It's A Wonderful Life Transcript 1945, Columbia Pictures, Directed by Frank Capra, Screenplay by Frank Capra SIGN READS You are now in Bedford Falls (00:01:50) GOWER'S VOICE I owe everything to George Bailey... Help him, dear Father. MARTIN'S VOICE Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my friend, Mr. Bailey. MOTHER'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... ZUZU'S VOICE Please, God, something's the matter with Daddy... JANIE'S VOICE Please bring Daddy back. FRANKLIN Hello, Joseph. Trouble? JOSEPH Looks like we'll have to send someone down. A lot of people asking for help for a man named George Bailey. FRANKLIN George Bailey. Yes. Tonight's his crucial night. You're right. We'll have to send someone down immediately. Whose turn is it? JOSEPH That's why I came to see you, sir. It's that clock-maker's turn again. FRANKLIN Oh, Clarence. Hasn't got his wings yet, has he? JOSEPH We've passed him up right along. Because, you know, sir, he's got the I.Q. of a rabbit. FRANKLIN Yes, but he's got the faith of a child. Simple. Joseph, send for Clarence. CLARENCE You sent for me, sir? FRANKLIN Yes, Clarence. A man down on earth needs our help. CLARENCE Splendid! Is he sick? FRANKLIN No. Worse. He's discouraged. At exactly ten forty-five P.M., earth-time, that man will be thinking seriously of throwing away God's greatest gift. CLARENCE Oh, dear, dear! His life! Then I have only an hour to dress. What are they wearing now? FRANKLIN You will spend that hour getting acquainted with George Bailey. CLARENCE Sir...If I should accomplish this mission...I mean, uh, might I perhaps win my wings? I've been waiting for over two hundred years now, sir...and people are beginniing to talk. FRANKLIN What's that book you've got there? CLARENCE Oh, 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.' FRANKLIN Clarence, you do a good job with George Bailey and you'll get your wings. CLARENCE Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you. JOSEPH Poor George. Sit down. CLARENCE Sit down?! What are we... JOSEPH (overlapping) If you're going to help a man, you want to know something about him, don't you? CLARENCE Well, naturally, of course, I... JOSEPH Well, keep your eyes open. See the town? CLARENCE Where? I...I don't see a thing. JOSEPH Oh, I forgot. You haven't got your wings yet. Now look, I'll help you out. Concentrate. Begin to see something? CLARENCE Why, yes! This is amazing! JOSEPH If you ever get your wings, you'll see all by yourself. CLARENCE Oh, wonderful! BOY Yippee! GEORGE (yelling through the megaphone) Okay, boys, let's go. CLARENCE Hey, who's that? JOSEPH That's your problem, George Bailey. CLARENCE A boy?! JOSEPH That's him when he was twelve. Back in nineteen nineteen. Something happens here you'll have to remember later on. GEORGE Come on, Marty. Come on, Marty. BOYS Hee-haw! GEORGE Hee-haw! And here comes the scare-baby, my kid brother, Harry Bailey! HARRY I'm not scared! BOYS Go, Harry! C'mon, Harry! Attaboy, Harry! Come on, Harry! HARRY Help, George! Help! Help! GEORGE ...Harry, I'm coming! HARRY Help! GEORGE Hang on, Harry! I'm coming! Chain Gang! JOSEPH George saved his brother's life that day. But it caught him that cold which infected his left ear. Cost him his hearing in that ear. It was weeks before he was able to go back to his after- school job at old man Gower's Drugstore. GEORGE Mr. Potter! CLARENCE Who's that? A king? JOSEPH That's Henry F. Potter. The richest and meanest man in the county. KIDS Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Go to work, slave... (00:06:00) GEORGE I wish I had a million dollars! Hot dog! It's me, Mr. Gower. George Bailey. GOWER You're late GEORGE Yes, sir. VIOLET Hello, George. Hello, Mary. MARY Hello, Violet. GEORGE (to Violet) Two-cents' worth of shoelaces? VIOLET She was here first. MARY I'm still thinking. GEORGE (to Violet) Shoelaces? VIOLET Please, Georgie. (to Mary) I like him. MARY You like every boy. VIOLET What's wrong with that? GEORGE Here you are. VIOLET Help me down. GEORGE Help you down?! GEORGE (to Mary) Made up your mind yet? MARY I'll take chocolate. 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! 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. MARY Is this the ear you can't hear on? George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die. GEORGE I'm going out exploring some day, you watch. And I'm gonna have a couple of harems, and maybe three or four wives. Wait and see. GOWER George! George! GEORGE Yes, sir. GOWER You're not paid to be a canary. GEORGE No, sir... TELEGRAM READS Regret to inform you that your son Robert died suddenly this morning of influenza stop Everything possible was done for his comfort await instructions from you stop GEORGE Mr. Gower, do you want something? Anything? GOWER No. GEORGE Anything I can do back here? GOWER Nope. GEORGE I'll get them, sir. GOWER ...take those capsules over to Mrs. Blaine's. She's waiting for them. GEORGE Yes, sir... They have the diphtheria there, haven't they, sir? GOWER Ummm. GEORGE Is it a charge, sir? GOWER Yes, charge. GEORGE Mr. Gower, I think... GOWER Aw, get going! GEORGE Yes, sir. (00:09:27) UNCLE BILLY Fast there, Captain Cook! Where you headin'? GOWER 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. COUSIN TILLY Uncle Billy, telephone. UNCLE BILLY Who is it? COUSIN TILLY The Bank examiner. UNCLE BILLY Bank examiner? Oh, I should have called him yesterday. Switch it inside. BAILEY I'm not crying, Mr. Potter. POTTER Well, you're begging and that's a whole lot worse. BAILEY All I'm asking for is thirty days more. GEORGE 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. Shove me up. GEORGE Pop! POTTER Have you put any real pressure on these 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. GEORGE Pop! POTTER They're not my children. BAILEY But they're somebody's children, Mr. Potter. POTTER Are you running a business or a charity ward? BAILEY (overlapping) Well, all right... POTTER (overlapping) Not with my money. 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 He's not a failure! You can't say that about my father! BAILEY (overlapping) George, George, quiet. George, George... GEORGE You're not! You're the biggest man in town! BAILEY Run along. GEORGE Bigger than him. BAILEY Run along! GEORGE Bigger than everybody! POTTER Gives you an idea of the Baileys. GEORGE Don't let him say things like that about you, Pop. BAILEY All right, son. All right. Thanks. I'll talk to you tonight. GOWER (on phone) What! Why, that medicine should have been there an hour ago. It'll be over in five minutes, Mrs. Blaine. (to George) Where's Mrs. Blaine's box of capsules? GEORGE I feel... GOWER Didn't you hear what I said? GEORGE Yes, sir, I... 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 You're hurting my sore ear. GOWER You lazy loafer! GEORGE 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. 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. I didn't know... GOWER Oh... GEORGE Don't hurt my sore ear again. Don't hurt my sore ear again. GOWER (overlapping) Oh, no, no, no... Oh, George. George... GEORGE Oh, Mr. Gower, I won't ever tell anyone. I know what you're feeling. I won't tell a soul. Hope to die, I won't. GOWER Oh, George, George... JOE An overnight bag, genuine English cowhide, combination lock, fitted up with brushes, combs... GEORGE Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Now look, Joe. Now look, I, I-I want a big one. CLARENCE What did you stop it for? JOSEPH I want you to take a good look at that face. CLARENCE Who is it? JOSEPH George Bailey. CLARENCE Oh, you mean the kid that had his ears slapped back by the druggist? JOSEPH That's the kid. CLARENCE Uh-huh. It's a good face. I like it. I like George Bailey. Tell me, did he ever tell anyone about the pills? JOSEPH Not a soul. CLARENCE Did he ever marry the girl? Did he ever go exploring? JOSEPH Well, wait and see. GEORGE Big...see...I, I don't want one for one night. I want something for a thousand and one nights. With plenty of room here for labels from Italy and Baghdad, Samarkand... a great big one. JOE I see, a flying carpet, huh? GEORGE Yeah. JOE I don't suppose you'd like this old second-hand job, would you? GEORGE Now you're talking. Gee whiz, I could use that 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 That's right. GEORGE Well, what's my name doing on it here? JOE A little present form old man Gower. Came down and picked it out himself. GEORGE He did?! What do you know about that...my old boss. Isn't that nice? JOE What boat you sailing on? GEORGE I'm working across on a cattle boat. JOE A cattle boat? GEORGE Okay, I like cows. (00:13:25) GEORGE Hello, Mr. Gower. GOWER George! GEORGE How are you? Thanks ever so much for the baggage. It's just exactly what I wanted. GOWER Aw, forget it. GEORGE Oh, it's wonderful of you to think of it. GOWER Hope you enjoy it. GEORGE Oh, oh, oh, oh. I wish I had a million dollars. Hot dog! UNCLE BILLY Avast there, Captain Cook! You got your sealegs yet? EUSTACE Parlez vous Francais, Mister? Hey, send us some of their picture postcards, will you, George? UNCLE BILLY Hey, George, don't take any plugged nickels. COUSIN TILLY Hey, George, your suitcase is leaking. GEORGE Hey, Ernie! Hi, Ernie! ERNIE Hiya, George. GEORGE Hi, Bert. BERT George... GEORGE Hey, hey, I, I'm a rich tourist today. How about driving me home in style? BERT Great. ERNIE Hop in Your Highness, hop in. And for the carriage trade. I put on my hat. VIOLET Good afternoon, Mr. Bailey. GEORGE Hello, Violet. Hey, you look good. That's some dress you got on there. VIOLET What! This old thing? Why, I only wear it when I don't care how I look. ERNIE How would you like... GEORGE Yes. ERNIE Want to come along, Bert? We'll show you the town. BERT No, thanks. I, uh, I've gotta go home and see what the wife's doing. ERNIE Family man. MOTHER George! Harry! You're shaking the house down! Stop it! POP Oh, let them alone! I wish I was up there with them. MOTHER But Harry'll tear his dinner suit! (to George) George! ANNIE That's why all children should be girls. MOTHER But if they were all girls, there wouldn't be any... Oh, never mind. George! Harry! Come down to dinner this minute. Everything's getting cold and you know, how long we've been waiting for you. GEORGE Okay, Mom! Here's a present for you, Pop. MOTHER Oh, you two idiots! George, sit down and have dinner. HARRY I've eaten. MOTHER Well, aren't you going to finish dressing for your graduating party? Look at you! HARRY I don't care. It's George's tux. Annie, my sweet, have you got those pies? ANNIE If you lay a hand on me, I'll hit you with this broom. HARRY Annie, I'm in love with you, there's a moon out tonight. GEORGE Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy, my last meal in the old Bailey Boarding House. MOTHER Oh, my lands, my blood pressure! HARRY Pop, can I have the car? I have to take over a lot of plates and things. MOTHER What plates? HARRY Oh, Mom, I'm Chairman of the Eats Committee and we only need a couple of dozen. MOTHER Oh, no, you don't. Harry, now, not my best Haviland. GEORGE Oh, let him have the plates, Mother. POP Hope you have a good trip, George. Uncle Billy and I are gonna miss you. GEORGE I'll miss you too, Pop. What's the matter? You look tired. POP Oh, I had another tussle with Potter today. GEORGE Oh. POP I thought when we put him on the board of Directors, he'd ease up on us a little bit. GEORGE Oh, what's eating that old money-grubbing buzzard anyway? POP Oh, he's a sick man. Frustrated and sick. And his mind's sick in his soul, if he has one. He hates everybody that has anything that he can't have. He hates us mostly, I guess. HARRY Gangway! Gangway! So long, Pop. POP So long! GEORGE Harry, you got a match? HARRY Very funny. Very funny. MOTHER Put those things in the car and I'll get your tie and studs ready for you. Now, hurry up, hurry up. HARRY Okay, Mom. (to George) You coming later? MOTHER Don't you drop one of those. HARRY You coming later, George? GEORGE What do you mean, and be bored to death? HARRY Couldn't want a better death. Lots of pretty girls, and we're going to use that new floor tonight, too. GEORGE Oh, I hope it works. POP No gin tonight, son! HARRY Aw, Pop, just a little. POP No, son. Not one drop. HARRY Oh! ANNIE Boys and girls and music...why do they need gin? GEORGE Father, did I act like that when I graduated from high school? POP