Merry Xmas! [Part 2]: It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

I wrote part one of this post yesterday. 

Merry Christmas, everybody!!! :) I hope you all have a wonderfully bright Christmas filled with prettily wrapped presents to open, and lots of time with your families, and maybe even room for a classic movie or two! I've also gotten some wonderful, vintage Classic Hollywood things for Christmas, so perhaps I'll do a post sharing what I got with you later this week.

As for now, I present to you the final Christmas movie in my Christmas movie blogathon. It happens to be my favorite, and that's why I saved it for last. But before we get onto it, a recap of what I previously reviewed:

• Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
• Holiday Affair (1949)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

With each movie I also added in a classic Christmas carol. This last one is:

"We Need a Little Christmas" by Lucille Ball <3

I guess you can really press yourself and try and think what I might have chosen for this last review. Well, you guessed it: "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) is my favorite Christmas movie of all time, as well as simply one of my favorite movies period. It may be a cliche to love this movie, but I really do so much. However, since this film is really hard to review because there's basically nothing wrong with it, and you know what it's about and how beautiful Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed and everyone else is, you know all of that - so I'm just going to talk about my favorite scenes, and why this movie gives you that lovely warm feeling.

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It's a wonderful film. Frank Capra's inverted take on A Christmas Carol stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who's spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would've been like had he never been born.

[from Netflix -- as if you NEED any description]

My favorite scenes

I honestly think every scene in this movie is my favorite! But there are a few that always stick out to me, I always remember, and when I re-watch the movie I forever anticipate them. 

•  The scene early into the movie, when George and Mary are kids. George is working for the druggist, Mr. Gower, and is making Mary the soda she ordered. Mary leans over and whispers into George's left ear, his deaf one:

[I didn't make this, but I really can't remember where I got it from - sorry!]

• Fast forwarding to the year 1928: George and Mary at the dance. I love how the moment they lock eyes with each other, George takes her in his arms and they began dancing. And then - when they're doing the Charleston, and the pool opens from out underneath them, and they fall inside, still dancing and laughing - and everyone joins them in the pool. How can something like that not make you grin from ear to ear? 

[via]

• This is probably one of the greatest scenes in the whole movie - after the dance, with Mary in the robe and George in the funny letter sweater and baggy pants. They sing "Buffalo Gals" (won't you come out tonight - won't you come out tonight!) and  to me they always seem kind of drunk, but not on alcohol but life. :) Then they make wishes and throw rocks at the windows of the old house, and then comes yet another romantically adorable line: "You want the moon, Mary? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down." Then Mary loses her robe and has to hide in a bush, and of course George won't give her her robe back. All of this fantastic fun is ruined when George gets word of his father's stroke - but it's still one of my very favorite scenes in the whole movie. (I love how all my favorite scenes are with George and Mary).

[via]

• The phone scene. This scene really needs no explanation. I love it. From Mary's "Hee-haw Hello" to George shaking Mary by the shoulders and insisting he'll never marry anyone, and then he takes her in his arms and tells her he loves her. I love everything leading up to this scene, too - Mary's frustration [like when she breaks the "Buffalo Gals" record], "He's making violent love to me, Mother!", Mary's mother watching on in awe, the needlework "George lassos the moon" - all of it! This movie was the first one Jimmy did upon coming back from the war, and he was afraid he would be a little out of practice for the intensity of the phone scene. But it turned out the scene was so very passionate that the Hays Code office had to edit some of it out!

[via]

• When George comes back from yet another terrible confrontation from Mr. Potter, and climbs into bed with Mary and asks her why would she marry someone like him. Then Mary reveals that she's pregnant, and says this adorable line:

[via MYSELF!]

• This is later into the movie, when George is having the worst day of his life and when he's coming to terms with the fact that he's probably going to land up in jail. He gets home and things aren't much better, his short temper frightens his children and Mary, and then he discovers that one of his daughters, ZuZu, has a slight fever after walking home without a coat. He goes upstairs to talk to her, and she shows him the flower she won at school - a few petals fall off and she asks him to "paste them back on." Since he can't really, he slips them in his pocket and pretends to. One of my nicknames when I was a little - and still, sometimes ;) - was "ZuZu," because of this movie.

