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Annual reminder that Mary Bailey is the greatest wife in history
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:26 pm
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:26 pm
Seriously, name one better.
- puts up with George's "I want out of this crummy little town" bullshite for years.
- saves George in a pinch during a Great Depression bank run by selflessly using their honeymoon money to bail out the Building & Loan.
- gets George's friends to help her fix up the Sycamore house for their wedding night.
- works on remodeling the Sycamore house by herself while simultaneously raising their children while George grinds away at the office.
- volunteers to help the war effort, running the local branch of the USO and giving coffee and sandwiches to GI's at the train station.
- gives housewarming gifts to new home owners when they move into Bailey Park.
- never once thinks or talks about the life she passed up by not marrying Sam Wainwright.
- when George has his breakdown and leaves the house in anger, SHE is the one who kick-starts and spearhead the fundraising campaign in town that saves the Building & Loan.

- puts up with George's "I want out of this crummy little town" bullshite for years.
- saves George in a pinch during a Great Depression bank run by selflessly using their honeymoon money to bail out the Building & Loan.
- gets George's friends to help her fix up the Sycamore house for their wedding night.
- works on remodeling the Sycamore house by herself while simultaneously raising their children while George grinds away at the office.
- volunteers to help the war effort, running the local branch of the USO and giving coffee and sandwiches to GI's at the train station.
- gives housewarming gifts to new home owners when they move into Bailey Park.
- never once thinks or talks about the life she passed up by not marrying Sam Wainwright.
- when George has his breakdown and leaves the house in anger, SHE is the one who kick-starts and spearhead the fundraising campaign in town that saves the Building & Loan.
This post was edited on 12/25/19 at 9:29 pm
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:32 pm to Feral
You're goddamned right!
Patient.
Hot.
And fricks (they had 4 kids in IAWL)
Patient.
Hot.
And fricks (they had 4 kids in IAWL)
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:32 pm to Feral
Definitely a saint.
Now let me make a counterpoint. George Bailey had big plans and was ready to leave town and take on the world. Mary was an anchor who only wanted George and the small town life. She says it twice in the movie, once at the drug store when she was about 10 and she whispers in George's deaf ear she would love him forever. The second time was when she threw a rock and broke the window of the house, her wish was granted that she would marry George and live in that house, knowing full well he wanted to leave town and see the world.
Ok, nah, she was a sweetheart and hot as hell. George got lucky.
Now let me make a counterpoint. George Bailey had big plans and was ready to leave town and take on the world. Mary was an anchor who only wanted George and the small town life. She says it twice in the movie, once at the drug store when she was about 10 and she whispers in George's deaf ear she would love him forever. The second time was when she threw a rock and broke the window of the house, her wish was granted that she would marry George and live in that house, knowing full well he wanted to leave town and see the world.
Ok, nah, she was a sweetheart and hot as hell. George got lucky.
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:35 pm to Feral
Absolutely but
How do the bank examiner, sheriff or whatever he was, and newspaper people get in their house? Mary's gone and is surprised by their presence when she get back. Their children are upstairs. How'd they get in?
quote:
- when George has his breakdown and leaves the house in anger, SHE is the one who kick-starts and spearhead the fundraising campaign in town that saves the Building & Loan.
How do the bank examiner, sheriff or whatever he was, and newspaper people get in their house? Mary's gone and is surprised by their presence when she get back. Their children are upstairs. How'd they get in?
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:36 pm to SoDakHawk
quote:
Now let me make a counterpoint. George Bailey had big plans and was ready to leave town and take on the world. Mary was an anchor who only wanted George and the small town life. She says it twice in the movie, once at the drug store when she was about 10 and she whispers in George's deaf ear she would love him forever. The second time was when she threw a rock and broke the window of the house, her wish was granted that she would marry George and live in that house, knowing full well he wanted to leave town and see the world.
But when there's the run on the bank after their wedding she's like forget that, let's leave and he's the one who wants to go back.
This post was edited on 12/25/19 at 9:37 pm
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:49 pm to SoDakHawk
quote:
George Bailey had big plans and was ready to leave town and take on the world. Mary was an anchor who only wanted George and the small town life. She says it twice in the movie, once at the drug store when she was about 10 and she whispers in George's deaf ear she would love him forever. The second time was when she threw a rock and broke the window of the house, her wish was granted that she would marry George and live in that house, knowing full well he wanted to leave town and see the world.
She would have followed him anywhere. George was the one who kept getting pulled back to Bedford Falls for one reason or another out of a sense of duty.
Mary was just the bright spot that made it all worthwhile, the one who actually liked the town and knew the meaning and value of living among friends.
If there's a villain in the film aside from Potter it's Uncle Billy. He was nothing more than a nepotistic empty salary who despite co-founding the B&L couldn't be trusted to run it after Peter died and had to instead be wetnursed by his twentysomething nephew. He's the one who freaked out and closed up during the bank run, and who lost the $8,000 that led to George's breakdown.
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:55 pm to Feral
Uncle Billy was worthless.
I don't know if many catch this when they watch but Potter is the one who caused the run on the banks. He called in the bank note on the building & loan then caused a panic that started the run on the bank. Knew the Bailey's wouldn't have the cash on hand to cover plus was able to take full control of the bank by guaranteeing those deposits (closed for one week).
Potter was pure evil. Not just greedy, evil.
I don't know if many catch this when they watch but Potter is the one who caused the run on the banks. He called in the bank note on the building & loan then caused a panic that started the run on the bank. Knew the Bailey's wouldn't have the cash on hand to cover plus was able to take full control of the bank by guaranteeing those deposits (closed for one week).
Potter was pure evil. Not just greedy, evil.
Posted on 12/25/19 at 9:57 pm to Feral
Very supporting and lovely wife. Affectionate mother. The kind of woman you’d take a bullet for.
The modern tv/movie wife? Ehhh.
The modern tv/movie wife? Ehhh.
Posted on 12/25/19 at 10:01 pm to Feral
Well, honestly Uncle Billy was Forrest Gump minus the luck. He's in the nuthouse in the no-George universe. He's donkeybrained.
Posted on 12/25/19 at 10:06 pm to SoDakHawk
quote:
Now let me make a counterpoint. George Bailey had big plans and was ready to leave town and take on the world. Mary was an anchor who only wanted George and the small town life. She says it twice in the movie, once at the drug store when she was about 10 and she whispers in George's deaf ear she would love him forever. The second time was when she threw a rock and broke the window of the house, her wish was granted that she would marry George and live in that house, knowing full well he wanted to leave town and see the world.
George never wanted to marry.