Pretty much. You know, George, I wish we could send Harry to college with you. Your mother and I talked it over half the night. GEORGE Mmm, we have that all figured out. Harry'll take my job at the Building and Loan, and work there four years, then he'll go. POP He's pretty young for that job. GEORGE Well, no younger than I was. POP Maybe you were born older, George. GEORGE How's that? POP I say, you were born older. I suppose you've decided what you want to do when you get out of college. GEORGE Oh well, you know what I've always talked about...build things...design new buildings...plan modern cities...all that stuff, I was talking about. POP Still after that first million before you're thirty. GEORGE No, I'll settle for half that in cash. POP 'Course it's just a hope, but uh, you wouldn't consider coming back to the Building and Loan, would you? GEORGE Well, I...I... Why, Annie, why, why don't you draw up a chair? Then you'd be more comfortable and you could hear everything that's going on. ANNIE I would if I thought I'd hear anything worth listening to. GEORGE You would, eh? POP I know it's soon to talk about it. GEORGE Oh, now, Pop. I, I, I couldn't. I couldn't face being cooped up for the rest of my life in a shabby little office... Oh, I'm sorry, Pop, I didn't mean it that way, but this business of nickels and dimes and spending all your life trying to figure out how to save three cents on a length of pipe...I'd go crazy. I...I wanna do something big and something important. POP You know, George, I feel that in a small way we are doing something important. Satisfying a fundamental urge. It's deep in the race for a man to want his own roof and walls and fireplace. And we're helping him get those things in our shabby little office. GEORGE I know, Pop. I, uh, I, I know that I, I... I wish I felt... but I, I've been hoarding pennies like a miser here in order to... Most of my friends have already finished college. I, uh, I just feel like if I didn't get away, I'd bust. POP Yes, yes. You're right, son. GEORGE You see what I mean, don't you, Pop? POP This town is no place for any man unless he's willing to crawl to Potter. And you've got talent, son. I've seen it. You get yourself an education. Then get out of here. GEORGE Pop, you want a shock? I think you're a great guy. (to Annie) Oh, did you hear that, Annie? ANNIE'S VOICE I heard it. About time one of you lunkheads said it. GEORGE (to Pop) I'm going to miss old Annie. Pop, I think I'll get dressed and go over to Harry's party. POP Have a good time, son. (00:19:29) GEORGE Excuse me. Here you are. MAN George! Hello! HARRY You know my kid brother, George? I'm going to put him through college. SAM Hello, George! Hee-haw! GEORGE Oh, oh, Sam Wainwright. How are you? When did you get here? SAM Oh, this afternoon. I thought I'd give the kids a treat. GEORGE Old college graduate now, huh? SAM Yeah. Old Joe College Wainwright, they call me. Well, freshman, looks like you're going to make it after all. GEORGE Yep. SAM Hey, hey! (to Harry) Harry! You're the guy I want to see. The Coach has heard all about you. HARRY He has? SAM Yeah. He's followed every game and his mouth's watering. He wants me to find out if you're going to come along with us. HARRY Well, I eh, I gotta make some dough first. SAM Well, you'd better make it fast. We need great ends like you. (to George)...not broken-down old guys like this one! Hee-haw! GEORGE Hee-haw! PARTRIDGE George! Welcome back! GEORGE Hello, Mr. Partridge, how are you? PARTRIDGE Putting a pool under this floor was a great idea. Saved us another building. Now, Harry, Sam, have a lot of fun. There's lots of stuff here to eat and drink. Lots of pretty girls around. VIOLET Hey, George... GEORGE Hello, Violet. How are you... VIOLET Hello. What am I bid? MARTY George... GEORGE Marty. Well, it's old home week. SAM Marty! Glad to see you. MARTY Do me a favor, will you, George? GEORGE What's that? MARTY Well, you remember my kid sister, Mary? GEORGE Oh, yeah. Yeah. SAM "Mamma wants you, Marty." "Mama wants you." Remember? MARTY Dance with her, will you? GEORGE Oh, me? Oh, well, I feel funny enough already, with all these kids. MARTY Aw, come on. Be a sport. Just dance with her one time and you'll give her the thrill of her life. SAM Aw, go on. MARTY Hey, sis! GEORGE And don't be long, Marty! I don't want to be a wet nurse for... FREDDIE And the next thing I knew, some guy came up and tripped me. That's the reason why I came in fourth. If it hadn't been for that, that race would have been a cinch. I tried to find out who it was later but I couldn't find out. Nobody'd ever tell you who...whoever, whoever it was because they'd be scared. They know what kind of a guy I am... MARTY You remember George? This is Mary. Well, I'll be seeing you. GEORGE Well...well...well... FREDDIE Now, to get back to my story, see... Hey, this is my dance. GEORGE Oh, why don't you stop annoying people? FREDDIE Well, I'm sorry. Hey! GEORGE Well, hello. MARY Hello. You look at me as if you didn't know me. GEORGE Well, I don't. MARY You've passed me on the street almost every day. GEORGE Me?! MARY Uh-huh. GEORGE Uh-uh. That was a little girl named Mary Hatch. That wasn't you. HARRY O-yes, o-yes, o-yes! The big Charleston contest! The prize? A genuine loving cup! Those not tapped by the judges will remain on the floor. Let's go! GEORGE I'm not very good at this. MARY Neither am I. GEORGE Okay. What can we lose? Hey, you're wonderful! MICKY What's the matter, Othello, jealous? Did you know there's a swimming pool under this floor? And did you know that button behind you causes this floor to open up? And did you further know that George Bailey is dancing right over that crack? And I've got the key? PARTRIDGE Stand back, everybody! Stand back! GEORGE They're cheering us. We must be good. PARTRIDGE Get out! Oh, well... (00:24:22) GEORGE&MARY (singing) Buffalo Gals, can't you come out tonight? Can't you come out tonight? Can't you come out tonight? Buffalo Gals, can't you come out tonight? And dance by the light of the moon. GEORGE Oh, Hot dog! Just like an organ. MARY Beautiful. GEORGE I told Harry I thought I'd be bored to death. You, you should have seen the commotion in that locker room. I, I had to knock off three people to get this stuff we're wearing here. Here, let me, let me hold that old wet dress of yours. MARY Do I look as funny as you do? GEORGE I guess I'm not quite the football type. I... You, you look wonderful! You know, if it wasn't me talking I'd say you were the prettiest girl in town. MARY Well, why don't you say it? GEORGE Well, I don't know. Maybe I will say it. How old are you anyway? MARY Eighteen. GEORGE Eighteen?! Why, it was only last year you were seventeen. MARY Too young or too old? GEORGE Oh, no, no. Just right. Your age fits you. Yes, sir, you look a little older without your clothes on. I, I mean, without a dress. You look older. I, I mean, younger. You look...y-y-you just look... Oh, oh! MARY Oh, oh! GEORGE Oh, no. I wanna... MARY Sir, my train, please! GEORGE A pox upon me for a clumsy lout. Your...your caboose, me lady. MARY You may kiss my hand. GEORGE Ummm. Hey. Hey, Mary. MARY (singing) As I was lumbering down the street, down the street, down the street... GEORGE Okay then, I'll throw a rock at the old Granville house. MARY Oh, no, don't! I-I love that old house. GEORGE No. You see, you make a wish and then try and break some glass. And you got to be a pretty good shot nowadays, too. MARY Oh, no, George, don't. It's full of romance, that old place. I'd like to live in it. GEORGE In that place?! MARY Uh-huh. GEORGE I wouldn't live in it as a ghost. Now watch. There's a window right on the second floor there, see? MARY What did you wish, George? GEORGE Well, not just one wish. A whole hatful. Mary, I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that. I'm shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon...the Colesseum. Then I'm coming back here and go to college and see what they know and then I'm going to build things. I'm gonna build air fields. I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high. I'm gonna build bridges a mile long. Well, are you gonna throw a rock? Hey, that's pretty good. What'd you wish, Mary? MARY Buffalo Gals, Can't you come out tonight? MARY&GEORGE Can't you come out tonight? Can't you come out tonight? Buffalo Gal, Can't you come out tonight? And dance by the light of the moon. GEORGE What'd you wish when you threw that rock? MARY Oh, no. GEORGE Come on, tell me. MARY If I told you, it might not come true. GEORGE What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You, you want the moon?! Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey, that's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary. MARY I'll take it. Then what? GEORGE Well then, you could swallow it, and it'd all dissolve, see? And the moon beams'd shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair. Am I talking too much? OLD MAN Yes! Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death? GEORGE How's that? OLD MAN Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death? GEORGE Want me to kiss her, huh? OLD MAN Aw, youth is wasted on the wrong people! GEORGE Hey, hey, hold on. Hey, mister, come on back out here. I'll show you some kissing that'll put hair back on your head. What are you... Mary? Okay, I give up. Where are you? MARY Over here, in the hydrangea bushes. GEORGE Here you are. Catch. Wait a minute. What am I doing? This is a very interesting situation! MARY Please give me my robe. GEORGE Hmm. A man doesn't get in a situation like this every day. MARY I'd like to have my robe. GEORGE Not in Bedford Falls anyway. MARY Ooooouch! Oh! GEORGE Gesundheit. MARY George Bailey! GEORGE This requires a little thought here. MARY Give me my robe! GEORGE I've read about things like this, but I never... MARY Shame on you! I'm going to tell your mother on you! GEORGE Oh, my mother's way up on the corner over there. MARY I'll call the police! GEORGE They're way downtown. They'd be on my side, too. MARY Then, then, then I'm going to scream! GEORGE Maybe I could sell tickets. Let's see. No, no, the point is, in order to get this robe... I've got it. I'll make a deal with you, Mary. UNCLE BILLY George! George! George! Come on home. Quick. You father's had a stroke! GEORGE What?! Mary! Mary, I'm sorry. I've got to go. HARRY Come on, George. Let's hurry! GEORGE Did you get a doctor? UNCLE BILLY Yes. Campbell's there now. (00:30:05) CAMPBELL I think that's all we'll need you for, George, I know you're anxious to make a train. GEORGE I have a taxi waiting downstairs. CAMPBELL I want the Board to know that George gave up his trip to Europe to help straighten things out here these past few months. Good luck to you at school, George. GEORGE Thanks. MEMBERS Good luck! So long! CAMPBELL Now we come to the real purpose of this meeting...to appoint a successor to our dear friend, Peter Bailey. POTTER Mr. Chairman, I'd like to get to my real purpose. MAN Wait just a minute now. POTTER Wait for what? I claim this institution is not necessary to this town. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I make a motion to dissolve this institution and turn its assets and liabilities over to the receiver. UNCLE BILLY Potter, you dirty, contemptible... I'll wring his neck, so help me, George, you hear what that buzzard... LAWYER Mr. Chairman, it's too soon after Peter Bailey's death to talk about chloroforming the Building and Loan. MAN Peter Bailey died three months ago. I second Mr. Potter's motion. CAMPBELL Very well. In that case, I'll ask the two executive officers to withdraw. But before you go, I'm sure the whole Board wishes to express its deep sorrow at the passing of Peter Bailey. GEORGE Thank you very much. CAMPBELL It was his faith and devotion that are responsible for this organization. POTTER I'll go further than that. I'll say that to the public, Peter Bailey was the Building and Loan. UNCLE BILLY Oh, that's fine, Potter, coming from you, considering that you probably drove him to his grave. POTTER Peter Bailey was not a business man. That's what killed him. Oh, I don't mean any disrespect to him, God rest his soul. He was a man of high ideals, so-called. But ideals without common sense can ruin this town. Now, you take this loan here to Ernie Bishop...you know, that fellow that sits around all day on his brains in his taxi, you know. I happen to know the bank turned down this loan, but he comes here and we're building him a house worth five thousand dollars. Why? GEORGE Well, I handled that, Mr. Potter. You have all the papers there. His salary, insurance. I can personally vouch for his character. POTTER A friend of yours. GEORGE Yes, sir. POTTER You see, if you shoot pool with some employee here, you can come and borrow money. What does that get us? A discontented, lazy rabble instead of a thrifty working class. And all because a few starry-eyed dreamers like Peter Bailey stir them up and fill their heads with a lot of impossible ideas. Now, I say... GEORGE Just a minute. Just a...Just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You're right when you say my father was no business man. