In 1974, the copyright to “It’s a Wonderful Life” lapsed, which allowed it to be broadcast without licensing or royalty fees. Throughout the 1980s, many stations broadcast the movie, and I would see bits and pieces, never from the beginning.
On Christmas Eve, 1990, I watched the entire movie. Since then, I’ve bought the film on VHS and DVD and watched it every Christmas Eve. It puts into perspective that people notice when you do good things for others, even if they don’t acknowledge your efforts.
George Bailey never achieved his dreams, always staying around Bedford Falls, helping those who needed it. Looking at his actions, would George Bailey be canceled in today’s world?
Here’s a look at the main character and why today’s woke society might cancel him.
In the first scene, George bullies his younger brother Harry into taking a risk by calling him a “scared baby.” Then, he saves his brother from drowning.
In Mr. Gowers’s pharmacy, George degrades Mary Hatch and calls her “brainless” for her comment, “Don’t like coconuts?”
After picking up his new suitcase, George runs into Violet Bicks and compliments her dress, saying, “Good dress you have there.” He lustfully stares at her as she walks away.
At dinner before Harry’s high school graduation party, George insults the family cook Annie with a “Why don’t you pull up a chair?”
George puts down his father’s occupation at the same dinner with “I want to do something important.” He follows that up with, “I think you’re a great guy.”
At the high school graduation party, George grabs Mary and starts dancing without asking her permission.
Walking home from the party after removing their wet clothes, George suggestively compliments Mary, “You look older without your clothes on.” He scares Mary when he challenges a bystander, telling him to kiss her with “I’ll show you some kissing.”
When Mary runs away, her robe comes off, and she hides in the bushes. George took advantage of the situation and withheld the robe with comments of “selling tickets” and “making a deal.”
Four years later, Mary and Harry have returned from college. Harry has a job. There is no mention that Mary is starting a career. That has nothing to do with George.
When Harry arrives in town, he brings his new bride, Ruth Dakin Bailey. George kisses her on the cheek without asking.
George is smoking a cigarette on the porch at Harry and Ruth’s welcome home gathering. When his mom comes outside to tell him Mary is back from college, he hesitates but retorts that he will “find a girl and do some possible necking.”
While walking through town, he propositions Violet to make a night of it, hike up to the falls, swim in the pond, and stay out all night.
Getting to Mary’s, she invites him in. He can’t get the gate open, so he violently kicks it open. He ridicules Mary for being homesick for Bedford Falls and her “George Lassos the Moon” poster.
When Sam Wainwright calls, Sam asks George if he is trying to steal his girl while Sam hangs out with another woman. Sam is another story.
George responds, “Nobody is trying to steal anyone’s girl.” But then he grabs Mary without permission and presses, “I don’t want to get married.” It only takes one scene to change that.
Heading out on their honeymoon, George and Mary see a run on the bank and give away their $2000 kitty to keep their business afloat,
While loaning money to his clients, George kisses Mrs. Davis without permission, as she only asks for $17.50. To this point in time, George has been handsy and kissy.
I’m not sure whose idea this was, but Mary takes the name Mrs. Bailey.
George has anger issues. Once again, he kicks something. This time, to close his car door when he and Mary can’t get away with Sam Wainwright to Florida.
Mr Potter offers George a three-year job at $20,000 per year. George turns down the job without consulting Mary, calling Mr. Potter a “scurvy little spider.” Greed is not a driver for George. He is a capitalist but not making a lot of money.
George and Mary shared a bed, which is strange by 1940s movie standards. Maybe that was just a TV thing for married couples?
On the day Uncle Billy misplaces $8000, George goes into his office with Violet and closes the door, loaning her money. Knowing Billy lost the money, George grabs, shakes, and throws Billy down. Getting home, he does not tell Mary about the lost money.
At home, he yells at his daughter to stop playing the piano and his son about the neighbor’s new car and asks for help with spelling. He kicks the furniture and asks, “Why do we have to have all these kids?”
When Zuzu’s teacher calls, George calls her “stupid and silly.”
Being angry and not knowing how to use his words, George destroys some models in his house to the point Mary asks, “George, why do you have to hurt the children? Why don’t you …” and George storms out to Martini’s bar.
At Martini’s, George gets drunk and is punched by Zuzu’s teacher’s husband. He drives drunk away from Martini’s and crashes his car.
However, he is not drunk enough to dive into a surging river to save Clarence Oddbody,
Clarence, George’s guardian angel, shows George what the world would have been if he had not been born.
The non-George accosts Mary on the street as a stranger and punches Bert (or was that Ernie), the cop. This George would have to be canceled if he existed.
Back to life, George celebrates scaring the tree his car ran into and the possibility of being arrested. The town saves George from being arrested. In the process, Annie’s character is heavily stereotyped.
Harry toasts George as “the richest man in town.”
Clarence contributed his copy of Tom Sawyer with the inscription, “Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends.” Are friends enough in today’s world where George might be canceled?
Wasn’t George a bully, capitalist, misogynist, smoker, drunk driver, and abuser who needed anger management classes?
Maybe next year, I’ll review Harry Bailey or Mr. Potter.