It's A Wonderful Life | First Time Watching! | Movie REACTION!

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  • Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
  • Chandra and Jordan reacting to It's A Wonderful Life - First Time Watching! Leave a comment to let us know what you think! Subscribe and Like to support us!
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 598

  • @eddieevans6692
    @eddieevans6692 Місяць тому +224

    I'm a movie technician, a grip. Early in my career, (1980), I worked on a TV movie with Gloria Graham. I was young and didn't know who she was. I certainly didn't connect her to Violet in this movie. After a couple of weeks, she became quite friendly and would regularly eat lunch at my table, much to the chagrin of her assistant. At the wrap party, I was leaving just as she was walking in. She made it a point to pull me aside and give me a big kiss goodby. Kinda silly, I know, but I'll never forget that kiss from an old time Hollywood movie star.

    • @edprzydatek8398
      @edprzydatek8398 Місяць тому +14

      Great story.

    • @michaelfontanelli2450
      @michaelfontanelli2450 Місяць тому +12

      You lucky dawg! 😊❤️

    • @jim6070
      @jim6070 Місяць тому

      @@eddieevans6692 another miracle!

    • @JohnnyUtah15
      @JohnnyUtah15 Місяць тому

      Was the TV movie “A Letter to Three Wives”?
      Maybe not, I’m thinking of Ann Sothern, but she may be in it too.

    • @johnmoreland6089
      @johnmoreland6089 Місяць тому +1

      That is so great! I always loved her.

  • @JamesLachowsky
    @JamesLachowsky Місяць тому +25

    The device George keeps wishing on is a cigar lighter. It didn't ignite every time. If it did on the first try, you got your wish.

  • @DR-mq1vn
    @DR-mq1vn Місяць тому +56

    I am so glad that the younger generation is discovering this movie!

  • @jim6070
    @jim6070 Місяць тому +118

    40 years from now you will both watch this again and cry harder.

    • @joeeyaura
      @joeeyaura Місяць тому +11

      40 years? maybe next year like i do every year

    • @Melancthon7332
      @Melancthon7332 Місяць тому +16

      @@joeeyaura What OP is trying to say is, that after you've lived a lot more of the ups and downs of life, had dreams die and sacrificed for others, this movie will hit a lot harder.

    • @albertjimeno807
      @albertjimeno807 Місяць тому

      I CRY HARDER WHEN I LOOK AT YOUR MOTHER.

    • @jim6070
      @jim6070 Місяць тому +1

      @ that is very rude. My dear mother passed away 20 years ago and you are besmirching her memory. Shame on you.

  • @mark-be9mq
    @mark-be9mq Місяць тому +10

    Jordan said, 'He gave everything away', he did, his dreams, life, wealth. You could also say he invested everything in others/the town and when he needed it most it gave him back all, with intrest.

  • @deki5119
    @deki5119 Місяць тому +28

    Jordan is the only reactor I've seen who knew that it was a run on the bank.

  • @DavidB-2268
    @DavidB-2268 Місяць тому +62

    8:29 such an important moment in the film. The last words George spoke to his father was that he was a great guy. Never pass up the opportunity to tell the people that you love just how you feel. One day it'll be the last time, and you may never know when.

    • @LukeLovesRose
      @LukeLovesRose Місяць тому +4

      Now, after seeing Its A Wonderful Life so many times, I'm beginning to see how significant that conversation with George's dad is. I'm also sad that that's the last time he talks to his dad

    • @dearally4787
      @dearally4787 Місяць тому +2

      @@LukeLovesRoseI agree. When he said “you were born older” he spoke the truth. That resonates with me in my family as well.

  • @charlieeckert4321
    @charlieeckert4321 Місяць тому +20

    31:20 "1A" was the designation for a man who was physically fit and healthy enough for any duty in the military, including combat. "4F" was a designation for a man who could not serve because of physical disability.