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know. But neither you nor anybody else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was... Why, in the twenty-five years since he and Uncle Billy started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry to school, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter. And what's wrong with that? Why...here, you are all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You...you said that uh...what'd you say just a minute ago... They, they had to wait and save their money before they even thought of a decent home. Wait! Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken-down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about...they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, it is too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book, he died a much richer man than you'll ever be. POTTER I'm not interested in your book. I'm talking about the Building and Loan. GEORGE I know very well what you're talking about. You're talking about something you can't get your fingers on, and it's galling you. That's what you're talking about, I know. Well, I, I, I've said too much. I... You're, you're the Board here. You do what you want with this thing. There's j-just one thing more though. This town needs this measly one-horse institution if only to have some place where people can come without crawling to Potter. Come on, Uncle Billy. POTTER Sentimental hogwash. I want my motion. UNCLE BILLY Oh boy, that was telling him, George, old boy. You shut his big mouth. (to Cousin Tilly and Cousin Eustace) You should have heard him. EUSTACE What happened? We heard a lot of yelling. UNCLE BILLY Well, we're being voted out of business after twenty-five years. Easy come, easy go. COUSIN TILLY Here it is. "Help wanted - Female." ERNIE You still want me hang around, George? GEORGE Yeah, I'll be right down. UNCLE BILLY Hey, you'll miss your train. You're a week late for school already. Go on. GEORGE What's going on in there? UNCLE BILLY Oh, never mind. Don't worry about that. They're putting us out of business. So what? I can get another job. I'm only fifty-five. COUSIN TILLY Fifty-six. UNCLE BILLY Go on, go on. Hey, look, you gave up your boat trip, now you don't want to miss college, too, do you? CAMPBELL George! George! They voted Potter down. They want to keep it going. UNCLE BILLY Whoopee! CAMPBELL You did it, George, you did it. But they got one condition, only one condition. GEORGE What's that? CAMPBELL That's the best part of it. They've appointed George here as Executive Secretary to take his father's place. GEORGE Oh, no! But, Uncle Billy... CAMPBELL You can keep him on. That's all right. As Secretary you can hire anyone you like. GEORGE Dr. Campbell, now let's get this thing straight. I'm leaving. I'm leaving right now. I'm going to school. This is my last chance. Uncle Billy here, he's your man. CAMPBELL But, George, they'll vote with Potter otherwise. CLARENCE I know, I know, he didn't go. JOSEPH That's right. Not only that, but he gave his school money to his brother, Harry, and sent him to college. Harry became a football star. Made second team All-American. CLARENCE Yeah, but what happened to George? JOSEPH George got four years older, waiting for Harry to come back and take over the Building and Loan. (00:35:38) GEORGE Oh, there are plenty of jobs around for somebody that likes to travel. Look at this. There...Venezuela oil fields - Wanted. Man with construction experience. Here's the Yukon, oh, right here - wanted - man with engineering experience. There she blows. You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are? UNCLE BILLY Uh-huh. Breakfast is served, lunch is served, dinner... GEORGE No, no, no, no! Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles. UNCLE BILLY Peanut? GEORGE There's the Professor now. Old Professor Phil Beta Kappa Bailey! All-American. HARRY (overlapping) Well, if it isn't old George Geographic Explorer Bailey. What? No husky dogs? No sled? Uncle Billy, you haven't changed a bit. UNCLE BILLY Nobody ever changes here, you know that. GEORGE Oh, am I glad to see you. HARRY Say, where's mother? GEORGE She's home, cooking the fatted calf. Come on. Let's go. HARRY Oh, wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute. George, Uncle Billy, I want you to meet Ruth. GEORGE Hello. UNCLE BILLY How do you do. HARRY Ruth Dakin. RUTH Ruth Dakin Bailey, if you don't mind. UNCLE BILLY Huh? HARRY Well, I wired you I had a surprise. Here she is. Meet the wife. UNCLE BILLY Well, what do you know - wife. GEORGE Well, how do you do. Congratulations. What am I doing? Congratulations! They're married...why didn't you tell somebody? UNCLE BILLY ...Oh, I can't wait to see Tilly's face. Did you really marry him? RUTH Why, yes... GEORGE (to Ruth) What's a pretty girl like you doing marrying this two- headed brother of mine? RUTH Well, I tell you. It's purely mercenary. My father offered him a job. UNCLE BILLY Oh, he gets you and a job? Well, Harry's cup runneth over. HARRY Uh, George, about that job, Ruth spoke out of turn. I never said I'd take it. You've been holding the bag here for four years, and...well, I won't let you down, George. I would like to... Oh, wait a minute. I forgot the bags. I'll be right back. UNCLE BILLY It was a surprise to me. This is the new Mrs. Bailey, my nephew's wife. Old, old friends of the family. RUTH Oh, of course, I've heard him speak of you. UNCLE BILLY And I want you to tell you, we're going to give the biggest party this town ever saw. RUTH Here, have some popcorn. George, George, George, that's all Harry ever talks about. GEORGE Uh, uh, uh, Ruth, uh, this, uh, what about this job? RUTH Oh, well, my father owns a glass factory in Buffalo. He wants to get Harry started in the research business. GEORGE Well, is it a good job? RUTH Oh, yes, very. Not much money, but, uh, good future, you know. GEORGE I know. RUTH Harry's a genius at research. My father just fell in love with him. GEORGE And you did, too. (00:38:14) UNCLE BILLY Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I feel so good. I could spit in Potter's eye. I think I will. I think I will. What did you say? Huhh? Oh, maybe I'd better go home. Where's my hat? Where's my... Oh! Oh, thank you, George, which is mine? GEORGE The middle one. UNCLE BILLY Oh, thank you, George, old boy, old boy. Now, look, if you'll point me in the right direction...would you do that, George? GEORGE Right down here. UNCLE BILLY Oh...Old Building and Loan pal, huh... GEORGE Now you just turn this way and go right straight down there. UNCLE BILLY That way, huh? (singing) My Wild Irish rose... I'm all right. I'm all right. (singing) The sweetest flower that grows... GEORGE Hello, Mom. MOTHER That's for nothing. How do you like her? GEORGE Oh, she's swell. MOTHER Looks like she can keep Harry on his toes. GEORGE Keep him out of Bedford Falls anyway. MOTHER Did you know that Mary Hatch is back from school? GEORGE Uh-huh. MOTHER Came back three days ago. GEORGE Hmmm... MOTHER Nice girl, Mary. GEORGE Hmmm. MOTHER Kind that will help you find the answers, George. GEORGE Hmmm... MOTHER Oh, stop that grunting. GEORGE Hmmm. MOTHER Can you give me one good reason why you shouldn't call on Mary? GEORGE Sure - Sam Wainwright. MOTHER Hmmm? GEORGE Yes, Sam's crazy about Mary. MOTHER Well, she's not crazy about him. GEORGE Well, how do you know? Well, did she discuss it with you? MOTHER No. GEORGE Well then, how do you know? MOTHER Well, I've got eyes, haven't I? Why, she lights up like a firefly whenever you're around. GEORGE Oh... MOTHER And besides, Sam Wainwright's away in New York and you're here in Bedford Falls. GEORGE And all's fair in love and war. MOTHER Well, I don't know about war. GEORGE Mother of mine, I can see right through you, right to your back collar button...trying to get rid of me, huh? MOTHER Uh-huh. GEORGE Well, here's your hat, what's your hurry. All right, Mother, Old Building and Loan pal, I think I'll go out and find the girl and do a little passionate necking. MOTHER Oh, George... GEORGE Now if you'll just point me in the right direction...this direction? Good night, Mrs. Bailey. VIOLET (to the two men) Excuse me... MAN 1 Now, wait a minute. VIOLET I think I got a date. But uh, stick around, fellows, just in case, huh? MAN 2 We'll wait for you, baby. VIOLET Hello, George-Porgie! GEORGE What? VIOLET Hey, uh...What gives? GEORGE Nothing. VIOLET Where are you going? GEORGE Oh, I'm...probably end up down at the library. VIOLET Georgie, don't you ever get tired of just reading about things? GEORGE Yes. What are you doing tonight? VIOLET Not a thing. GEORGE Are you game, Violet? Let's make a night of it. VIOLET Oh, I'd love it, Georgie. What'll we do? GEORGE Let's go out in the fields and take off our shoes, and walk through the grass. VIOLET Huh? GEORGE Then we can to up to the falls. It's beautiful up there in the moonlight, and there's a green pool up there, and we can, uh, s- swim in it. Then we can climb Mt. Bedford, and smell the pines and watch the sunrise against the peaks, and we'll stay up there the whole night, and everybody'll be talking and there'll be a terrific scandal... VIOLET Georgie, have you gone crazy? Walk in the grass in my bare feet? Why, it's ten miles up to Mt. Bedford. GEORGE Shhh... VIOLET You think just because you... GEORGE O-O-Okay, just forget about the whole thing. MARY What are you doing, picketing? GEORGE Hello, Mary. I just happened to be passing by. MARY Yes, so I noticed. Have you made up your mind? GEORGE How's that? MARY Have you made up your mind? GEORGE About what? MARY About coming in. Your mother just phoned and said you were on your way over to pay me a visit. GEORGE My mother just called you? Well, how did she know? MARY Didn't you tell her? GEORGE I didn't tell anybody. I just went for a walk and happened to be passing by, idiot. What do you... went for a walk. That's all. MARY I'll be downstairs, mother. MRS. HATCH All right, dear. (00:44:03) MARY Well, are you coming in or aren't you? GEORGE Well, I'll come in for a minute. But I... I didn't tell anybody I was coming over here, you know. When did you get back? MARY Tuesday. GEORGE Where'd you get that dress? MARY Do you like it? GEORGE It's all right. I thought you'd go back to New York like Sam and Angie, and the rest of them. MARY Oh, oh, I worked there a couple of vacations. But... I don't know... I-I guess I was homesick. GEORGE Homesick? For Bedford Falls? MARY Yes, and my family, and... Oh, everything. Would you like to sit down? GEORGE All right, for a minute. I-I still can't understand it though. You know I didn't tell anybody I was coming here. MARY Would you rather leave? GEORGE No, I don't want to be rude. MARY Well, then sit down. GEORGE What's this? Some joke, huh? Well, I see it still smells like pine needles around here. MARY Thank you. (sings) And dance by the... GEORGE What's the matter? Oh, oh, yeah...yeah... Well, I... MARY It was nice about your brother Harry, and Ruth, isn'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. Uh, marriage is all right for Harry and Marty and Sam and you. MRS. HATCH Mary! Mary! Who's down there with you? MARY It's George Bailey, Mother. GEORGE George Bailey?! What's he want? MARY I don't know. (to George) What do you want? GEORGE Me? Not a thing. I-I just came in to get warm. MARY He's making violent love to me, Mother. MRS. HATCH 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 But your mother needn't... You know I - I didn't come here to... MARY What did you come here for