If she could've trapped him (by a baby) she probably would have.
He tells her, I'm not marrying you, I'm not marrying anybody or something like that. He wants to travel the world and never come back to Bedford Falls. He even shakes her forcefully and screams at her basically to leave him alone.
But then his hormones kick in...

Big plans, all dashed for hormones.
But it's a wonderful life because he realizes at the end, what he wanted in Youth pales into comparison with what he got.
A great wife and family and eventually the most loved man of the town.
He had his plans, Mary had her plans...she won out and then in the end he won out because she was persistent. He thought the chance of a lifetime was to leave, travel...she turns out to be the chance of a lifetime.
Posted on 12/25/19 at 10:09 pm to saintsfan22
quote:
He's in the nuthouse in the no-George universe.
That was really the only truly 100% believable thing about the no-George universe. Everything else was a decent to enormous stretch. I still laugh at the idea that Bedford Falls becomes this nightmarish dystopia with strip clubs and bars if not for George Bailey.
And Mary Hatch is an old maid if she never marries George? GTFO. She had guys all over her in high school, and Sam Wainwright wanted to marry her. In no universe is a charismatic knockout like Mary Hatch an old maid librarian.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 7:12 am to Feral
quote:
Annual reminder that Mary Bailey is the greatest wife in history
Completely agree. WDMWAIMISWR (Would Divorce My Wife And Instantly Marry If She Was Real)
And the looks she's giving him as everyone is coming in to give money to help him - not a single ounce of personal "I did this" or "I saved us", just pure joy at the moment and all these people who rallied to help her and George for how they've treated people all these years.


**apologies for the colorized versions - couldn't find anything from the scene in B&W - nor really the exact two looks I was hoping to show in gif form here, but this gives you an idea.
Donna has said that Capra worked them hard in the movie and it was the hardest director project she ever worked on.
Plus, she falls in the pool and still having a good time. How many women do you know who could do that while dressed for a formal?

Posted on 12/26/19 at 7:34 am to Feral
I might agree. she's definitely my ideal... but the greatest wife in history has to be lorena Bobbitt. if she isn't, you know damn well what will happen to you.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 7:52 am to Feral
quote:yup - and didn’t waste a second. He just got through yelling at everyone in the house and she knew instantly something was wrong. Didn’t reciprocate with anger but with love. Mary Bailey is a fine woman.
when George has his breakdown and leaves the house in anger, SHE is the one who kick-starts and spearhead the fundraising campaign in town that saves the Building & Loan.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 8:07 am to drexyl
quote:
Mary Bailey is a fine woman.
Absolutely.
If I was shown an alternate universe where a wife like Mary Bailey not only didn't know me but ran away from me in sheer terror, I'd want to live again too.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 8:46 am to SoDakHawk
quote:
Uncle Billy was worthless.
I hate Uncle Billy.
Mary Bailey was a smokeshow and a trophy wife. No doubt.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 8:55 am to saintsfan22
Forget Uncle Billy, the guy who gets completely off the hook is Potter's footservant. That dude is pushing Mr. Potter around and knows that Mr. Potter stole the $8000 from Uncle Billy (and yes, it is theft) and he does nothing, staying silent. That makes him an accessory to a crime without any real benefit like Mr. Potter. That guys sucks. If nothing else, blackmail your boss a little and get a taste of that $8000.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 9:03 am to Feral
This was Donna Reed's first movie role which didn't exactly excite Jimmy Stewart, and the movie was filmed in the middle of a heat wave in Seneca Falls, NY.
Hard to imagine that it bombed at the box office.
Hard to imagine that it bombed at the box office.
Posted on 12/26/19 at 9:25 am to Amadeo
quote:
was Donna Reed's first movie role which
No idea where you are getting that but that’s not correct at all. She’s been in multiple movies before this. This was six years into her career.
It’s a wonderful life was released in 1946 and she was well known enough in ww2 to get thousands of GI letters and personally responded to hundreds of them. In fact years after her death a box filled with correspondence was found from ww2 in her possessions.
This post was edited on 12/26/19 at 9:33 am
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