It's a Wonderful Life Page #3

BAILEY:

I'm not crying, Mr. Potter.

POTTER:

Well, you're begging, and that's a whole lot worse.

BAILEY:

All I'm asking is thirty days more . . .

GEORGE (interrupting)

Pop!

BAILEY:

Just a minute, son.

(to Potter)

Just thirty short days. I'll dig up that five thousand somehow.

POTTER (to his goon)

Shove me up . . .

Goon pushes his wheelchair closer to the desk.

GEORGE:

Pop!

POTTER:

Have you put any real pressure on those people of yours to pay

those mortgages?

BAILEY:

Times are bad, Mr. Potter. A lot of these people are out of work.

POTTER:

Then foreclose!

BAILEY:

I can't do that. These families have children.

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT �� Potter and Bailey.

GEORGE:

Pop!

POTTER:

They're not my children.

BAILEY:

But they're somebody's children.

POTTER:

Are you running a business or a charity ward?

BAILEY:

Well, all right . . .

POTTER (interrupting)

Not with my money!

CLOSE SHOT �� Potter and Bailey.

BAILEY:

Mr. Potter, what makes you such a hard-skulled character? You

have no family �� no children. You can't begin to spend all the

money you've got.

POTTER:

So I suppose I should give it to miserable failures like you and

that idiot brother of yours to spend for me.

George cannot listen any longer to such libel about his father.

He comes around in front of the desk.

GEORGE:

He's not a failure! You can't say that about my father!

BAILEY:

George, George . . .

GEORGE:

You're not! You're the biggest man in town!

BAILEY:

Run along.

He pushes George toward the door.

GEORGE:

Bigger'n him!

As George passes Potter's wheelchair he pushes the old man's

shoulder. The goon puts out a restraining hand.

GEORGE:

Bigger'n everybody.

George proceeds toward the door, with his father's hand on his

shoulder. As they go:

POTTER:

Gives you an idea of the Baileys.

INTERIOR OUTER OFFICE BLDG. AND LOAN �� DAY

CLOSE SHOT �� George and his father at the door.

GEORGE:

Don't let him say that about you, Pop.

BAILEY:

All right, son, thanks. I'll talk to you tonight.

Bailey closes the door on George and turns back to Potter. George

stands outside the door with the capsules in his hand.

Back to drugstore

INTERIOR BACK ROOM �� GOWER'S DRUGSTORE �� DAY

CLOSE SHOT �� Gower talking on the telephone. George stands in

the doorway.

GOWER (drunkenly)

Why, that medicine should have been there an hour ago. It'll be

over in five minutes, Mrs. Blaine.

He hangs up the phone and turns to George.

GOWER (cont'd)

Where's Mrs. Blaine's box of capsules?

He grabs George by the shirt and drags him into the back room.

GEORGE:

Capsules . . .

GOWER (shaking him)

Did you hear what I said?

GEORGE (frightened)

Yes, sir, I . . .

Gower starts hitting George about the head with his open hands.

George tries to protect himself as best he can.

GOWER:

What kind of tricks are you playing, anyway? Why didn't you

deliver them right away? Don't you know that boy's very sick?

GEORGE (in tears)

You're hurting my sore ear.

INTERIOR FRONT ROOM DRUGSTORE �� DAY

CLOSE SHOT �� Mary is still seated at the soda fountain. Each

time she hears George being slapped, she winces.

INTERIOR BACK ROOM DRUGSTORE �� DAY

CLOSE SHOT �� George and Gower.

GOWER:

You lazy loafer!

GEORGE (sobbing)

Mr. Gower, you don't know what you're doing. You put something

wrong in those capsules. I know you're unhappy. You got that

telegram,

and you're upset. You put something bad in those capsules. It

wasn't your fault, Mr. Gower . . .

George pulls the little box out of his pocket. Gower savagely

rips it away from him, breathing heavily, staring at the boy

venomously.

GEORGE (cont'd)

Just look and see what you did. Look at the bottle you took the

powder from. It's poison! I tell you, it's poison! I know you

feel bad . . . and .

. .

George falters off, cupping his aching ear with a hand. Gower

looks at the large brown bottle which has not been replaced on

the shelf. He tears open the

package, shakes the powder out of one of the capsules, cautiously

tastes it, then abruptly throws the whole mess to the table and

turns to look at George

again. The boy is whimpering, hurt, frightened. Gower steps

toward him.

GEORGE (cont'd)

Don't hurt my sore ear again.

But this time Gower sweeps the boy to him in a hug and, sobbing

hoarsely, crushes the boy in his embrace. George is crying too.

GOWER:

No . . . No . . . No. . .

GEORGE:

Don't hurt my ear again!

GOWER (sobbing)

Oh, George, George . . .

GEORGE:

Mr. Gower, I won't ever tell anyone. I know what you're feeling.

I won't ever tell a soul. Hope to die, I won't.

GOWER:

Oh, George.

Luggage shop/ With Mr. Gower/Bert and Ernie

INTERIOR LUGGAGE SHOP �� DAY �� (1928)

MEDIUM SHOT �� It is late afternoon. A young man is looking over

an assortment of luggage. Across the counter stands Joe Hepner,

the proprietor of

the store �� he is showing a suitcase.

JOE:

An overnight bag �� genuine English cowhide, combination lock,

fitted up with brushes, combs . . .

CUSTOMER:

Nope.

As CAMERA MOVES UP CLOSER to him, he turns and we get our first

glimpse of George as a young man. CAMERA HAS MOVED UP to a

CLOSEUP:

by now.

GEORGE:

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Now, look, Joe. Now, look, I . . . I want

a big one.

Suddenly, in action, as George stands with his arms outstretched

in illustration, the picture freezes and becomes a still. Over

this hold-frame shot we hear

the voices from Heaven:

CLARENCE'S VOICE

What did you stop it for?

JOSEPH'S VOICE

I want you to take a good look at that face.

CLARENCE'S VOICE

Who is it?

JOSEPH'S VOICE

George Bailey.

CLARENCE'S VOICE

Oh, you mean the kid that had his ears slapped back by the

druggist.

JOSEPH'S VOICE

That's the kid.

CLARENCE'S VOICE

It's a good face. I like it. I like George Bailey. Tell me, did

he ever tell anyone about the pills?

JOSEPH'S VOICE

Not a soul.

CLARENCE'S VOICE

Did he ever marry the girl? Did he ever go exploring?

JOSEPH'S VOICE

Well, wait and see.

CLOSE SHOT �� the screen. The arrested CLOSEUP of George springs

to life again.

GEORGE:

Big �� see! I don't want one for one night. I want something for

a thousand and one nights, with plenty of room for labels from

Italy and Baghdad,

Samarkand . . . a great big one.

JOE:

I see, a flying carpet, huh? I don't suppose you'd like this old

second-hand job, would you?

He brings a large suitcase up from under the counter.

GEORGE:

Now you're talkin'. Gee whiz, I could use this as a raft in case

the boat sunk. How much does this cost?

JOE:

No charge.

GEORGE:

That's my trick ear, Joe. It sounded as if you said no charge.

JOE (indicating name on suitcase)

That's right.

GEORGE (as he sees his name)

What's my name doing on it?

JOE:

A little present from old man Gower. Came down and picked it out

himself.

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