then? GEORGE I don't know. You tell me. You're supposed to be the one that has all the answers. You tell me. MARY Why don't you go home? GEORGE That's where I'm going. I don't know why I came here in the first place. Good night. MARY Good night! MRS. HATCH Mary! Mary! The telephone. It's Sam! MARY I'll get it. MRS. HATCH Whatever were you doing that you couldn't hear? Mary, he's waiting! MARY (into phone) Hello. GEORGE I forgot my hat. MARY (into phone) Hee-haw! Hello, Sam, how are you? SAM (over phone) Aw, I'm great. Gee, it's good to hear your voice again. MARY : (into phone) Oh, well, that's awfully sweet of you, Sam. There's an old friend of yours here. George Bailey. SAM (over phone) You mean old moss-back George? MARY (into phone) Yes. Old moss-back George. SAM (over phone) Hee-haw! Put him on. MARY (into phone) W-Wait just a minute. I-I'll call him. George! MRS. HATCH He doesn't want to speak to George, you idiot! MARY He does so. He asked for him. Geo-George! George, Sam wants to speak to you. GEORGE (into phone) Hi, Sam. SAM (into phone) Well, George Bailoffski! Hey, a fine pal you are. What're you trying to do? Steal my girl? GEORGE (into phone) W-W-What do you mean? Nobody's trying to steal anybody's girl. H-Here...here's Mary. SAM (over phone) No, no, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I want to talk to both of you. GEORGE (to Mary) Here to you. SAM (over phone) Tell Mary to get on the extension. GEORGE (to Mary) You tell him. MARY (to George) Mother's on the extension. We... MRS. HATCH I am not! MARY (into phone) We can both hear. (to George) Come here. (to Sam) We-We're listening, Sam. SAM (over phone) Well look, 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, eh, you told me you read someplace about making plastics out of soybeans? MAN Jelly beans? SAM Shut up, will you? (over phone) Do you remember out of jelly- ...out of soybeans? GEORGE (into phone) Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah...soybeans. Yeah. SAM (over phone) Well, listen. Dad snapped up the idea. And he's going to build a factory outside of Rochester. How do you like that? GEORGE (into phone) Rochester? Well, why Rochester? SAM (over phone) Well, why not? Can you think of anything better? GEORGE (into phone) Oh, I don't know... It's just... Why not right here? Y-You remember that...that old tool and machinery works? W-Well, 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 (over phone) Is 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 (into phone) Money? Yeah...well, a little. SAM (over phone) 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. Well, this is the biggest thing since radio. And I'm letting you in on the ground floor. Oh, Mary...Mary... MARY (into phone) Well, I-I'm here. SAM (over phone) Uh, would you tell that guy I'm giving him the chance of a lifetime, you hear? The chance of a lifetime. MARY (to George) H-He says it's the chance of a lifetime. GEORGE (to Mary) 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... Oh, Mary...Mary... MARY George...George...George... GEORGE Mary... Would you? Would you... (00:50:31) COUSIN TILLY Here they come! Here they come! ALL Goodbye. MOTHER (to Annie) First Harry. Now George. Annie, we're just two old maids now. ANNIE You speak for yourself, Mrs. B. ERNIE If either of you two see a stranger around here, it's me. GEORGE Hey, look! There's somebody driving this cab. ERNIE Bert the cop sent this over. He said to float away to Happy Land on the bubbles. GEORGE Oh, look at this. Old Bert. Champagne! MARY Good old Bert. ERNIE By the way, where are you two going on this here now honeymoon? GEORGE Where are we going? Look at this. There's the kitty, Ernie. (to Mary) Here, come on, count it, Mary. MARY I feel like a bootlegger's wife. Look! GEORGE You know what we're going to do? We're going to shoot the works. A whole week in New York. A whole week in Bermuda. The highest hotels, the oldest champagne, the richest caviar, the hottest music, and the prettiest wife! ERNIE Wow! That does it! Then what? GEORGE (to Mary) Then what, honey? MARY After that, who cares? GEORGE That does it, come here, come here, come here! ERNIE Don't look now, but there's something funny going on over there at the bank, George. I've never really seen one, but that's got all the earmarks of being a run. MAN Hey, Ernie, if you got any money in the bank, you better hurry. MARY George, let's not stop. Let's go. GEORGE Just a minute, dear. Oh-oh... MARY Please, let's not stop, George. GEORGE I'll be back in a minute, Mary. (to the crowd) Well, hello, everybody. Mrs. Thompson, how are you? Charlie? What's the matter here, can't you get in? (00:53:15) GEORGE What is this, Uncle Billy? A holiday? UNCLE BILLY George... GEORGE (to the crowd) Come on in, everybody. That's right. Just come on in. Now look, why don't you all sit down? There are a lot of seats over there. Just make yourself at home. UNCLE BILLY George, can I see you a minute? GEORGE Why didn't you call me? UNCLE BILLY I just did, but they said you left. This is a pickle, George. This is a pickle. GEORGE All right now, what happened? How did it start? UNCLE BILLY Well, how does a thing like this ever start? All I know is the bank called our loan. GEORGE When? UNCLE BILLY About an hour ago. I had to hand over all our cash. GEORGE All of it? UNCLE BILLY Every cent of it and it still was less than we owe. GEORGE Holy mackerel! UNCLE BILLY And then I got scared, George, and closed the doors. I...I...I... GEORGE The whole town's gone crazy. UNCLE BILLY Yes, h-hello? (to George) George, it's Potter. GEORGE Hello? POTTER George, there is a rumor around town that you've closed your doors. Is that true? Oh, well, I'm very glad to hear that. George, are you all right? Do you need any police? GEORGE (on phone) Police? What's for? POTTER Well, mobs get pretty ugly sometimes, you know. George, I'm going all out to help in this crisis. I've just guaranteed the bank sufficient funds to meet their needs. They'll close up for a week and then reopen. GEORGE (to Uncle Billy) He just took over the bank. POTTER I may lose a fortune, but I'm willing to guarantee your people too. Just tell them to bring their shares over here, and I will pay fifty cents on the dollar. GEORGE Aw, you never miss a trick, do you, Potter? Well, you're gonna miss this one. POTTER If you close your doors before six P.M., you will never reopen. UNCLE BILLY George, was it a nice wedding? Gosh, I wanted to be there. GEORGE Yeah... You can take this one off now. (to the crowd) Now, just remember that this thing isn't as black as it appears. I have some news for you folks. I was just talking to old man Potter and he's guaranteed cash payments at the bank. The bank's going to reopen next week. ED But, George, I got my money here. CHARLIE Did he guarantee this place? GEORGE Well, no, Charlie. I didn't even ask him. We don't need Potter over here. CHARLIE I'll take mine now. GEORGE No, but you...you...you're thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in a safe. The, the money's not here. Well, your money's in Joe's house...that's right next to yours. And in the Kennedy House, and Mrs. Macklin's house, and, and a hundred others. Why, you're lending them the money to build, and then, they're going to pay it back to you as best they can. Now what are you going to do? Foreclose on them? TOM I got two hundred and forty-two dollars in here and two hundred and forty-two dollars isn't going to break anybody. GEORGE Okay, Tom. All right. Here you are. You sign this. You'll get your money in sixty days. TOM Sixty days? GEORGE Well, now that's what you agreed to when you bought you shares. RANDALL (to Tom) Tom...Tom... Did you get your money? TOM No. RANDALL Well, I did. Old man Potter'll pay fifty cents on the dollar for every share you got. CROWD Fifty cents on the dollar! RANDALL Yes, cash! TOM (to George) Well, what do you say? GEORGE Now, Tom, you have to stick to your original agreement. Now give us sixty days on this. TOM Okay, Randall. MRS. THOMSON Are you going to go to Potter's? TOM Better get half than nothing. GEORGE Tom! Tom! Randall, now wait a minute, wait...now listen...now listen to me. I-I beg of you not to do this thing. If Potter gets ahold of this Building and Loan, there'll never be another decent house built in this town. He's already got charge of the bank. He's got the bus line. He's got the department stores. And now he's after us. Why? Well, it's very simple. Because we're cutting in on his business, that's why. And because he wants to keep you living in his slums and paying the kind of rent he decides. Joe, you had one of those Potter houses, didn't you? Well, have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what he charged for that broken- down shack? (to Ed) Here, Ed. You know, you remember last year when things weren't going so well, you couldn't make your payments. You didn't lose your house, did you? Do you think Potter would have let you keep it? Ca-Can't you understand what's happening here? Don't you see what's happening? Potter isn't selling. Potter's buying. And why? Because we're panicky and he's not. That's why. He's picking up some bargains. Now, We-We can get through this thing all right. We-We've got to stick together, though. We've got to have faith in each other. MRS. THOMSON But my husband hasn't worked in over a year and I need money. WOMAN How am I going to live until the bank opens? MAN 1 I got doctor bills to pay. MAN 2 I need cash. MAN 3 I can't feed my kids on faith. MARY How much do you need? GEORGE Hey! I got two thousand dollars. Here's two thousand dollars. This'll tide us over until the bank reopens. (to Tom) All right, Tom, how much do you need? TOM Two hundred and forty-two dollars. GEORGE Aw, Tom, just enough to tide you over till the bank reopens. TOM I'll take two hundred and forty-two dollars. GEORGE There you are. TOM That'll close my account. GEORGE Your account's still here. That's a loan. (to Ed) Okay. All right, Ed? ED I got three hundred dollars here, George. GEORGE Alright, now, Ed...wh-wh-what'll it take till the bank opens? What do you need? ED Well, I-I suppose twenty dollars. GEORGE Twenty dollars. Now you're talking. Fine. Thanks, Ed. (to Mrs. Thompson) All right now, Mrs. Thompson, how much do you want? MRS. THOMSON But it's your own money, George. GEORGE Never mind about that. How much do you want? MRS. THOMSON I can get along with twenty, all right. GEORGE Twenty dollars. MRS. THOMSON And I'll sign a paper. GEORGE You don't have to sign anything. I know you-you'll pay it when you can. That's okay. (to Mrs. Davis) All right, Mrs. Davis? MRS. DAVIS Could I have seventeen-fifty? GEORGE Seven... Bless your heart, of course you can have it. You got fifty cents? Seven... UNCLE BILLY We're going to make it, George. They'll never close us up today! GEORGE (overlapping) Six, five, four, three, two, one...Bingo! We made it. Close the door, Ernie. We made it. Look. Look, we're still in business. We're still got two bucks left. Well, look, let's have some of that. Let's celebrate, huh. G-Get some glasses, Tilly. (to Uncle Billy) Well, a couple of financial wizards. UNCLE BILLY Those Rockefellers. GEORGE (to Eustace) Get a tray for these two great big important simoleans here. UNCLE BILLY We'll save them for seed. A toast. GEORGE A toast! A toast to Mama Dollar and to Papa Dollar, and if you want to keep this old Building and Loan in business, you better have a family real quick. COUSIN TILLY I wish they were rabbits. GEORGE I wish they were, too. Okay, let's put them in safe and see what happens. EUSTACE Folks, folks, wedding cigars! GEORGE Oh-oh...wedding! Holy mackerel, I'm married! Where's Mary? Mary... Well, poor Mary. Look, I've got a train to catch. Well, the train's gone. I wonder if Ernie's still here with his taxicab? COUSIN TILLY George, there's a call for you. GEORGE Look, will you get my wife on the phone? She's probably over at her mother's. COUSIN TILLY Mrs. Bailey is on the phone. GEORGE I don't want Mrs. Bailey. I want my wife. Mrs. Bailey! Mrs...oh, that's my wife. Here, I'll take it in here. (into phone) Mary! Hello. Listen, dear. I'm sorry... What? Come home? What home? Three-twenty Sycamore? Well, what...whose home is that? The Waldorf Hotel, huh? (01:00:34) MAN Hey, this is the company's posters, and the company won't like this. BERT How would you like to get a ticket next week? Haven't you any romance in you? MAN Sure I have, but I got rid of it. BERT Liver pills! Who wants to see liver pills on their honeymoon? What we want is romantic places, beautiful places...places George wants to go. ERNIE Hey, Bert. Here he comes. BERT (to the man) Come on, we got to get this up. He's coming. MAN Who? BERT The groom, idiot. This is their honeymoon. Come on. Get that ladder. MAN What are they - ducks? BERT Get that ladder up here. MAN All right, all right. BERT Hurry up. Hurry up. Hurry up. MAN I'm hurrying. ERNIE Hiya...Geo...uh...good evening, sir. Entree, Monsieur. Entree. SINGING Islands of Hawaii, Where skies of blue are calling me. Where balmy air and golden moonlight caress The waving palms of Waikiki. MARY Welcome home, Mr. Bailey. GEORGE Well, I'll be... Mary, where did you... ERNIE&BERT (singing) I Love You Truly, Truly, Dear. Life with Its Shadows, Life with Its Tears. GEORGE Oh, Mary... MARY Remember the night we broke the windows in this old house? This is what I wished for. GEORGE Darling, you're wonderful. ERNIE&BERT (singing) Fade into Dreams, When I Feel You Are Near, I Love You Truly, Truly, Dear. (01:04:03) SCHULTS Martini, you rented a new house? MARTINI Rent? (to George) You hear what he say, Mr. Bailey? GEORGE What's that? MARTINI I own the house. Me, Giuseppe Martini, I own my own house. No more we live like pigs in this Potter's Field. MARTINI (to his wife) Hurry, Marie! GEORGE Come on...