  • @alancrofoot
    @alancrofoot Місяць тому +12

    Fun Fact - @17:22 - The sound of garbage cans being knocked over when Uncle Billy staggers off was actually a stagehand dropping some props. Jimmy Stewart's laugh was genuine and Thomas Mitchell improvised the line "I'm alright, I'm OK". It was one of those very happy accidents, Frank Capra loved it and left it in the final cut.

  • @JusBidniss
    @JusBidniss Місяць тому +5

    Karolyn Grimes, who played little Zuzu, is still with us at age 84. Her character's name bore a striking resemblance to that of a cookie made at the time by Nabisco (then called NBC, National Biscuit Company), Zu Zu Ginger Snaps, which came in a distinctive yellow box with reddish type. In the scene at the end, George rushes up the stairs, hugs his kids and says, "Zuzu, my little ginger snap!" In a 2018 interview, Karolyn laughed, “I was named after a cookie!” 😊

  • @mikecarew8329
    @mikecarew8329 Місяць тому +21

    Jimmy Stewart flew 20 combat mission as a pilot of B-24s in Europe in WW2. He was deputy Commander and had to organize the rosters / assign pilots to missions. This was his very first post-war film and he had what today we'd call PTSD and survivor's guilt. His pain is apparent all over this performance. The script didn't call for him to cry in the bar scene, but they came anyway. Stewart was a beloved figure - the Tom Hanks of his time but with war hero layered on top. He stayed in the Air Force reserves for decades and rose to Brigadier General, with his last combat mission as an observer on a B-52 raid over Vietnam.
    Aside: I love how they try to "Old Maid" a 25-year old Donna Reed just by throwing some glasses and a hat on her. Yeah, OK. Best looking "Old Maid" ever.
    A lovely film that still resonates.

    • @CarlBass-c2g
      @CarlBass-c2g Місяць тому +1

      People, Something Maybe Nobody has Heard is, the Cab Driver is Ernie, & the Cop is Burt, that's where Jim Henson, Got His Character Puppet Names, "Burt, & Ernie," from !!!! Wild 😜 Huh !!;?? Carl Bass - Chicago !!!!

    • @twocents7877
      @twocents7877 Місяць тому

      comparing a legit WWII combat pilot to an actor who flew his 'missions' to epstein island???????????

    • @mikecarew8329
      @mikecarew8329 Місяць тому

      @ I am comparing how widely popular and beloved they were as actors. I made the point that BrigGen Stewart had war hero atop of that. Hanks has never been on Epstein’s island or any list associated with Epstein. It was a viral rumor from the more kooky corners of the internet / Twitter.

  • @longago-igo
    @longago-igo Місяць тому +7

    When I was in grade school, bottled milk was still delivered door to door, in town, by a horse drawn wagon. The horse knew how far ahead to go before stopping and waiting for the delivery man to come back to resupply. We lived in the country, so our milk came by a delivery van.

  • @michaelwilber774
    @michaelwilber774 Місяць тому +32

    I love that the entire movie is on Christmas Eve. The angels at the beginning said Clarence only had an hour to catch up on George's life before he had to help him, on Christmas Eve.

  • @ShawnKavanagh
    @ShawnKavanagh Місяць тому +17

    @6:40 The genesis of Ernie & Bert

    • @MrDevintcoleman
      @MrDevintcoleman Місяць тому +1

      I was just coming here to say that!! The namesakes, themselves! 🎄

    • @deckofcards87
      @deckofcards87 Місяць тому +1

      Bert & Ernie 😅 why I didn't notice that

  • @richardcarrier9536
    @richardcarrier9536 Місяць тому +7

    The subtleties in this movie are really great. For example, he begs Clarence to get him back to his wife and kids, but it isn't until he officially acknowledges God that the prayer is answered and it starts snowing again - indicating things are back to normal. I like how the movie shows everyone praying at the beginning knowing George is in trouble. And although George is unaware of it, God already has a plan in place to help him in his darkest hour. (It makes me think of Psalm 34:6 in the Bible which says, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.") So appropriate for this movie and so appropriate in life. Thanks for the review!
    My Christmas traditions - I watch this movie every year with my kids. It's a family favorite. We also go out in search of light displays in other towns and make a trip of it.