• This is more than one scene, more appropriately a whole chunk of scenes - from the time Clarence shows up and jumps in the water to save George's life, to George's final plea to God for his life back. Everything in between: the nightmare George visits, in this strange town called Pottersville, is definitely the "grim" part of the film, but I still like it. Because George realizes how important he was, and all the kind things he did, and how he really helped people out. Sure, some of it doesn't make sense - like, for example, Mary probably wouldn't have landed up an old maid, she likely would have married Sam. But still. This is the most thought provoking part of the film, and every time I watch it I ask myself: "How would everyone be if I was never born?"

[via]

• When George does get his life back, he races through Bedford Falls, screaming hello to every person and place he passes. He passes the cinema, and what happens to be playing there but no other than Leo McCarey's 1945 vehicle with Bing and Ingrid (another movie I love):

• The ending.   Every thing from the moment George races in the door to his home, screaming happily, "I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail!" And then he runs up to see his kids and hugs them all, and then Mary comes in the door - and they all race down the stairs, and he hugs her, in that very iconic frame of the Baileys on the staircase. But nothing really gets better then when all the citizens of Bedford Falls come inside and began pouring all this money on the table, ready to pay the $8,000 for their friend George. Then the warrant for George's arrest is torn up, and Harry comes, and then the copy of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" appears with the special inscription from Clarence to George. Everyone breaks excitedly into "Auld Lang Sygne", and a bell on the Christmas tree begins to ring. ZuZu says, "Teacher says everytime a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings," and we all know for sure Clarence has gotten those wings that we all know he deserves. Yeah, sappy sappy sappy, but you can't help but just grin and be happy when you watch this scene. Really happy. One of the most satisfying endings a movie ever had!

And then everything is over, and you're left with a grin on your face and this:

I just love this movie. ♥

***

Those are my favorite scenes, which ones are yours??

It's been so much fun sharing my favorite Christmas movies each Sunday, and Christmas carols, too. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Once again: Merry Christmas from me to you, readers! I hope you all have a really lovely holiday. :)

Merry Xmas! [Part 1]: A Classic Hollywood Christmas

Okay, if you read my post for the Bogie blogathon earlier today, you'll know how I screwed up the blogging schedule I've quite carefully figured out for this week (with two blogathons, several birthdays, and CHRISTMAS). I really wanted to follow up with the post I'd planned for today, Christmas Eve, so I'm going to go ahead and write it anyway, despite the fact I'll be showing up twice in your feed today (at least, in my time zone). Apologies once more (I don't like to overhaul people with posts, lol).

All December I have been spotlighting my favorite Christmas films as a part of my Sunday Movie Review. Tomorrow is a Sunday, and is also happens to be Christmas Day, and therefore I'll be following up with my little Christmas blogathon by reviewing my favorite Christmas movie of all time.

However, in pledging myself to do this I realized I'd be missing out on some of the other Classic Hollywood/Christmas stuff there is to talk about, and so I decided to do a two part post. This is the first part, and the second part will be tomorrow, which will consist of my movie review.

For this first part I present to you all a list of ten random, Classic Hollywood Christmas things I felt compelled to share with you all.

10 Things That are Classic Hollywood and Christmas

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AVA

Ava and one of her pet corgis wishing you a merry Christmas! Ava is one of my favorite actresses and I like her despite her faults because over all, she was still an awesome person. And she had good values about particular things, like she was ahead of her time when it came to racism: she didn't believe in it. But anyway, the point is that today, Christmas Eve, is her birthday! I read in her biography that it was a ritual on the 24th for two cakes to be baked: one chocolate and one coconut. One was supposed to be for the baby Jesus and the other for her but she always thought of them both for her. Anyway, any person born on Christmas Eve must be awesome, and Ava was. Happy birthday, Ava!