(to Mary) Bring the baby. MARIE This is like a dream! GEORGE (to Martini) I'll take the kids in the car. MARTINI Oh, thank you, Mr. Bailey. GEORGE (to children) All right, kids. Here. Get in here. Now get right up on the seat there. Get the...get the dog! You've got a goat too! All right. Goodbye. MARTINI Goodbye, everybody! GEORGE All in. GEORGE Mr. and Mrs. Martini, welcome home. SAM Good old George. He's always making a speech. Hee-haw! GEORGE : (to Mary) Sam Wainwright! MARY Oh, who cares! (to Mrs. Martini) Bread! That this house may never know hunger. Salt! That life may always have flavor! GEORGE And wine!! That joy and prosperity may reign forever. Enter the Martini castle! REINEMAN Look, Mr. Potter, it's no skin off my nose. I'm just your little rent collector. But you can't laugh off this Bailey Park anymore. Look at it. SECRETARY (over inter-office phone) Congressman Black is here to see you. POTTER (into inter-office phone) Oh, tell the congressman to wait. (to Reineman) Go on. REINEMAN Fifteen years ago, a half-dozen houses stuck here and there. There's the old cemetery, squirrels, buttercups, daisies. I used to hunt rabbits there myself. Look at it today. Dozens of the prettiest little homes you ever saw. Ninety per cent owned by suckers who used to pay rent to you! Your Potter's Field, my dear Mr. Employer, is becoming just that. And are the local yokels making with those David and Goliath wisecracks. POTTER Oh, they are, are they? Even though they know the Baileys never made a dime out of it. REINEMAN You know very well why, the Baileys were all chumps. Every one of these homes is worth twice what it cost the Building and Loan to build. If I were you, Mr. Potter... POTTER Well, you are not me. REINEMAN As I say, it's no skin off my nose. But one of these days this bright young man is going to be asking George Bailey for a job. POTTER The Bailey family has been a boil on my neck long enough. SECRETARY (over inter-office phone) Yes, sir? POTTER (into inter-office phone) Come in here. SAM We just stopped in town to take a look at the new factory, and then we're going to drive on down to Florida. GEORGE Oh... JANE Why don't you have your friends join us? SAM Why, sure. (to George) Hey, why don't you kids drive down with us, huh? GEORGE Oh, I'm afraid I couldn't get away, Sam. SAM Still got the nose to the old grindstone, eh? Jane, I offered to let George in on the ground floor in plastics and he turned me down cold. GEORGE Oh, now don't rub it in. SAM I'm not rubbing it in. Well, I guess we better run along. JANE Awfully glad to have met you, Mary. MARY Nice meeting you. GEORGE Goodbye. JANE Goodbye, George. SAM So long, George. See you in the funny papers. GEORGE Goodbye, Sam. SAM So long, Mary. MARY So long, Sam. Have fun. GEORGE Thanks for dropping around. SAM Florida! (to George) Hee-haw! GEORGE Hee-haw. (01:07:50) GEORGE Thank you, sir. Quite a cigar, Mr. Potter. POTTER You like it? I'll send you a box. GEORGE Well, I, uh, I suppose I'll find out sooner or later, but just what exactly did you want to see me about? POTTER George, now that's just what I like so much about you. George, I'm an old man, and most people hate me. But I don't like them, either, so that that makes it all even. You know, just as well as I do, that I run practically everything in this town but the Bailey Building and Loan. You know, also, that for a number of years I've been trying to get control of it or kill it. But I haven't been able to do it. You have been stopping me. In fact, you have beaten me, George, and as anyone in this county can tell you, that takes some doing. Take during the depression, for instance. You and I were the only ones that kept our heads. You saved the Building and Loan, I saved all the rest. GEORGE Yeah. Well, most people say you stole all the rest. POTTER The envious ones say that, George, the suckers. Now, I have stated my side very frankly. Now, let's look at your side. Young man, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, married, making say...forty a week. GEORGE Forty-five! POTTER Forty-five. Forty-five. Out of which, after supporting your mother and paying your bills, you're able to keep, say ten, if you skimp. A child or two comes along, and you won't even be able to save the ten. Now, if this young man of twenty-eight was a common, ordinary yokel, I'd say he was doing fine. But, George Bailey is not a common, ordinary yokel. He's an intelligent, smart, ambitious young man, who hates his job, who hates the Building and Loan, almost as much as I do. A young man who's been dying to get out on his own ever since he was born. A young man...the smartest one of the crowd, mind you, a young man who has to sit by and watch his friends go places, because he's trapped. Yes, sir, trapped into frittering his life away playing nursemaid to a lot of garlic-eaters. Do I paint a correct picture, or do I exaggerate? GEORGE Oh, what's your point, Mr. Potter? POTTER My point? My point is, I want to hire you. GEORGE Hire me? POTTER I want you to manage my affairs, run my properties. George, I'll start you out at twenty thousand dollars a year. GEORGE Twenty thous...twenty thousand dollars a year? POTTER You wouldn't mind living in the nicest house in town, buying your wife a lot of fine clothes, a couple of business trips to New York a year, maybe once in a while Europe. You wouldn't mind that, would you, George? GEORGE Would I? Y-You're not talking to somebody else around here, are you? you know, th-this is me, you remember me? George Bailey. POTTER Oh, yes, George Bailey. Whose ship has just come in, provided he has enough brains to climb aboard. GEORGE Holy mackerel! Well, how about the Building and Loan? POTTER Oh, confound it, man! Are you afraid of success? I'm offering you a three-year contract at twenty thousand dollars a year, starting today. Is it a deal, or isn't it? GEORGE Well, Mr. Potter, I...I...I know I ought to jump at the chance but I...I just, uh, I-I wonder if-if it would be possible for you to give me twenty-four hours to think it over? POTTER Sure, sure, sure. You go on home and talk about it to your wife. GEORGE I'd like to do that. POTTER Yeah. In the meantime, I'll draw up the papers. GEORGE All right, sir. POTTER Okay, George? GEORGE Okay, Mr. Potter. No, no, no, no. Wait a minute here. Wait a minute. I don't need twenty-four hours. I, I don't have to talk to anybody. I know right now, and the answer is no! No! Doggone it! You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn't, Mr. Potter. In the...in the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider. You...and that goes for you, too. And it goes for you, too. (01:12:59) POTTER (v.o.)If you wouldn't mind living in the nicest house in town. Buying your wife a lot of fine clothes. Going to New York on a business trip a couple of times a year. Maybe to Europe once in a while. GEORGE (v.o.)I know what I'm going to do tomorrow and the next day and next year and the hear after that. I'm shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet, and I'm going to see the world and then I'm going to build things. I'm going to build air fields. I'm going to build skyscrapers a hundred stories high. I'm going to build a bridge a mile long. What is it you want, Mary? What? Y-You want the moon? If you do, just say the word, I'll throw a lasso around it and pulls her down for you. MARY (singing) Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight, Won't you come out tonight, Won't you come out tonight. Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight, And... GEORGE Hi. MARY Hi. GEORGE Mary Hatch! Wh-Why in the world did you ever marry a guy like me? MARY To keep from being an old maid. GEORGE You could have married Sam Wainwright and anybody else in town. MARY I didn't want to marry anybody else in town. I want my baby to look like you. GEORGE You didn't even have a honeymoon. I promised you...your what? MARY My baby. GEORGE You...You-You-You-You-You-You-You...Mary, you're on the nest? MARY George Bailey lassoes stork. GEORGE Lassoes the stork! What do you... You mean...you-you-you... What- what-what is it, a boy or a girl? MARY Uh-hm. JOSEPH Now, you've probably already guessed that George never leaves Bedford Falls. CLARENCE No! JOSEPH Mary had her baby, a boy. Then she had another one, a girl. Day after day she worked away remaking the old Granville house into a home. Night after night, George came back late from the office. Potter was bearing down hard. SIGN READS Checking Station, Recruit Reception Center, Casual Report at side door. JOSEPH Then came a war. Ma Bailey and Mrs. Hatch joined the Red Cross and sewed. Mary had two more babies but still found time to run the U.S.O. Sam Wainwright made a fortune in plastic hoods for planes. Potter became head of the draft board. POTTER One-A...one-A...one-A JOSEPH Gower and Uncle Billy sold war bonds. Bert the cop was wounded in North Africa, got the Silver Star. Ernie, the taxi-driver, parachuted into France. Marty helped capture the Remagen Bridge. Harry, Harry Bailey topped them all. A Navy flier, he shot down fifteen planes. Two of them as they were about to crash into a transport full of soldiers. CLARENCE Yes, but George... JOSEPH George? Four-F on account of his ear, George fought the battle of Bedford Falls. GEORGE Hold on, hold on, hold on now. Don't you know there's a war on? JOSEPH Air raid warden...paper drives...scrap drives...rubber drives... Like everybody else, on V-E day he wept and prayed. On V-J day, he wept and prayed again. FRANKLIN Joseph, now show him what happened today. JOSEPH Yes, sir. This morning, day before Christmas, about ten A.M., Bedford Falls Time. GEORGE Hi, Ernie, look at that. NEWSPAPER READS President Decorates Harry Bailey, Local Boy Winds Congressional Medal of Honor ERNIE Gonna snow again. GEORGE What do you mean it's gonna snow? Look at the headlines. ERNIE I know, I know, George. And it's marvelous. Commander Harry Bailey! GEORGE Mr. Gower, look at this. The second page. Now look, this is for you. This is for you. That's for you. ERNIE Thanks. GEORGE See you again. UNCLE BILLY Be sure you spell the name right. MAN Hello, Billy, how are you? GEORGE Extra! Extra! Read all about it! EUSTACE George! George! It's Harry now on long distance from Washington. GEORGE Harry! What do you know about that! EUSTACE He reversed the charges. It's okay, isn't it? GEORGE Reverse the charges...of course it's for a hero. (into phone) Harry... Oh, you old seven times of a son of a gun. Congratulations! How's mother standing it? She did? What do you know... (to Eustace) Mother had lunch with the President's wife. COUSIN TILLY Wait till Martha hears about this. EUSTACE What did they have to eat? GEORGE (into phone) Wha-What did they have to eat? H-H-Harry, you should see what they're cooking up in the town for you. Oh, they are? (to Eustace) The Navy's going to fly mother home this afternoon. EUSTACE In a