    • @boomeister2
      @boomeister2 Місяць тому +2

      What a beautiful sentiment. Thank you for that.

  • @celticwolff5429
    @celticwolff5429 Місяць тому +23

    @17:22 The crash off camera was real not scripted. IMDB Trivia: As Uncle Billy drunkenly leaves the Bailey home, it sounds as if he stumbles into some trash cans on the sidewalk. In fact, a crew member dropped a large tray of props right after Thomas Mitchell went off-screen. James Stewart began laughing, and Mitchell quickly improvised, "I'm all right! I'm okay!" Director Frank Capra decided to use this take in the final cut and gave the stagehand a $10 bonus for "improving the sound."

  • @Jay-j4w3x
    @Jay-j4w3x Місяць тому +6

    The cast includes some of the best character actors in the history of Hollywood - Ward Bond (Bert), Henry Travers (Clarence), Beulah Bondi (Ma Bailey), Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy) and Lionel Barrymore (Potter). Gloria Grahame (Violet) later won an Academy Award for best supporting actress. She died tragically at the age of 57 from breast cancer. Donna Reed (Mary) later won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in From Here to Eternity and went on to have a successful TV series in the 1960s (The Donna Reed Show).
    Reply

  • @apulrang
    @apulrang Місяць тому +46

    Chandra's question about the interaction between George and Violet early in the movie got me thinking. I don't know if it was intentional, but that little scene does a bit of important work for the film. It helps the audience avoid a situation where we might think that there will be some huge conflict about whether George will realize he belongs with Mary, or get sidetracked by Violent. Here we see that George and Violet are quite different people, with quite different tastes -- friendly, but not compatible.
    So later in the story when George loans Violet some money so she can move out of town, (strongly implied so she can escape a not so good reputation), we have no worry at all that there's anything to it except George being kind to an old friend. It's just another of many examples of how all the details in the story fit perfectly with each other.

    • @TedLittle-yp7uj
      @TedLittle-yp7uj Місяць тому +13

      We can see how it would have turned out if not for George. When he doesn't exist, Violet goes from being the town flirt to being arrested for prostitution.

    • @zammmerjammer
      @zammmerjammer Місяць тому +9

      Yeah, I really like that it shows how George and Violet are simply not compatible. She's not what he wants and he's not what she wants.
      And then that contrast really emphasizes how perfect Mary is for him. Violet would have had a fit over missing her honeymoon and never even thought to offer up their money to keep the building & loan afloat, while Mary does it without hesitation.

    • @BEBruns
      @BEBruns Місяць тому

      In the scene where George loans her the money, there is a rather obvious jump cut. In the screenplay she asks George to come with her.

  • @AH87saxo
    @AH87saxo Місяць тому +2

    In terms of Christmas traditions here in Spain, we basically celebrate Christmas Eve (having dinner with the family), Christmas (family lunch), New Year's Eve (dinner), New Year's Eve (lunch) and, of course, the meal on January 6th.
    The main difference between Spain (and in each part of the country there are small "local" traditions) and the United States or Anglo-Saxon customs is the theme of January 5th and 6th:
    Three Kings' Night and Three Kings' Day.
    In a way, Three Kings' Night, without dinner, would be like Christmas Eve in 🇺🇸, and Three Kings' Day is like Christmas except that basically the morning and the day are mostly about children going around the family houses to see what the Three Kings left for them in each house...
    I don't know if I explained myself.
    Oh! I didn't want to forget that on New Year's Eve, with the chimes of 12, 12 grapes are eaten, one for each chime and they are eaten as they ring.

  • @Tamaah23
    @Tamaah23 Місяць тому +9

    Best movie ever! I’ve been watching it my whole life! That movie has saved me during my darkest times. ❤

  • @johnleader8737
    @johnleader8737 Місяць тому +122

    The contraption in the drug store that you're so confused by is a cigar lighter. George makes a wish, and if it lights the first time, his wish is supposed to come true.

