It's a Wonderful Life Page #28

GEORGE:

Where's your mother?

JANIE:

She went looking for you with Uncle Billy.

Zuzu comes running out of her bedroom. George crushes her to him.

ZUZU:

Daddy!

GEORGE:

Zuzu �� Zuzu. My little gingersnap! How do you feel?

ZUZU:

Fine.

JANIE:

And not a smitch of temperature.

GEORGE (laughing)

Not a smitch of temp . . .

INTERIOR HALL �� NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT �� As Mary comes through the door, breathless and

excited. The four men are watching with open mouths.

GEORGE'S VOICE

Hallelujah!

MARY (to the men)

Hello.

(sees George) George! Darling!

INTERIOR STAIRS �� NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT �� Mary races up the stairs, where George meets her in

a fierce embrace.

GEORGE:

Mary! Mary!

MARY:

George, darling! Where have you been?

George and Mary embrace tearfully.

MARY:

Oh, George, George, George.

GEORGE:

Mary! Let me touch you! Oh, you're real!

MARY:

Oh, George, George!

GEORGE:

You have no idea what's happened to me.

MARY:

You have no idea what happened . . .

He stops her with a kiss. She leads him excitedly down the

stairs.

MARY (cont'd)

Well, come on, George, come on downstairs quick. They're on their

way.

GEORGE:

All right.

INTERIOR LIVING ROOM �� NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT �� Mary leads George, who is carrying a couple of the

kids on his back, to a position in front of the Christmas tree.

MARY:

Come on in here now. Now, you stand right over here, by the tree.

Right there, and don't move, don't move. I hear 'em now, George,

it's a miracle! It's a

miracle!

She runs toward front door and flings it open. Ad lib SOUNDS of

an excited crowd can be heard. Uncle Billy, face flushed, covered

with snow, and

carrying a clothes basket filled with money, bursts in. He is

followed by Ernie, and about twenty more townspeople.

MARY:

Come in, Uncle Billy! Everybody! In here!

Uncle Billy Mary and the crowd come into the living room. A table

stands in front of George. George picks up Zuzu to protect her

from the mob. Uncle

Billy dumps the basketful of money out onto the table �� the

money overflows and falls all over.

UNCLE BILLY:

Isn't it wonderful?

The rest of the crowd all greet George with greetings and smiles.

Each one comes forward with money. In their pockets, in shoe

boxes, in coffee pots.

Money pours onto the table �� pennies, dimes, quarters, dollar

bills �� small money, but lots of it. Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Hatch

push toward George. More

people come in. The place becomes a bedlam. Shouts of "Gangway ��

gangway" as a new bunch comes in and pours out its money. Mary

stands next to

George, watching him. George stands there overcome and speechless

as he holds Zuzu. As he sees the familiar faces, he gives them

sick grins. Tears

course down his face. His lips frame their names as he greets

them.

UNCLE BILLY (emotionally at the breaking point)

Mary did it, George! Mary did it! She told a few people you were

in trouble and they scattered all over

town collecting money. They didn't ask any questions �� just said

"If George is in trouble �� count on me." You never saw anything

like it.

Tom comes in, digging in his purse as he comes.

TOM:

What is this, George? Another run on the bank?

Charlie adds his money to the pile.

CHARLIE:

Here you are, George. Merry Christmas.

Ernie is trying to get some system into the chaos.

ERNIE:

The line forms on the right.

Mr. Martini comes in bearing a mixing bowl overflowing with cash.

ERNIE:

Mr. Martini! Merry Christmas! Step right up here.

Martini dumps his money on the table.

MARTINI:

I busted the juke-box*, too!

[*editor's note

I feel compelled to point out that this word is pronounced "juke-

a-box" in the film itself. To me, the movie would lose a little

something without that

charming, superfluous "a"!]

Mr. Gower enters with a large glass jar jammed full of notes.

ERNIE:

Mr. Gower!

GOWER (to George)

I made the rounds of my charge accounts.

Violet Bick arrives, and takes out the money George had given her

for her trip to New York.

GEORGE:

Violet Bick!

VIOLET:

I'm not going to go, George. I changed my mind.

Annie, the colored maid, enters, digging money out of a long

black stocking.

ANNIE:

I've been saving this money for a divorce, if ever I get a

husband.

Mr. Partridge, the high school principal, is the next donor.

PARTRIDGE:

There you are, George. I got the faculty all up out of bed.

(hands his watch to Zuzu) And here's something for you to play

with.

MAN (giving money)

I wouldn't have a roof over my head if it wasn't for you, George.

Ernie is reading a telegram he has just received.

ERNIE:

Just a minute. Quiet, everybody. Quiet �� quiet. Now, this is

from London.

(reading)

Mr. Gower cables you need cash. Stop. My office instructed to

advance you up to twenty-five thousand dollars. Stop. Hee-haw and

Merry Christmas.

Sam Wainwright.

The crowd breaks into a cheer as Ernie drops the telegram on top

of the pile of money on the table.

MARY (calling out)

Mr. Martini. How about some wine?

As various members of the family bring out a punch bowl and

glasses, Janie sits down at the piano and strikes a chord. She

starts playing "Hark! The

Herald Angels Sing," and the entire crowd joins in the singing.

We see a SERIES OF SHOTS of the various groups singing the hymn,

and some people are

still coming in and dropping their money on the table. Carter,

the bank examiner, makes a donation; the sheriff sheepishly looks

at George and tears his

warrant in small pieces. In the midst of this scene, Harry, in

Naval uniform, enters, accompanied by Bert, the cop.

HARRY:

Hello, George, how are you?

GEORGE:

Harry . . . Harry . . .

HARRY (as he sees the money)

Mary �� looks like I got here too late.

BERT:

Mary, I got him here from the airport as quickly as I could. The

fool flew all the way up here in a blizzard.

Mrs. Bailey enters scene.

MRS. BAILEY

Harry, how about your banquet in New York?

HARRY:

Oh, I left right in the middle of it as soon as I got Mary's

telegram.

Ernie hands Harry a glass of wine.

HARRY (cont'd)

Good idea, Ernie. A toast . . . to my big brother, George. The

richest man in town!

Once more the crowd breaks into cheering and applause. Janie at

the piano and Bert on his accordion start playing "Auld Lang

syne," and everyone joins

in.

CLOSE SHOT �� George, still holding Zuzu in his arms, glances

down at the pile of money on the table. His eye catches something

on top of the pile, and

he reaches down for it. It is Clarence's copy of "Tom Sawyer."

George opens it and finds an inscription written in it

"Dear George, remember no man is

a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings, Love Clarence."

MARY (looking at book)

What's that?

GEORGE:

That's a Christmas present from a very dear friend of mine.

At this moment, perhaps because of the jostling of some of the

people on the other side of the tree, a little silver bell on the

Christmas tree swings to and

fro with a silvery tinkle. Zuzu closes the cover of the book, and

points to the bell.

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