plane? GEORGE (into phone) What? Uncle Billy? (to Eustace) Has Uncle Billy come in yet? COUSIN TILLY No, he stopped at the bank first. GEORGE (into phone) No, he's not here right now, Harry. But look... EUSTACE George... GEORGE (into phone) ...tell me about it. EUSTACE ...George, tha-that man's here again. GEORGE What man? EUSTACE B-B-Bank...examiner. GEORGE Oh, oh. (into phone) Uh, uh, Harry, talk to Eustace for a minute, will you? I'll be right back. (to Carter) Well... EUSTACE (into phone) Harry... GEORGE Good morning, sir. CARTER Carter, bank examiner. GEORGE Mr. Carter, Merry Christmas. CARTER Merry Christmas. GEORGE We're all excited around here. My brother just got the Congressional Medal of Honor. The president just decorated him. CARTER Well, I guess they do those things. Well, I trust you had a good year. GEORGE Good year? Uh, well, between you and me, Mr. Carter, we're broke. CARTER Yeah, very funny. GEORGE Uh, w-well... Now, come right in here, Mr. Carter. CARTER Oh, I shouldn't wonder when you okay reverse charges on personal long distance calls. COUSIN TILLY (to George) George, shall we hang up? GEORGE No, no. He wants to talk to Uncle Billy. You just hold on. CARTER Now, if you'll cooperate, I'd like to finish with you by tonight. I want to spend Christmas in Elmira with my family. GEORGE I don't blame you at all, Mr. Carter. Just step right in here. We'll fix you up. (01:19:17) UNCLE BILLY December twenty-fourth...Eight thousand. MEN Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter... UNCLE BILLY Well, good morning, Mr. Potter? What's the news? Oh, well, well, well. Harry Bailey wins Congressional Medal. That couldn't be one of the Bailey boys? You just can't keep those Baileys down, now can you, Mr. Potter. POTTER How does slacker George feel about that? UNCLE BILLY Very jealous. Very jealous. He only lost three buttons off his vest. Of course, slacker George would have gotten two of these medals if he had gone. POTTER Bad ear. UNCLE BILLY Yes. After all, Potter, some people like George had to stay at home. Not every heel was in Germany and Japan. TELLER Oh, good morning, Mr. Bailey. UNCLE BILLY Good morning, Horace. TELLER I guess you forgot something. UNCLE BILLY Huh? TELLER You forgot something. UNCLE BILLY What? TELLER Well, aren't you going to make a deposit? UNCLE BILLY Oh, sure, sure I am. TELLER Well, then it's usually customary to bring the money with you. UNCLE BILLY Huh? Oh, shucks... Well, I knew I had... TELLER How about that finger there? UNCLE BILLY Hmm? Well, I... POTTER Bailey... (to Goon) Take me back there. Hurry up. Come on, look sharp. Take me back. GEORGE Just make yourself at home, Mr. Carter. I'll get those books for you. Oh, hello, Vi. VIOLET George, can I see you for a second? GEORGE Why, of course you can. Come on in the office here. Uncle Billy, talk to Harry. He's on the telephone. COUSIN TILLY Hurry, Uncle Billy, hurry. Long distance, Washington. EUSTACE Hey, here's Harry on the phone. COUSIN TILLY Harry, your nephew, remember? EUSTACE (into phone) Here he is. (to Uncle Billy) Hurry up. UNCLE BILLY (into phone) Hello...hello. Y-Y-Yes, Harry. Yes...everything...everything's fine. I should have my head examined. Eight thousand dollars. It's got to be somewhere. GEORGE Here you are. VIOLET Character? If I had any character, I'd... GEORGE It takes a lot of character to leave your home town and start all over again. VIOLET No, George, don't... GEORGE Now here, now you're broke, aren't you? VIOLET I know, but... GEORGE What do you want to do, hock your furs and that hat? Want to walk to New York? You know, they charge for meals and rent up there just the same as they do in Bedford Falls. VIOLET Yeah, sure. GEORGE It's a loan. That's my business. Building and Loan. Besides, you'll get a job. Good luck to you. VIOLET I'm glad I know you, George Bailey. GEORGE Say hello to New York for me. VIOLET Yeah, yeah...sure, I will. GEORGE Now let's hear from you once in a while. Hmm. Merry Christmas, Violet. VIOLET Merry Christmas, George. CARTER Mr. Bailey. GEORGE Oh, Mr. Carter, I'm sorry. I'll be right with you. (to Tilly) Uncle Billy in? COUSIN TILLY Yeah, he's in his office. GEORGE Unc... What's going on? The bank examiner's here, and I... UNCLE BILLY He's here? GEORGE Yeah, yeah. He wants the accounts payable...What's the matter with you? UNCLE BILLY Come here. GEORGE Eustace. EUSTACE Yeah? GEORGE Come here a minute. Did you see Uncle Billy with any cash last night? EUSTACE He had it on his desk counting it before he closed up. GEORGE Now look, did you buy anything? UNCLE BILLY Nothing. Not even a stick of gum. GEORGE All right, all right. Now, we'll go over every step you took since you left the house. UNCLE BILLY All right. This way. GEORGE And did you put the envelope in your pocket? UNCLE BILLY Yeah...maybe, maybe, maybe... GEORGE Maybe-Maybe! I don't want any maybe. We've got to find that money! UNCLE BILLY I'm no good to you, George. I... GEORGE Uncle Billy, do you... Listen to me, listen to me! Think! Think! UNCLE BILLY I can't think anymore, George. I can't think anymore. It hurts... GEORGE Where's that money, you silly, stupid old fool?! Where's that money? Do you realize what this means? It means bankruptcy and scandal, and prison! That's what it means. One of us is going to jail! Well, it's not gonna be me. (01:24:50) MARY Hello, darling. CHILDREN Hello daddy, hello daddy. MARY How do you like it? We're going to put... CHILDREN&MARY Bless you! MARY Did you bring the wreath? PETE Yes, Daddy, did you bring the Christmas wreath? GEORGE What wreath? MARY Oh, that's the Merry Christmas Wreath for the window. GEORGE No. I left it at the office. MARY Is it snowing? GEORGE Yeah, just started. MARY Where's your coat and hat? GEORGE Left them at the office. MARY What's the matter? GEORGE Nothing's the matter. Everything's all right. MARY (to Pete) Go on, Pete, you're a big boy. You can put the star up. Way up at the top. That's it. All right. Fill in that little bare spot right there. That's it. (to George) Isn't it wonderful about Harry? We're famous, George. I'll bet I had fifty calls today about the parade, the banquet. Your mother's so excited, she... GEORGE Must she keep playing that? JANIE I have to practice it for the party tonight, Daddy. TOMMY Mommy says we can stay up till midnight and sing Christmas carols. Can you sing, Daddy? MARY (to George) Better hurry and shave. The families will be here soon. GEORGE Families! I...I don't want the families over here. MARY Come on out in the kitchen with me while I finish dinner. TOMMY (to George) Excuse me. Excuse me. MARY (to George) Have a hectic day? GEORGE Oh, yeah. Another big red-letter day for the Bailey's. PETE Daddy, the Brown's next door have a new car. You should see it. GEORGE Well, what's the matter with our car? Isn't it good enough for you? PETE Yes, Daddy. TOMMY Excuse me. Excuse me. GEORGE Excuse you for what? TOMMY I burped! MARY All right, darling, you're excused. Now go upstairs and see what little Zuzu wants. GEORGE Zuzu. W-What's the matter with Zuzu? MARY Oh, she's got a cold. She's in bed. Caught it coming home from school. They gave her a flower for a prize and she didn't want to crush it so she didn't button up her coat. GEORGE What is it, a sore throat or what? MARY Just a cold. The doctor says it's nothing serious. GEORGE The doctor? Was the doctor here? MARY Yes, I called him right away. He says it's nothing to worry about. GEORGE Is she running a temperature? What is it? MARY Just a teensy one, ninety-nine, six. She'll be all right. GEORGE Gosh, it's this old house. I don't...I don't know why we don't all have pneumonia. This drafty old barn! Might as well be living in a refrigerator. Why did we have to live here in the first place and stay around this measly, crummy old town? MARY George, what's wrong? GEORGE Wrong? Everything's wrong. You call this a happy family? Why did we have to have all these kids? PETE Dad, how do you spell 'frankincense'? GEORGE I don't know. Why, ask your mother. MARY Where're you going? GEORGE Going up to see Zuzu. PETE He told me to write a play for tomorrow. MARY F-R-A-N-K-I-N... ZUZU Hi, Daddy. GEORGE Well, what happened to you? ZUZU I won a flower. GEORGE Wait now. W-Where do you think you're going? ZUZU Want to give my flower a drink. GEORGE All right, all right, here, give Daddy the flower. I'll give it a drink. All right, here. ZUZU Look, Daddy...paste it. GEORGE Yeah, all right... Now, I'll paste this together. Now, there it is, good as new. All right, give the flower a drink. Now, will you do something for me? ZUZU What? GEORGE Will you try to get some sleep? ZUZU I'm not sleepy. I want to look at my flower. GEORGE I know, I know, but you just go to sleep and then you can dream about it, and it'll be a whole garden. ZUZU It will? GEORGE Uh-huh. JANE&PETE Telephone! MARY I'll get it. (into phone) Hello. Yes, this is Mrs. Bailey. Oh, thank you, Mrs. Welch. I'm sure she'll be all right. The doctor says that she ought to be out of bed in time to have her Christmas dinner. GEORGE Is that Zuzu's teacher? MARY Yes. GEORGE Let me speak to her. (into phone) Hello. Hello, Mrs. Welch? This is George Bailey. I'm Zuzu's father. Say, what kind of a teacher are you anyway? What do you mean sending her home like that, half naked? Do you realize she'll probably end up with pneumonia on account of you? MARY George! GEORGE (into phone) Is this the sort of thing we pay taxes for - to have teachers...to have teachers like you? Stupid, silly, careless people who send our kids home without any clothes on? You know, maybe my kids aren't the best-dressed kids, and maybe they don't have any decent clothes... Aw, that stupid... MARY (into phone) He-Hello, Mrs. Welch. I-I-I want to apologize. Hel- lo...hello... (to George) She's hung up. GEORGE I-I-I'll hang her up. MR. WELCH (over phone) Now, who do you think you are? GEORGE What is that? (into phone) Hello? Who is this? Oh, Mr. Welch? Okay, that's fine, Mr. Welch. Gives me a chance to tell you what I really think of your wife. MARY George... GEORGE Will you get out and let me handle this? (into phone) Hello? Hello? What? Oh, you will, huh? Okay, Mr. Welch. Any time you think you're man enough. Hello...any... Oh... PETE Daddy, how do you spell "Hallelujah?" GEORGE How should I know? What do you think I am, a dictionary? (to Tommy) Tommy, stop that! Stop it! (to Janie) Janie, haven't you leaned that silly tune yet? You've played it over and over again. Now stop it! Stop it! I'm sorry, Mary. Janie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean... You go on and practice. Pete, I owe you an apology, too. I'm sorry. What do you want to know? PETE Nothing, Daddy. GEORGE What's the matter with everybody? Janie, go on. I told you to practice. Now, go on, play. JANIE Oh, Daddy... MARY George, why must you torture the children? Why don't you... GEORGE Mary... MARY (into phone) Bedford two-four-seven, please. PETE (to Mary) Is Daddy in trouble? MARY Yes, Pete. JANIE Shall I pray for him? MARY Yes, Janie, pray very hard. TOMMY Me, too? MARY You, too, Tommy. (into phone) Hello, Uncle Billy? (01:32:12) GEORGE I'm in trouble, Mr. Potter. I need help. Through some sort of an accident my company's short in their accounts. The bank examiner's got there today. I've got to raise eight thousand dollars immediately. POTTER Oh, so that's what the reporters wanted to talk to you about? GEORGE The reporters? POTTER Yes, they called me up from your Building and Loan. Oh, there's a man over there from the D.A.'s office, too. He's looking for you. GEORGE Please help me, Mr. Potter. Help me, won't you, please? Can't you see what it means to my family? I'll pay any sort of a bonus on the loan, any interest if you still want the Building and Loan. I'm... POTTER George, could it possibly be there's a slight discrepancy in the books? GEORGE No, sir. There's nothing wrong with the books. I've just misplaced eight thousand dollars. I can't find it anywhere. POTTER You misplaced eight thousand dollars? GEORGE Yes, sir. POTTER Have you notified the police? GEORGE No, sir. I-I didn't want the publicity. Harry's homecoming tomorrow... POTTER They're gonna believe that one. What've you been doing, George? Playing the market with the company's money? GEORGE No, sir, no, sir. I haven't. POTTER What is it, a woman then? You know, it's all over town that you've been giving