    • @robertcartier5088
      @robertcartier5088 Місяць тому +7

      Exactly, and his exclamation, _"Hot-dog"_ is what polite kids of the day would say instead of 'Dammit!' when it doesn't light. ;-]

    • @JohnVinylGen
      @JohnVinylGen Місяць тому +7

      I think it's the opposite. If the lighter DOESN'T light he gets his wish. Because we see the lighter always produce a flame and then he goes "hot-dog!" meaning his wish wont come true.

    • @robertcartier5088
      @robertcartier5088 Місяць тому +6

      @JohnVinylGen you're right, I got it turned around, too. 👍

    • @zammmerjammer
      @zammmerjammer Місяць тому +15

      @@JohnVinylGen "hot dog!" means "hooray!"

    • @robertcartier5088
      @robertcartier5088 Місяць тому +2

      @@zammmerjammer No, not always. It depends on tone... even in this movie, it is used for negative AND positive things. The fact that the lighter lit, means he doesn't get his wish, and he is saying it in a disappointing tone. At other times, it's a positive tone. It seems to be a one-size-fits-all kind of word, much like how we use the F-word today -- it's all about how you say it. ;-]

  • @sgt.blkdog3840
    @sgt.blkdog3840 Місяць тому +22

    My new tradition is watching reactors react to IAWL. You two were great.

  • @jsurace
    @jsurace Місяць тому +42

    Fun fact: The director (Frank Capra) was a graduate of Caltech in Pasadena (my alma mater as well). It's one of the world's greatest science research institutions. He was friends with various astronomers, including Edwin Hubble. The galaxy image is real, it's a famous grouping called "Stephan's Quintet". I'm not sure if the photographic plate came from Mt. Wilson or Palomar. He later willed his ranch house in Fallbrook to Caltech, I attended retreats there in the 80s.

  • @mikeeckel2807
    @mikeeckel2807 Місяць тому +10

    When George "returns" to the present and is running thru town the movie playing at the Bijou Theater is "The Bells of St. Mary's." The man that plays as "Clarence" (Henry Travers) was in it.

    • @TedLittle-yp7uj
      @TedLittle-yp7uj Місяць тому +2

      "Going My Way" and its sequel "The Bells of St Mary's," though not quite Christmas movies, were traditionally shown on television at Christmas. "Bells" features the best children's Christmas pageant ever filmed. Both films are well worth watching.

  • @cbmx1x1
    @cbmx1x1 Місяць тому +4

    If ever there was a movie that’s actually GOOD for your health! ❤

  • @bostonvair
    @bostonvair Місяць тому +3

    I'm 62 and I've watched this movie more times than I can remember, and i still end up in tears at the end. A timeless classic. Loved your reaction and just subscribed to your channel!

  • @custardflan
    @custardflan Місяць тому +8

    George turns down two chances to get out. He says no to Sam and no to Potter. He chooses Mary. Check out The Family Man with Nocholas Cage. He chooses "Sam Wainwright" and learns what he misses.

  • @karvald
    @karvald Місяць тому +19

    In case you missed it, the little girls at the drugstore counter were young Mary and Violet. Even then, Mary realizes she's gonna love George her whole life.

    • @user-mg5mv2tn8q
      @user-mg5mv2tn8q Місяць тому +1

      If George was 12 then, Mary would have been 8. I was about 8 when seeing Yvonne Craig in her Batgirl costume pulled me out of the "girls are icky" phase of my childhood.

  • @mav2knight
    @mav2knight Місяць тому +17

    This is without a doubt the best Xmas movie made. I know generations younger than mine may disagree but the story is timeless. I'm 66 years old and have seem this every year without fail. First with my mom and dad and later with my children. To this day, I still cry at the end because after all, "George Bailey is and always has been the richest man in town".. in so many ways..

  • @meganlutz7150
    @meganlutz7150 Місяць тому +8

    Beautiful reaction. I hope you watch more old classics. There are so many more great ones to explore !

