Potter is a heartless slumlord who enjoys making loans so exorbitant than his lenders can barely scrape by which makes them even more likely to need another loan from him. Most of the town is under Potter’s control and his only opposition and constant thorn in his side has been the Bailey Building and Loan, who has been giving loans to people that Potter would never consider. He never wanted to follow his father in the loan business or to stay in Bedford Falls but letting Potter completely control the town is an even worse fate to George. George knows that accepting his father’s position will be the final nail in his plans. When George’s father dies he’s forced to take his father’s place at the Bailey Building and Loan Association to prevent the ruthless Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from taking over. George falls in love with her against his will since he knows a relationship with her will affect his plans for the future. It’s not all bad for George since he is reacquainted with Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) who has had a crush on him since she was a little girl.
When Harry finally graduates high school, George thinks he’s free but then he finds out that Harry wants to go to college so he sets his plans aside once more. First he has to wait for Harry (Todd Karns) to graduate from high school before leaving. And time and time again, that dream is shelved when he is needed by others. Time and time again, the angels witness George’s selfless personality, but the one ambition he does have for himself is to travel around the world. When his grief-stricken boss tells him to deliver medication for a young child that George believes was mistakenly filled with poison, he doesn’t deliver it which saves his boss from making a terrible mistake when he’s proved right. Later they observe George working in a pharmacy where he is working as an errand boy. When Harry accidentally falls through the ice, George jumps in the water and saves his brother but doesn’t escape unscathed since the rescue costs him his hearing in his left year. Their first stop back in the past is when George is twelve years old and is playing on the ice with his friends and his younger brother Harry.
By going over his life, they hope to see how things have turned out so badly for George. The two of them call a subordinate angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) to come review George’s life with them. Those prayers travel up to the cosmos above where they are received by glowing lights that represent two angels named Franklin and Joseph.
The movie opens on Christmas Eve and we can hear snippets of prayers on their way to heaven from multiple residents of Bedford Falls on behalf of George Bailey (James Stewart). An ideal holiday gift for everyone on your list, the It’s a Wonderful Life Gift Set comes packaged in a striking shadow box and includes a two-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray with a beautifully colorized version of the film in high definition and the original, fully restored black-and-white movie in high definition as well. Mary’s), the film has made an indelible impact on popular culture and continues to be a beloved part of many families’ holiday tradition.
Smith Goes To Washington), Donna Reed ( From Here to Eternity), Lionel Barrymore ( Key Largo), Thomas Mitchell ( Three Wise Fools) and Henry Travers ( The Bells of St. Take a trip to Bedford Falls to experience the life-affirming message of director Frank Capra’s much loved classic all over again now that It’s a Wonderful Life has been re-released in a new two-disc Blu-ray Shadow Box Gift Set that came out on Novemfrom Paramount Home Entertainment.