money to Violet Bick. GEORGE What! POTTER Not that it makes any difference to me, but why did you come to me? Why don't you go to Sam Wainwright and ask him for the money? GEORGE I can't get ahold of him. He's in Europe. POTTER Well, what about all your other friends? GEORGE They don't have that kind of money, Mr. Potter. You know that. You're the only one in town that can help me. POTTER I see. I've suddenly become quite important. Wha-What kind of security would I have, George? Have you got any stocks? GEORGE No, sir. POTTER Bonds? Real estate? Collateral of any kind? GEORGE I have some life insurance, a fifteen thousand dollar policy. POTTER Yes...how much is your equity in it? GEORGE Five hundred dollars. POTTER Five hundred dollars! And you ask me to lend you eight thousand. Look at you. You used to be so cocky! You were going to go out and conquer the world. You once called me a warped, frustrated old man. What are you but a warped frustrated young man? A miserable little clerk crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help. No securities, no stocks, no bonds, nothing but a miserable little five hundred dollar equity in a life insurance policy. You're worth more dead than alive. Why don't you go to the riff-raff you love so much ask them to let you have eight thousand? You know why? Because they'd run you out of town on a rail. But I tell you what I'm going to do for you, George. Since the state examiner is still here, as a stock holder of the Building and Loan, I'm going to swear out a warrant for your arrest. Misappropriation of funds, manipulation, malfeasance... All right, George, go ahead, George. You can't hide in a little town like this. (into phone) Bill? This is Potter. (01:35:27) MARTINI (to new customer) Joe! Merry Christmas! Glad you come. MAN Thank you. How about some of that good spaghetti? MARTINI We got everything. GEORGE God...Oh, God...Dear Father in Heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there, and you can hear me, show me the way. I'm at the end of my rope. I...Show me the way, God. NICK Are you all right, George? Want someone to take you home? MARTINI Why you drink so much, my friend? Please go home, Mr. Bailey. This is Christmas Eve. WELCH Bailey? Which Bailey? NICK This is Mr. George Bailey. WELCH And the next time you talk to my wife like that, you'll get worse. She cried for an hour. It isn't enough she slaves teaching your stupid kids how to read and write, and you have to bawl her out,eh. MARTINI You get out of here, Mr. Welch! WELCH Now wait. I want to pay for my drink. MARTINI Never mind the money. You get out of here quick. WELCH All right. MARTINI You hit my best friend. Get out! NICK You all right, George? GEORGE Who was that? MARTINI He gone. No worry. His name is Welch. He no come in to my place no more. GEORGE Oh, Welch. That's what I get for praying. MARTINI The last time he come in here. You hear that, Nick? NICK Yes, you bet. GEORGE Where's my insurance policy? Oh, here. MARTINI Oh, no, please, no go out this way, Mr. Bailey. GEORGE I'm all right. MARTINI No, no, you no feel so good. Sit down and rest. GEORGE I'm all right. MARTINI Please no go away. Please! OWNER What do you think you're doing? Now look what you did. My great- grandfather planted this tree. Hey, you! Hey, you! Come back here, you drunken fool! Get this car out of here! DRIVER Hey, what's the matter with you? Look where you're going! CLARENCE Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! (01:39:50) CLARENCE I didn't have time to get some stylish underwear. My wife gave me this on my last birthday. I passed away in it. Oh, Tom Sawyer's drying out, too. You should read the new book Mark Twain's writing now. KEEPER How did you happen to fall in? CLARENCE I didn't fall in. I jumped in to save George. GEORGE You what? To...to save me? CLARENCE Well, I did, didn't I? You didn't go through with it, did you? GEORGE Go through with what? CLARENCE Suicide. KEEPER Well, it's against the law to commit suicide around here. CLARENCE Yeah, it's against the law where I come from, too. KEEPER Where do you come from? CLARENCE Heaven. (to George) I had to act quickly. That's why I jumped in. I knew if I were drowning you'd try to save me. And you see, you did, and that's how I saved you. GEORGE Very funny. CLARENCE Your lip's bleeding, George. GEORGE Yeah, I got a bust in the jaw in answer to a prayer a little bit ago. CLARENCE Oh, no, no, no, George, I'm the answer to your prayer. That's why I was sent down here. GEORGE How do you know my name? CLARENCE Oh, I know all about you. I've watched you grow up from a little boy. GEORGE What are you, a mind reader or something? CLARENCE Oh, no. GEORGE Well, who are you then? CLARENCE Clarence Odbody, A-S-2. GEORGE Odbody...A-S-2. Wh-Wh-What's that A-S-2? CLARENCE Angel Second Class. (to tollkeeper) Cheerio, my good man. GEORGE Oh, brother... I wonder what Martini put in those drinks? Hey, what's... with you...wh-wh-what-did you say just a minute ago? Why'd you want to save me? CLARENCE That's what I was sent down for. I'm your guardian angel. GEORGE I wouldn't be a bit surprised. CLARENCE Ridiculous of you to think of killing yourself for money. Eight thousand dollars. GEORGE Yeah, I'll say. Just things like that. Now how do you know that? CLARENCE I told you. I'm your guardian angel. I know everything about you. GEORGE Well, you look about like the kind of an angel I'd get. Sort of a fallen angel, aren't you? What happened to your wings? CLARENCE I haven't won my wings yet. That's why I'm an angel second class. GEORGE I don't know whether I like it very much being seen around with an angel without any wings. CLARENCE Oh, I-I've got to earn them and you'll help me, won't you? GEORGE Sure, sure. How? CLARENCE By letting me help you. GEORGE Only one way you can help me. Y-You don't happen to have eight thousand bucks on you? CLARENCE Oh, no, no. We don't use money in heaven. GEORGE Oh, that's right, I keep forgetting. Comes in pretty handy down here, bub. CLARENCE Oh, tut, tut, tut. GEORGE I found it out a little late. I'm worth more dead than alive. CLARENCE Now look, you mustn't talk like that. I won't get my wings with that attitude. You just don't know all that you've done. If it hadn't been for you... GEORGE Yeah, if it hadn't been for me, everybody'd be a lot better off. My wife, and my kids, and my friends. And my... Look, little fellow, why, you go off and haunt somebody else, will you? CLARENCE No, no, you don't understand. I've got my job. GEORGE Aw, shut up, will you? CLARENCE (to himself) Hmmm, this isn't gonna be so easy. (to George) Yeah! So you still think killing yourself would make everyone feel happier, eh? GEORGE Oh, I don't know. I guess you're right. I suppose it would have been better if I'd never been born at all. CLARENCE What'd you say? GEORGE I said I wish I'd never been born. CLARENCE Oh, you mustn't say things like that. You... Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That's an idea. What do you think? Yeah, that'll do it. All right. (to George) You've got your wish. You've never been born. You don't have to make all that fuss about it. GEORGE What did you say? CLARENCE You've never been born. You don't exist. You haven't a care in the world. No worries, no obligations, no eight thousand dollars to get, no Potter looking for you with the sheriff. GEORGE Say something else in that ear. CLARENCE Sure. You can hear out of it. GEORGE Well, that's the doggonedest thing. I haven't heard anything out of that ear since I was a kid. Must have been that jump in that cold water. CLARENCE Your lip's stopped bleeding, too, George. GEORGE What do you know about that? What's happened? It's stopped snowing out, hasn't it? Well, I, uh...What's happened here? What I need is a couple of good stiff drinks. How about you, angel, you want a drink? CLARENCE (laughing) GEORGE Come on, soon as these clothes of ours are dry... CLARENCE Those are dry. GEORGE What do you know about that? Stove's hotter than I thought. Now, come on, get your clothes on, and we'll stroll up to my car and get... Oh, I'm sorry. I'll stroll, you fly. CLARENCE I can't fly. I haven't got my wings. GEORGE You haven't got your wings. Yeah, that's right. (01:45:30) CLARENCE What's the matter? GEORGE Well, this is where I left my car and it isn't here. CLARENCE You have no car. GEORGE Well, I had a car and it was right here. I guess somebody moved it. OWNER Good evening. GEORGE Oh, say...Hey...wh-where's my car. OWNER I beg your pardon? GEORGE My car, my car. I'm the fellow that owns the car that ran into your tree. OWNER What tree? GEORGE What do you mean, what tree? This tree. Here. I ran into it. Cut a big gash in the side of it there. OWNER You must mean two other trees. You had me worried. One of the oldest trees in Pottersville. GEORGE Pottersville. Why, you mean Bedford Falls. OWNER I mean Pottersville. Don't you think I know where I live? What's the matter with you? GEORGE Oh, I don't know. Either I'm off my nut, or he is. (to Clarence) ...or you are. CLARENCE It isn't me! GEORGE Well, maybe I left the car up at Martini's. Well, come on, Gabriel. CLARENCE Clarence! GEORGE Clarence! Clarence! That's all right. Go on in. Martini is a friend of mine. There's a place to sit down, sit down. Oh, hello, Nick. Hey, where's Martini? NICK You want a Martini? GEORGE No, no, Martini. Your boss. Where is he? NICK Look, I'm the boss. You want a drink or don't you? GEORGE Okay, all right. Double bourbon, will you? Quick, huh. NICK Okay. (to Clarence) What's yours? CLARENCE I was just thinking. Uh...It's been so long since I... NICK Look, Mister, I'm standing here waiting for you to make up your mind. CLARENCE That's a good man. I was just thinking, uh, of a flaming rum punch. No, it's not cold enough for that. Not nearly cold enough. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I got it. Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves. Off with you, me lad, and be lively! NICK Hey, look, Mister, we serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast. And we don't need any characters around to give the joint atmosphere. Is that clear? Or do I have to slip you my left for a convincer? CLARENCE What's he talking about? GEORGE Nick, Nick, just give him the same as mine. He's okay. NICK Okay. GEORGE (to Clarence) What's the matter with him? I never saw Nick act like that before. CLARENCE You'll see a lot of strange things from now on. GEORGE Oh, yeah. Hey, li-li-little fellow, you worry me. You know, y-y- you got someplace to sleep? CLARENCE No. GEORGE You don't, huh? Well, y-y-you got any money? CLARENCE No. GEORGE (to Clarence) No wonder you jumped in the river. CLARENCE I jumped in the river to save you so I could get my wings. GEORGE Oh, that's right. CLARENCE Oh-oh. Somebody's just made it. GEORGE Made what? CLARENCE Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel's just got his wings. GEORGE Look, I think maybe you better not mention getting your wings around here. CLARENCE Why? Don't they believe in angels? GEORGE A... Yeah, they believe in angels. CLARENCE Oh, oh! Why should they be surprised when they see one? GEORGE (to Nick) Aw, he never grew up. He's...