  • @markjz2011
    @markjz2011 Місяць тому +7

    Thanks!
    HAVE A MERRY HOLY CHRISTMAS! 🎄

  • @dereamajackson4725
    @dereamajackson4725 Місяць тому +3

    This movie has been part of our family tradition since I was a child. Once my children were born, we started the tradition of Santa's presents always being wrapped in brown paper (paper bag type) with colorful ribbons. This way the kids would know immediately which gifts came from Santa. They always went to those first. Wonderful memories.

  • @flightgamer7849
    @flightgamer7849 Місяць тому +3

    It really is a wonderful life and a wonderful movie. Have a very Merry Christmas.

  • @Dave-hb7lx
    @Dave-hb7lx Місяць тому +12

    FYI, three of the Bailey children are still alive. Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu) is 84. Carol Coombs (Janie) is 89. Jimmy Hawkins (Tommy) is 83.

    • @markdenio4537
      @markdenio4537 Місяць тому +4

      I got to meet Karolyn this past Saturday! She was great fun and hilarious during the Q&A. Karolyn is also in The Bishop’s Wife.

    • @Dave-hb7lx
      @Dave-hb7lx Місяць тому +4

      @@markdenio4537 So cool. Yes, Bishops Wife and she played Fred McMurrays daughter i Pardon My Past in 1945.

  • @interghost
    @interghost Місяць тому +16

    One of the best movies ever made!

  • @josephpaul4548
    @josephpaul4548 Місяць тому +2

    This was Jimmy Stewart's finest performance, simply towering. Nobody could top it.

  • @Albinsable
    @Albinsable Місяць тому +2

    What a wonderful reaction.
    Whenever I watch this film (anytime, not just at Christmas), I often wonder how many people's lives were "saved" by this movie at times of personal despair?......A movie with a timeless message.

  • @raymonddevera2796
    @raymonddevera2796 Місяць тому +27

    When George was praying in Martini's Bar, Jimmy Stewart was suffering from PTSD reflecting on all the men of his squadron blown up over skies of Europe. He flew over 20 daylight missions, he retired from the USAF reserves as a one star general. The gymnasium floor was not a set but an actual gymnasium floor that opened to a swimming pool. It is located at Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills California. And yes Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) is related to Drew Barrymore, her great great uncle. There was a motto under Peter Bailey's portrait:All You Can Take With You Is That Which You Have Given Away.
    Sounds like something we can live by today.

    • @brianelliott8050
      @brianelliott8050 Місяць тому

      There is no evidence that Stewart suffered from PTSD.

    • @promisemochi
      @promisemochi Місяць тому

      @@brianelliott8050 you don't come away from what he did unscathed. there's literally countless stories about how this film and this role changed his life and helped him through the trauma he was going through.

    • @boomeister2
      @boomeister2 Місяць тому

      Jimmy Stewart also used those emotions when he was hugging and kissing his little boy and Mary saw that there was something terribly wrong.
      BTW, that gymnasium floor and swimming pool at Beverly Hills High are still in use today.

    • @brianelliott8050
      @brianelliott8050 Місяць тому

      @@promisemochi Sorry, you're making suppositions. His military records and medical records show no such diagnosis. Most commentators have been repeating this old saw for years without any evidence.

    • @promisemochi
      @promisemochi Місяць тому +2

      @ you do realize how inaccurate things were even up to ten years ago, right? so much was still misunderstood. this movie was something so raw and real for him and it's you who are making suppositions. why are you so threatened by the idea of a man having ptsd?

  • @DR-mq1vn
    @DR-mq1vn Місяць тому +4

    I have watched this movie every year since the early 80s, when I first saw it. I cry every time too!

  • @jerrywalters8885
    @jerrywalters8885 Місяць тому +8

    The pool unde4 the floor is a real thing still in use today in Beverly Hills High School. And the boy who opened it was same actor who played Alfalfa in Our Gang in the 30s with Buckwheat and them

  • @timcrandall9046
    @timcrandall9046 Місяць тому +4

    Every Christmas we always watch "Noel" with Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Paul Walker, Penelope Cruz and Alan Arkin, and the original "A Christmas Memory" written and narrated by Truman Capote. As far as food, every Christmas morning before opening presents we eat Pillsbury Orange Danish rolls with coffee. This started with my parents and continues into the third generation with my son and his wife. I especially remember when I was a kid my Dad would eat his rolls very slowly just to drive me nuts waiting to open the gifts.

