| “ | Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be! | „ |
| ~ George's speech to Mr. Potter. |
| “ | Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence! Get me back! Get me back, I don't care what happens to me! Get me back to my wife and kids! Help me Clarence, please! Please! I wanna live again. I wanna live again. Please, God, let me live again. | „ |
| ~ George after Clarence showed him the alternate world. |
George Bailey is the main protagonist in the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life.
He is a banker who, on Christmas Eve, is shown what the world would have looked like if he was never born.
He was played by the late James Stewart.
His Good Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Good?[]
- George is introduced when he saves his younger brother from drowning in a frozen lake when he was just 12 years old.
- He then saves his boss from accidentally delivering cyanide to a child.
- When his boss finds out about the accident, he makes George promise not to tell anyone about the mix, which George keeps all the way up to his adulthood.
- Despite his various plans to leave Bedford Falls and travel the world rather than take over his father's company, he's respectful about it towards his father and never actively rebels against him.
- Even with a few minor arguments and disagreements, he still definitely loves and cares about Mary and cares for her happiness.
- When his father dies of a stroke, he postpones his plans to travel the world with his wife Mary to run his father's company and calls out his dad's former boss Mr. Potter for his unethical practices.
- He then gives away his honeymoon money to an angry mob that was angry about being ripped off.
- He and his wife then found a housing development named Bailey Park and even help an Italian Family move there.
- When he's offered a job to manage Potter's affairs and run his properties - with a starting salary of $20,000 a year -- which would mean living in the nicest house in town, fine clothes for Mary, business trips or vacations to New York, maybe even Europe -- it takes George less than a minute to release what that would mean for the Building and Loan, and turns down Potter's offer for a life of luxury and riches, calling him a spider.
- Over the years, he'd prove to be a dedicated boss in the Building and Loan, to the point where he'd often come home late.
- When he learns his brother Harry's promise of profitable work (out of town) in the research business for his father-in-law's glass factory in Buffalo he allows Harry to do his dream job when he could have had Harry fill in at the bank.
- When World War II comes, he's rejected by the draft board as 4F due to his bad ear. But he still fights the "battle of Bedford Falls," acting as a whistle-blowing air raid warden (although he sputters into thin air when he forgets to put the whistle in his mouth).
- He also leads the paper and scrap-rubber drives.
- Despite yelling at his Uncle Billy that he would let him go to jail for misplacing the $8,000, he instead takes the blame for it when talking to Mr. Potter.
- When he is about to commit suicide, he still takes the time to save Clarence's life.
- Clarence suggests that George is the sole reason that Bedford Falls was not run by the evil Mr. Potter and was overrun with crime.
- Despite clearly being in a bad mood over risking having to go to prison, he still manages to put up with Clarence's lively attitude, and even then stood up for him when he nearly got punched and showed concern asking him if he had any money or a place to sleep that night.
- After Clarence showed how the world would be a worse place without him, he declares he wants to live again.
- When he gets sent back to his own world, he rushed home to apologize to Mary and his kids, and he was extremely grateful for Bedford Falls coming together to raise money for his family.
What Prevents Him From Being Pure Good?[]
- He has some jerkish moments, such as him harshly grabbing Mary by the shoulders before they rekindled their relationship, and on the night the film takes place, taking his anger out on Mary and his kids. However, he is usually extremely remorseful for these, so this is a minor prevention.
External Links[]
- George Bailey on the Heroes Wiki
[]
 Near Pure Goods
| ||
|
Animated Features Live-Action Features Animated Televison See Also | ||