(to Clarence) How old are you, anyway, Clarence? CLARENCE Two hundred and ninety-three, uh, next May. NICK That does it! Out you two pixies go, through the door or out the window. GEORGE Look, Nick, what's wrong? NICK And that's another thing. Where do you come off calling me Nick? GEORGE Well, Nick, that's your name. NICK What's that got to do with it? I don't know you from Adam's off ox. (to Gower) Hey! Hey, you, rummy there! Come here! Come here! Didn't I tell you never to come panhandling around here, huh? GEORGE Mr. Gower! Mr. Gower! What...what is he...Mr. Gower! This is George Bailey! Don't you know me? GOWER No. No. NICK (to his bouncers) Throw 'em out. Throw 'em out! GEORGE Mr. Gower...Hey, what is...Hey, Nick, Nick... Isn't that Mr. Gower, the druggist? NICK You know, that's another reason for me not to like you. That rum head spent twenty years in jail for poisoning a kid. If you know him, you must be a jailbird yourself. (to his bouncers) Uh, would you show these gentlemen to the door? BOUNCER Sure. This way, gentlemen. Stay out! Stay out! NICK Hey! Get me! I'm giving out wings! CLARENCE You see, George, you were not there to stop Gower from putting that poison into the capsule... GEORGE What do you mean I wasn't there? I remember distinctly. What the...hey, what's going on around here? Why, this ought to be Martini's place. Look, who are you? CLARENCE I told you, George. I'm your guardian angel. GEORGE Yeah, yeah, I know. You told me that. What else are you? What are you? You are hypnotist? CLARENCE No, of course not. GEORGE Well, then why am I seeing all these strange things? CLARENCE Don't you understand, George? It's because you were not born. GEORGE Then if I wasn't born, who am I? CLARENCE You're nobody. You have no identity. GEORGE Oh, what do you mean, no identity? My name's George Bailey. CLARENCE There is no George Bailey. You have no papers, no cards, no driver's license, no 4-F card, no insurance policy. They're not there, either. GEORGE What? CLARENCE Zuzu's petals. You've been given a great gift, George...a chance to see what the world would be like without you. GEORGE Now wait a minute here. Wait a minute here. Aw, this is some sort of a funny dream I'm having here. So long, Mister, I-I'm going home. CLARENCE Home? What home? GEORGE Now shut up! Cut it out! You're...You're...You're crazy. That's what I think. You're...You're screwy and you're driving me crazy, too! I'm seeing things here. I'm going home and see my wife and family. You understand that? And I'm going home alone! CLARENCE How am I doing, Joseph? Thanks. No, I didn't have a drink! (01:53:27) GEORGE Hey, hey. Where did the Building and Loan move to? COP The building and what? GEORGE The Bailey Building and Loan. It was up there. COP They went out of business years ago. VIOLET That guy is a liar! I know everything's shot in this town. I know... GEORGE Hey, Violet. (to the cop) Hey, listen, that's Violet Bick! COP I know. I know. GEORGE I know that girl. COP Take a walk. Beat it. Hey, Ernie, Ernie... Ernie, take me home. I've gone off my nut! ERNIE Where do you live? GEORGE Aw, now, doggone it, Ernie, don't you start pulling that stuff. You know where I live. Three-twenty Sycamore. Now hurry up. ERNIE Okay. Three-twenty Sycamore? GEORGE Yeah, yeah, hurry up. Zuzu's sick. ERNIE All right. All right. GEORGE Look here, Ernie, straighten me out here. Look, I-I've got some bad liquor or something. I want you to listen to me. Now, you are Ernie Bishop, and you live in Bailey Park with your wife and kid? That's right, isn't it? ERNIE You seen my wife? GEORGE Seen your wife! I've been to your house a hundred times. ERNIE Look, bud, what's the idea? I live in a shack in Potter's Field and my wife ran away three years ago and took the kid...And I ain't never seen you before in my life, see? GEORGE Okay. Just step on it. Just get me home. ERNIE Is this the place? GEORGE Of course, it's the place. ERNIE Well, this house ain't been lived in for twenty years. BERT What's up, Ernie? ERNIE I don't know, but we'd better keep our eye on this guy. He's bats. GEORGE Mary! Mary! Tommy! Pete! Janie! Zuzu! Where are you? CLARENCE They're not here, George. You have no children. GEORGE Where are they? What have you done with them? BERT All right, put up your hands. No fast moves. Come on out here, both of you. GEORGE Bert! Thank heaven, you're here. BERT Stand back! GEORGE Bert, what's happened to this house? Wh-Where's Mary? Where's my kids? ERNIE Watch him, Bert. BERT Come on, come on. GEORGE Bert, Ernie! What's the matter with you two guys? You-You-You were here on my wedding night. You, both of you, stood out there on the porch and sung to us, don't you remember? ERNIE Think I'd better be going. BERT Look, now why don't you be a good kid and we'll take you into a doctor. Everything's gonna be all right. Now... GEORGE Bert, now listen to me. Ernie, will you take me over to my mother's house? Bert! Listen! It's that fellow there. He says he's an angel. He's tried to hypnotize me. BERT I hate to do this, fella, but... CLARENCE Run, George! Run, George! Help! Joseph, help! BERT Oh, shut up! CLARENCE Help, oh, Joseph, Joseph! BERT Where'd he go? Where'd he go? I had him right here. ERNIE I need a drink. BERT Well, which way'd they go? Help me find 'em. MOTHER Well? GEORGE Mother. MOTHER Mother? What do you want? GEORGE Mother, this is, this is George. I...I thought sure you'd remember me. MOTHER George who? If you're looking for a room, there's no vacancy. GEORGE Oh, Mother, listen. Please help me. Something terrible's happened to me. I-I-I don't know what it is. Something's happened to everybody. Please let me come in. Keep me here until I get over it. MOTHER Get over what? I don't take in strangers unless they're sent here by somebody I know. GEORGE What? Look, I know everybody you know. What do you... Your brother-in-law, Uncle Billy. MOTHER You know him? GEORGE Well, sure I do. MOTHER When'd you see him last? GEORGE Today over at his house. MOTHER That's a lie. He's been in the insane asylum ever since he lost his business. And if you ask me, that's where you belong. (01:57:44) CLARENCE Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? GEORGE I've heard of things like this. You've got me in some kind of a spell, or something. Well, I'm going to get out of it. I'll get out of it. I know how, too. I... The last man I talked to before all this stuff started happening to me was Martini. CLARENCE You know where he lives? GEORGE Sure I know where he lives. He lives in Bailey Park. CLARENCE Are you sure this is Bailey Park? GEORGE Oh, I'm not sure of anything anymore. All I know is this should be Bailey Park. But where are the houses? CLARENCE You weren't here to build them. Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine. GEORGE That's a lie. Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport. CLARENCE Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry. You see, George, you really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away? GEORGE Clarence... CLARENCE Yes, George? GEORGE Where's Mary? CLARENCE Oh, well, I...I...I can't do... GEORGE I don't know how you know these things, but tell me, where is she? CLARENCE I... GEORGE If you know where she is, tell me where my wife is. CLARENCE I'm not supposed to tell. GEORGE Please, Clarence, tell me where she is. CLARENCE You're not going to like it, George. GEORGE Where is she? CLARENCE She's an old maid. She never married. GEORGE Where's Mary, where is she? CLARENCE She is... GEORGE Where is she? CLARENCE She's just about to close up the library! (to himself) Aw, there must be some easier way for me to get my wings. GEORGE Mary! Mary! Mary, Mary, Mary... Mary, it's George. Don't you know me? What's happened to us? MARY I don't know you, let me go! GEORGE Mary, please! Oh, don't do this to me. Please, Mary, help me. Where's our kids? I need you, Mary! Help me, Mary! Mary... (to men holding him) Let me go! (to Mary) Mary, don't run away! MARY That man, stop him! GEORGE Tom! Ed! Charlie! That's my wife! Mary! MAN 1 Oh, no, you don't! Somebody call the police! MAN 2 Hit him with a bottle! MAN 3 He needs a straight jacket. GEORGE Mary! Clarence! MAN 4 Get out of here! GEORGE Clarence! Where are you? BERT Oh, it's you! BERT (to crowd) Stand back! GEORGE Clarence! Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence. Get me back. Get me back. I don't care what happens to me. Get me back to my wife and kids. Help me, Clarence, please. Please! I want to live again. I want to live again. I want to live again. Please, God, let me live again. BERT Hey, George. George! You all right. Hey, what's the matter? GEORGE Now get out of here, Bert or I'll hit you again! Get out! BERT What the Sam Hill you, you yelling for, George! GEORGE You...George? Bert, do you know me? BERT Know you? Hum, are you kidding'? I've been looking all over town, trying to find you. I saw your car piled into that tree down there, and I thought maybe you... Hey, your mouth's bleeding. Are you sure you're all right? GEORGE What did you... My mouth's bleeding, Bert! My mouth's bleed... Zuzu's petals, Zuzu's... There they are! Bert! What do you know about that? Merry Christmas! BERT Well, Merry Christmas! GEORGE Mary! Mary! Yaa! (02:02:41) GEORGE Yaa! Hello, Bedford Falls! Merry Christmas! GIRL Merry Christmas! MAN Merry Christmas, George! GEORGE Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan! (to Potter) Hey! Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter! POTTER Happy New Year to you...in jail. Go on home. They're waiting for you. GEORGE Mary! Mary! Mary! Well, hello, Mr. Bank Examiner. How are you? CARTER Mr. Bailey, there's a deficit. GEORGE I know. Eight thousand dollars. SHERIFF George, I've got a little paper here. GEORGE I'll bet it's a warrant for my arrest. Isn't it wonderful? I'm going to jail. Merry Christmas! Reporters? Wh-Where's Mary? Mary! Oh, look at this wonderful old drafty house. Mary! Mary! Mary! Have you...Have you seen my wife? CHILDREN'S VOICES Merry Christmas, Daddy! Merry Christmas, Daddy! GEORGE Kids! Pete! Oh! Kids! Janie! Janie! Tommy! Oh, let me look at you. Oh, I could eat you up. Where is your mother? JANIE She went looking for you with Uncle Billy. ZUZU Daddy! GEORGE Zuzu! Zuzu! My little gingersnap! How do you feel? ZUZU Fine! Not a smitch of temperature. GEORGE Not a smitch of tempe... Hallelujah! MARY George! George! GEORGE Mary! Mary! MARY George, darling! Where have you been? George, darling! Where have you been? Oh, George, George, George. GEORGE Mary! Let me touch you. Let me touch you. Oh, you're real! MARY Oh, George...George. GEORGE You have no idea what happened to me. MARY You have no idea what happened. Well, well, come on, George, come on downstairs, quick. They're on their way. GEORGE All right. MARY Come on! Come on in here now. Now, you stand right over here, by the tree. Right there, and don't move, don't move. PETER What's happening? Who's gonna come? MARY I hear 'em coming now, George, it's a miracle! It's a miracle! JANIE Who's coming? ZUZU Who's coming? PETER Who's gonna come, Daddy? JANIE Who, Daddy? GEORGE I don't know. MARY Come in, Uncle Billy. Everybody! In here! UNCLE BILLY Isn't it wonderful? So many faces! Mary did it, George! Mary did it! She told some people you were in trouble and then, they scattered all over town collecting money. They didn't ask any questions - just said: "If George is in trouble, count me in... TOM What is this, George? Another run on the bank? CHARLIE Here you are, George, Merry Christmas. ERNIE The line forms on the right. Oh, Mr. Martini! Merry Christmas! Step right up here. MARTINI I busted the jukebox, too! ERNIE Mr. Gower! GOWER I made the rounds of all my charge accounts. GEORGE Violet Bick! VIOLET I'm not going to go, George. I changed my mind. ANNIE I've been saving this money for a divorce, if ever I get a husband. PARTRIDGE There you are, George. I got the faculty all up out of bed. (to Zuzu) And here's something for you to play with. MAN I wouldn't have a roof over my head if it wasn't for you, George. ERNIE Just a minute. Just a minute. Quiet, everybody. Quiet, quiet. I just got this. It's from London. WOMAN Oh. ERNIE Mr. Gower cabled you need cash. Stop. My office instructed to advance you up to twenty-five thousand dollars. Stop. Hee-haw and Merry Christmas. Sam Wainwright. MARY Mr. Martini. How about some wine? ALL (singing) Hark, the Herald angels sing Glory to the new-born king. Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies, With angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem, Hark the Herald angels sing BERT Harry Bailey. HARRY George, old son of a gun. GEORGE Harry! Harry! HARRY 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. MOTHER 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. Good idea, Ernie, a toast...to my big brother George. The richest man in town! ALL (singing) Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind, Should auld acquaintance Be forgot, and days of Auld Lang Syne. INSCRIPTION READS Dear George:-, Remember no man is a failure who has friends., Thanks for the wings!, Love, Clarence MARY What's that? GEORGE That's a Christmas present from a very dear friend of mine. ALL (singing) For Auld Lang Syne, my dear. ZUZU Look, Daddy. Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. ALL (singing) For Auld lang syne. GEORGE That's right. That's right. Atta boy, Clarence. (singing) For Auld Land Syne, my dear. For Auld Land Syne We'll take cup of kindness yet, For Auld Lang Syne We'll take cup of kindness yet, For Auld Lang Syne The End