  • @bob5074
    @bob5074 Місяць тому +19

    Dude who opened the pool floor was the guy who played Alfalfa in Our Gang and Little Rascals shorts.

    • @markdenio4537
      @markdenio4537 Місяць тому +2

      They use his picture in White Christmas as the Army buddy of Bing & Danny, and brother to the two sisters.

  • @alexcastillo8892
    @alexcastillo8892 Місяць тому +4

    Great reaction! Watching this movie , and "Charlie Brown Christmas " , and of course - attending church to celebrate the birth of Christ are yearly traditions. Merry Christmas!

  • @Avalon1951
    @Avalon1951 Місяць тому +2

    See what you guy miss, all these classic movies are so good, they are not called classic for nothing:) My best friend what he does is when they get their Christmas tree they slice the bottom of the tree and make a yearly Christmas ornament out of it, now after 4 kids, they've put their first grand baby's face on it.

  • @Anjuli50
    @Anjuli50 Місяць тому +10

    The line "He's making violent love to me" didn't mean the same thing in those days. It had no sexual connotations - "making love" meant courting, talking romantically and passionately about love, begging a woman to marry you, etc.

    • @flerbus
      @flerbus Місяць тому +3

      but burt the cop staring down Violet in her sexy dress
      and then "going home to see what the wife is doin"
      is exactly how it sounds

  • @Fast_Eddy_Magic
    @Fast_Eddy_Magic Місяць тому +5

    "Make love" didn't mean sex back then, it meant flirting (talking love).

  • @jasontoddman7265
    @jasontoddman7265 Місяць тому +3

    The first time I saw this movie I had never heard of it and caught it in the middle just as George is contemplating suicide and Clarence jumps into the water. For some reason I soon assumed I was watching an old episode of The Twilight Zone; it certainly felt like it except no Rod Serling at the end (a fact that did not register in my head as I hadn't seen an episode of Twilight Zone in many years by then). I didn't learn what I was really watching until by chance I caught the entire movie on cable about ten years later; unaware that I had seen it before until it got to Clarence jumping into the water again.

  • @DavidB-2268
    @DavidB-2268 Місяць тому +8

    23:41 as paraphrased by the Beatles in The End: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
    And the central theme of George's life was said by John Lennon in his song Beautiful Boy: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

  • @scottls
    @scottls Місяць тому +3

    I have to admit this is one of my absolute favorite movies! In fact, this movie in a large way help shape my life. I Loved the philosophy of what the Bailey's family business stood for, so much that my brothers and I all became active tradesmen each in our own field of expertise. My older brother was a carpenter and our general contractor, I became an electrician, and my younger brother runs a large roofing crew that also does siding, windows, and doors. (exterior work) We could have been considered The Bailey's Building and Loan of the last 30 years here where we live. Unfortunately, Cancer took my older brother so my younger brother and I still try to keep up our family name to the best of our ability, but each in our own field.

  • @lazerithlazerith4012
    @lazerithlazerith4012 Місяць тому +3

    Being together with friends and loved ones is the number 1 best Christmas tradition.

  • @dearally4787
    @dearally4787 Місяць тому +2

    37:50 - Jimmy Stewart later said “When I first read the first draft of the script [It’s a Wonderful Life]…that scene, the little prayer, affected me then and it still does. And this is a theory that I’ve always had - creating moments in movies, this I think is the important thing. Nobody knows exactly how it happens. What you should do is prepare yourself, as best you can, to make these moments happen.”
    Stewart had recently returned from war and broke down sobbing filming that scene, although he wasn’t directed to do so. Frank Capra chose that take to be the one to use for the movie.