2. I LOVE LUCY: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

I'm sorry, I could only find the colorized version (yuck!) on Youtube. However, this is a flashback episode and the flashbacks are still in B&W, I believe. Anyhow, try to ignore the colorization and enjoy this. It's a "walk down memory lane" episode for the Ricardos and Mertzes, and it takes place on Christmas Eve so I guess it's particularly appropriate for today. This episode isn't run in syndication with all the others, so if you watch Lucy on TV (versus online or on DVD) you might haven't gotten the chance to see this yet.

3. THE DONNA REED SHOW: A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just watched this the other day, I'd never seen an episode of the Donna Reed Show before. I liked and it so I'm sharing it! It was a little mushy but mush never hurts anyone in the holiday season [expect perhaps the Grinch and Scrooge]. Plus, this show's got Donna Reed, who should be the queen of holiday mush as she starred in The Best Christmas Movie of All Time (can you just guess what movie I'll be talking about tomorrow). I like her a lot, I think she's an underrated actress. (Donna Reed, I mean.)

4. GREER AND AN ADORABLE LITTLE BOY WISH YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS

[via]

I would SO much rather get this in my mailbox instead of the usual tacky Christmas cards (just saying). The GIF (which isn't mine, you know where to click, yep, that's right, the "via" link, because that Tumblr is pretty awesome) is from "Blossoms in the Dust". (A Greer and Walter movie, I saw it but never did a review of it. It's good, though, so watch it! Albeit, not a Christmas film, it only has a Christmas scene in it, just so you know.)

5.  CHRISTMAS PIN-UPS

So many awesome Classic Hollywood Christmas related pin-ups! This is a handful of so many. From left to right: Paulette Goddard opening presents, Elizabeth Taylor showing off her kitten and wishing us a happy holiday, Mary Pickford changing the street sign from "Hollywood" to "Santa Claus Lane", Ginger Rogers fooling around with the Christmas tree, Doris Day boasting the presents she's got, Carole Lombard admiring her presents, Natalie Wood smiling through her adorned wreath, Audrey Hepburn hugging Santa Claus, and Lucy and Desi bashfully exchanging gifts with one another. :) 

6. CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST


"The Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby

"Silent Night" by Lena Horne 

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Doris Day

"We Three Kings (of Orient are)" by Ella Fitzgerald

Some Christmas carols I love. I know I've been adding a Christmas carol with each movie review, but these are a few that I like that I didn't get the chance to share!

7. SUSPENSE RADIO: TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

"Twas the night before Christmas..." Christmas Eve with a mysterious twist! Greer Garson stars in this Suspense Radio Theater production that was broadcast on December 21st, 1953. A suspenseful take

on one of the most cheerful holidays of the year! 

8.  I ♥ ASTA ORNAMENT

I made this myself. Honestly, who WOULDN'T want this ornament. Seriously,  if this were a real item it would totally have been in my holiday gift guide. Because who DOESN'T love Asta, I tell you. [Lassie?? Pfffhtttt].

9. LUCY: SANTA LUCIA

"I squinted up into the blazing sun and saw a figure hovering over me dressed all in black with a Santa mask and beard and rolled up orange hair. "Santa Lucia!" I cried out."

- I LOVED LUCY by Lee Tannen

* did you ever see a more beautiful Santa? *

10.  THE MOVIES I MISSED

I decided to share with you my favorite Christmas films this December, and I only had four Sundays, which meant only four movies. I had to leave out a few that I love. Here are clips from them --

THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)

Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan 

THE THIN MAN (1934)

Myrna Loy, William Powell

HOLIDAY (1938) [New Years]

Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant 

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The second part of this post will be up tomorrow [the movie review]. Now, I'm off to enjoy "It's a Wonderful Life" (I always watch it on Christmas Eve! ;D).

But in advance: Merry Merry Christmas, my readers - or whatever holiday you're celebrating this time of year!