.

MARY (primly)

Hello, Violet.

George regards the two of them with manly disgust. They are two

kids to him, and a nuisance. He starts over for the candy

counter.

GEORGE:

Two cents worth of shoelaces?

VIOLET:

She was here first.

MARY:

I'm still thinking.

GEORGE (to Violet)

Shoelaces?

VIOLET:

Please, Georgie.

George goes over to the candy counter.

VIOLET (to Mary)

I like him.

MARY:

You like every boy.

VIOLET (happily)

What's wrong with that?

GEORGE:

Here you are.

George gives Violet a paper sack containing licorice shoelaces.

Violet gives him the money.

VIOLET (the vamp)

Help me down?

GEORGE (disgusted)

Help you down!

Violet jumps down off her stool and exits. Mary, watching, sticks

out her tongue as she passes.

CLOSE SHOT �� George and Mary at fountain.

GEORGE:

Made up your mind yet?

MARY:

I'll take chocolate.

George puts some chocolate ice cream in a dish.

GEORGE:

With coconuts?

MARY:

I don't like coconuts.

GEORGE:

You don't like coconuts! Say, brainless, don't you know where

coconuts come from? Lookit here �� from Tahiti �� Fiji Islands,

the Coral Sea!

He pulls a magazine from his pocket and shows it to her.

MARY:

A new magazine! I never saw it before.

GEORGE:

Of course you never. Only us explorers can get it. I've been

nominated for membership in the National Geographic Society.

He leans down to finish scooping out the ice cream, his deaf ear

toward her. She leans over, speaking softly.

CLOSE SHOT �� Mary, whispering.

MARY:

Is this the ear you can't hear on? George Bailey, I'll love you

till the day I die.

She draws back quickly and looks down, terrified at what she has

said.

CLOSE SHOT �� George and Mary.

GEORGE:

I'm going out exploring some day, you watch. And I'm going to

have a couple of harems, and maybe three or four wives. Wait and

see.

He turns back to the cash register, whistling.

ANOTHER ANGLE �� taking in entrance to prescription room at end

of fountain. Gower comes to the entrance. He is bleary-eyed,

unshaven, chewing

an old unlit cigar. His manner is gruff and mean. It is evident

he has been drinking.

GOWER:

George! George!

GEORGE:

Yes, sir.

GOWER:

You're not paid to be a canary.

GEORGE:

No, sir.

He turns back to the cash register when he notices an open

telegram on the shelf. He is about to toss it aside when he

starts to read it.

INSERT:

THE TELEGRAM. It reads:

"We regret to inform you that your son, Robert, died very

suddenly this morning of influenza stop. Everything possible was

done for his comfort stop. We await

instructions from you."

Pres. HAMMERTON COLLEGE."

BACK TO SHOT. George puts the telegram down. A goodness of heart

expresses itself in a desire to do something for Gower. He gives

the ice cream to

Mary without comment and sidles back toward Gower.

INTERIOR PRESCRIPTION ROOM OF DRUGSTORE �� DAY

CLOSE SHOT �� Gower, drunk, is intent on putting some capsules

into a box.

GEORGE:

Mr. Gower, do you want something . . . Anything?

GOWER:

No.

GEORGE:

Anything I can do back here?

GOWER:

No.

George looks curiously at Gower, realizing that he is quite

drunk. Gower fumbles and drops some of the capsules to the floor.

CLOSE SHOT �� capsules spilling on floor at their feet.

BACK TO SHOT �� George and Gower.

GEORGE:

I'll get them, sir.

He picks up the capsules and puts them in the box. Gower waves

George aside, takes his old wet cigar, shoves it in his mouth and

sits in an old Morris

chair in the background. George turns a bottle around from which

Gower has taken the powder for the capsules. Its label reads

"POISON." George

stands still, horrified.

GOWER:

Take these capsules over to Mrs. Blaine's. She's waiting for

them.

George picks up the capsule box, not knowing what to do or say.

His eyes go, harassed, to the bottle labeled poison. George's

fingers fumble.

GEORGE:

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

GOWER:

Ummmm . . .

Gower stares moodily ahead, sucking his cigar. George turns to

him, the box in his hand.

GEORGE:

Is it a charge, sir?

GOWER:

Yes �� charge.

GEORGE:

Mr. Gower, I think . . .

GOWER:

Aw, get going!

GEORGE:

Yes, sir.

INTERIOR DRUGSTORE �� DAY

MEDIUM SHOT �� George comes out into main room. As he puts on his

cap he sees a Sweet Caporals ad which says:

INSERT:

"ASK DAD HE KNOWS" �� SWEET CAPORAL

BACK TO SHOT:

With an inspiration, George dashes out the door and down the

street. Mary follows him with her eyes.

George visits Pop's office

EXTERIOR STREET �� DAY

MEDIUM SHOT �� George runs down the street until he comes

opposite a two-story building with a sign on it reading

"Bailey Building and Loan

Association." He stops. Potter's carriage is waiting at the

entrance. Suddenly he runs up the stairs.

INTERIOR OUTER OFFICE BLDG. AND LOAN �� DAY

FULL SHOT �� The offices are ancient and a bit on the rickety

side. There is a counter with a grill, something like a bank.

Before a door marked:

PETER BAILEY, PRIVATE, George's Uncle Billy stands, obviously

trying to hear what is going on inside. He is a very good-humored

man of about fifty,

in shirt-sleeves. With him at the door, also listening, are

Cousin Tilly Bailey, a waspish-looking woman, who is the

telephone operator, and Cousin

Eustace Bailey, the clerk. The office vibrates with an aura of

crisis as George enters and proceeds directly toward his father's

office.

CLOSE SHOT �� Uncle Billy listening at the door. As George is

about to enter his father's office, uncle Billy grabs him by the

arm.

UNCLE BILLY:

Avast, there, Captain Cook! Where you headin'?

GEORGE:

Got to see Pop, Uncle Billy.

UNCLE BILLY:

Some other time, George.

GEORGE:

It's important.

UNCLE BILLY:

There's a squall in there that's shapin' up into a storm.

During the foregoing, Cousin Tilly has answered the telephone,

and now she calls out:

COUSIN TILLY:

Uncle Billy . . . telephone.

UNCLE BILLY:

Who is it?

COUSIN TILLY:

Bank examiner.

INSERT:

CLOSE UP Uncle Billy's left hand. There are pieces of string tied

around two of the fingers, obviously to remind him of things he

has to do.

BACK TO SHOT �� Uncle Billy looking at his hand.

UNCLE BILLY:

Bank examiner! I should have called him yesterday. Switch it

inside.

He enters a door marked

WILLIAM BAILEY, PRIVATE. George stands irresolute a moment, aware

of crisis in the affairs of the Bailey Building and Loan

Association, but aware more keenly of his personal crisis. He

opens the door of his father's office and enters.

INTERIOR BAILEY'S PRIVATE OFFICE �� DAY

MEDIUM SHOT �� George's father is seated behind his desk,

nervously drawing swirls on a pad. He looks tired and worried. He

is a gentle man in his

forties, an idealist, stubborn only for other people's rights.

Nearby, in a throne-like wheelchair, behind which stands the goon

who furnishes the motive

power, sits Henry F. Potter, his squarish derby hat on his head.

The following dialogue is fast and heated, as though the argument

had been in process for

some time.

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