  • @Bruce-Wayne-101
    @Bruce-Wayne-101 Місяць тому +1

    Yay, more Christmas movies with our elf Chandra. Merry Christmas Maplenuts. 🎅🏻🎄🦌

  • @omgbygollywow
    @omgbygollywow Місяць тому +14

    Jimmy Stewart was 38 years old at the time of this movie, playing a young man just a bit out of high school. But he had already been a decorated World War 2 hero and bomber pilot when he filmed this movie.

  • @JasonRule-1
    @JasonRule-1 Місяць тому +12

    The next MUST SEE, all-time classic, black & white movie: CASABLANCA!

  • @handfuloftrains4781
    @handfuloftrains4781 Місяць тому +8

    Just a little misty eyed, Maplenuts? Heck, I turn into a blubbering mess every single time I watch this film. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

  • @paulgxi
    @paulgxi Місяць тому +11

    Someone mentioned James Stewart's role in WWII; he was a pilot who flew bombing missions over Germany and had a long military history (he may have retired from the Army Air Force). Relatively few know that Donnna Reed contributed in her own right to the war effort. She served in the Hollywood USO working weekly at social functions for service men and women. She danced with servicemen, served, and performed at these weekly shows. She is known for writing personal letters and corresponding with many servicemen during WWII. She also saved hundreds of letters from servicemen who related touching stories of their experiences overseas, requested pictures and let Reed know how much her letters meant to them.. Nice news story on TV sometime back about the letters that were still part of her estate.

    • @johannesvalterdivizzini1523
      @johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Місяць тому +1

      Growing up, every adult I knew as a boy in the 1960's did something to contribute to the War effort--my father and uncles all served (and one never made it home), my mom worked with the USO giving tours of Chinatown and Little Italy, an aunt became a doctor in the VA hospitals--even my grandfather sold War Bonds to the Italian community of the East Bronx. A neighbor was an English War Bride, the local deli owner a survivor of the Concentration camps. Even the monsignor at the local church had been a chaplain.

    • @TedLittle-yp7uj
      @TedLittle-yp7uj Місяць тому +1

      Donna Reed appeared in many good movies, including: "They Were Expendable," (1946) "The Human Comedy" (1943), and won an Oscar for "From Here to Eternity (1953).

  • @charlieeckert4321
    @charlieeckert4321 Місяць тому +32

    Lionel Barrymore (Mr.Potter) was Drew Barrymore's great-uncle. He was confined to a wheelchair because of congenital arthritis and injuries from a fall. The last movie he made was Captains Courageous (another movie you really should watch!)
    Jimmy Stewart was the first actor to sign up to fight in World War II. He became a bomber pilot and flew 20 missions over Germany. He got PTSD from his duties as deputy commander for his unit, because he had to assign aurcrews to missions, and a lot of them didn't come back.
    He was reluctant to return to acting, and Frank Capra and Lionel Barrymore talked him into it. It meant the start of a more varied and critically acclaimed career, ranging from movies like Harvey to Anatomy of a Murder, Winchester 73, Rear Window, Vertigo, Call Northside 777, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. All of those are well worth watching!

    • @leif712009
      @leif712009 Місяць тому +3

      The man who shot Liberty Valence is a great movie!

    • @custardflan
      @custardflan Місяць тому +1

      Captains Courageous was one of our fa es as a family when our kids were little.

    • @joegreene7619
      @joegreene7619 Місяць тому +5

      Rear Window is a top 5 all time movie for me. Just brilliant and many of the copycats are pretty good as well.

  • @jkgbucks77
    @jkgbucks77 Місяць тому +5

    I’ve seen this movie no less than 20 times and it never fails to make me ball like a baby at the end. It’s a wonderful film.

  • @johnathanstruble1064
    @johnathanstruble1064 Місяць тому +3

    Merry Christmas kids❤

  • @terpcj
    @terpcj Місяць тому +13

    For B/W movies, you can't go wrong with _Casablanca_ (1942); _Mr Smith Goes to Washington_ (1939 -- more Jimmy Stewart); and an outlier few react to - _The Miracle Worker_ (1962). If you want B/W and silent: _Metropolis_ (1927 - groundbreaking SF); _Wings_ (1927 - the first Academy Award best picture, and the only silent one). And so much more. I'm a boomer and even people in my generation did themselves a disservice by eschewing B/Ws and silents. There are so many treasures to mine from this era.

