Great Scene: It’s A Wonderful Life
George Bailey and Mary Hatch have an intense telephone conversation.
Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and Frank Capra, story by Philip Van Doren Stern
IMDb plot summary: An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
Scene Setup: Frustrated that it looks like he’ll continue to be stuck in Bedford Falls now that his brother has secretly gotten married, George goes out for a walk and ends up visiting Mary. They get into a heated argument, then fate intervenes: A phone call from their old friend Sam Wainwright.
INT. SAM'S NEW YORK OFFICE – NIGHT
MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT
Sam is seated at his desk, while a couple of his
friends are nearby, with highballs in their hands.
SAM
(into phone)
Well, George Baileyoffski! Hey, a
fine pal you are. What're you trying
to do? Steal my girl?
INT. HATCH HALL – NIGHT
MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT – GEORGE AND MARY
GEORGE
(into phone)
What do you mean? Nobody's trying to
steal your girl. Here... here's Mary.
SAM'S VOICE
No, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I
want to talk to both of you. Tell
Mary to get on the extension.
GEORGE
(to Mary)
Here. You take it. You tell him.
MARY
Mother's on the extension.
INT. UPPER HALLWAY – NIGHT
CLOSE SHOT – MRS. HATCH
As she hears this, she hastily hangs up the extension
phone on which she has been listening.
BACK TO SHOT – GEORGE AND MARY
MARY
We can both hear. Come here.
Mary takes the telephone from George and holds it so
that of necessity George's cheek is almost against
hers. He is very conscious of her proximity.
MARY
(on phone)
We're listening, Sam.
SAM'S VOICE
I have a big deal coming up that's
going to make us all rich. George,
you remember that night in Martini's
bar when you told me you read
someplace about making plastics out
of soybeans?
GEORGE
Huh? Yeah-yeah-yeah... soybeans.
Yeah.
SAM'S VOICE
Well, Dad's snapped up the idea.
He's going to build a factory outside
of Rochester. How do you like that?
Mary is watching George interestedly. George is very
conscious of her, close to him.
GEORGE
Rochester? Well, why Rochester?
SAM'S VOICE
Well, why not? Can you think of
anything better?
GEORGE
Oh, I don't know... why not right
here? You remember that old tool
and machinery works? You tell your
father he can get that for a song.
And all the labor he wants, too.
Half the town was thrown out of work
when they closed down.
SAM'S VOICE
That so? Well, I'll tell him. Hey,
that sounds great! Oh, baby, I knew
you'd come through. Now, here's the
point. Mary, Mary, you're in on this
too. Now listen. Have you got any
money?
GEORGE
Money? Yeah... well, a little.
SAM'S VOICE
Well, now listen. I want you to put
every cent you've got into our stock,
you hear? And George, I may have a
job for you; that is, unless you're
still married to that broken-down
Building and Loan. This is the biggest
thing since radio, and I'm letting
you in on the ground floor. Oh,
Mary... Mary...
MARY
(nervously)
I'm here.
SAM'S VOICE
Would you tell that guy I'm giving
him the chance of a lifetime, you
hear? The chance of a lifetime.
As Mary listens, she turns to look at George, her
lips almost on his lips.
MARY
(whispering)
He says it's the chance of a lifetime.
George can stand it no longer. He drops the phone
with a crash, grabs Mary by the shoulders and shakes
her. Mary begins to cry.
GEORGE
(fiercely)
Now you listen to me! I don't want
any plastics! I don't want any ground
floors, and I don't want to get
married – ever – to anyone! You
understand that? I want to do what I
want to do. And you're... and
you're...
He pulls her to him in a fierce embrace. Two meant
for each other find themselves in tearful ecstasy.
GEORGE
Oh, Mary... Mary...
MARY
George... George... George...
GEORGE
Mary...
CLOSE SHOT
Mrs. Hatch is at the top of the stairs. She
practically faints at what she sees.Here is the movie version of the scene:
“He says it’s the chance of a lifetime.” One of the most important lines in the movie. Here the text is about Sam Wainwright offering George and Mary a business investment opportunity. The subtext: George has an opportunity to be with Mary.
But there is a callback later when Clarence says this to George: “You’ve been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would be like without you.”
There’s that word again: Chance. George opted to take the chance to be with Mary. Then he’s given a chance to look back on the ramifications of that choice. So in effect, there is not only subtext in this scene, but also a setup to a later payoff.
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