George Bailey (fictional character)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This film-related article or section describes an aspect of the film in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.

The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot.

George Bailey is a fictional character in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. He is played by James Stewart. He is based on George Pratt, a character in Philip Van Doren Stern's The Greatest Gift.

[edit] Life

Throughout the story, George is shown as a selfless person since childhood. He saves his younger brother Harry from drowning, after Harry accidentally sleds down into icy water. Rescuing Harry causes George to lose his hearing in his left ear. He saves his boss, Mr. Gower, from jail time when Gower accidentally puts poison in a customer's medicine bottle. From a young age, George always wanted to go to college and to travel and see the world. However, he keeps having to postpone the fulfillment of these ambitions, time after time.

When his uncle loses $8,000 and George doesn't know that his rival, Mr. Potter, has it, George is on the verge of committing suicide by jumping from a bridge. However, his guardian angel, Clarence, stops him. Clarence shows George what life in his hometown, Bedford Falls, would be like if George hadn't been born. When George realizes suicide is a mistake, he goes back to the bridge and utters his famous line, "I want to live again." He soon returns to his world, and the citizens of Bedford Falls come to greet him and donate money to replace the missing $8,000.