  • @fenix6297
    @fenix6297 Місяць тому +2

    For reference - the scene with Potter after his father's death was around 1925 - so 5K would the equivalent of about $89K in today's dollars.
    The scene where Potter offers him a job would be mid 30s.....say about 1934 so $20K a year would be about $460K a year.
    Simply put, Potter offered George - a man making about 50K a year - almost $1.5 million dollars over three years to sell out and George turned him down.
    Oh - and Uncle Bill basically gave Potter $138K in an envelope.

    • @maxmaven99
      @maxmaven99 Місяць тому

      Potter also says that they loaned Ernie $5000 for a house, which means a bungalow (shown in Bailey Park in the film) was worth roughly $89,000 in today's money. Which just goes to show how inflation has far surpassed average income. In my area, a mobile home on a half acre lot is $250,000 (Canadian) But, you know, all the avocado toast these Millennials are eating is the reason they can't afford a house....

    • @longfootbuddy
      @longfootbuddy Місяць тому

      no, 5k is equal to 5k today

  • @adnap
    @adnap Місяць тому +10

    Another lesser known, but GREAT Capra film with Jimmy Stewart and Lionel Barrymore is "You Can’t Take It With You.”
    Quirky, fun and rewarding.

    • @maxmaven99
      @maxmaven99 Місяць тому +1

      You forgot to mention the crow. He's in it to.😀

    • @adnap
      @adnap Місяць тому

      @ These aren’t the Droids you’re looking for.

    • @phillipsuttles1926
      @phillipsuttles1926 Місяць тому +1

      Great Movie!

  • @shawnpatrick1877
    @shawnpatrick1877 Місяць тому +4

    45:30 that part gets me every time. It's not just the people you affect directly, but that ripple effect of how it even touches everyone they know or interact with in some way.

    • @jimstanga6390
      @jimstanga6390 11 днів тому

      Same here. How many guys on a WW2 US Pacific Troop Ship? A thousand guys, plus the crew? The Kamakazi plane hit and sank her with everyone aboard. No wonder Harry got the CMH.

  • @redjeeper943
    @redjeeper943 Місяць тому +10

    A bit of trivia so the bartender at Martinis is Nick. He is played by actor/producer Sheldon Leonard. In honor of him that is where they got the names for Sheldon and Leonard on The Big Bang Theory from.

    • @dr.burtgummerfan439
      @dr.burtgummerfan439 Місяць тому +1

      Leonard also had a career in radio, appearing on the show Duffy's Tavern and many others, thanks to his pronounced accent.

    • @markdenio4537
      @markdenio4537 Місяць тому +1

      I’m pretty sure he’s in the Frank Sinatra Guys & Dolls as well.

  • @lino9222
    @lino9222 Місяць тому +3

    Thankyou Merry Christmas

  • @cindyknudson2715
    @cindyknudson2715 Місяць тому +10

    I was reminded recently that the night they sang that song and he said he'd lasso the moon was the night his father had the stroke which killed him.
    And, i would guess, George also feels like it is a sort of cruel joke remembering all of the optimism about life he felt at the time he said it. Like even lassoing the moon could be within his power to achieve. But.... now here he is, feeling entirely powerless.
    The difference between the George who believes the whole world is going to be his oyster and the George who sent his brother to college believing it would be his turn next and now, this George who feels trapped by circumstances.

  • @charlieeckert4321
    @charlieeckert4321 Місяць тому +8

    27:44 This actor is Charles Lane, who became the oldest ever active member of SAG/ AFTRA (the actors union) at age 100. He died in 2007 at age 107.

  • @hmsljj
    @hmsljj Місяць тому +4

    So glad you liked the film. A Very Merry Christmas to you.

  • @guillaumehuet-yw3tm
    @guillaumehuet-yw3tm Місяць тому +7

    Merry christmas Chandra and Jordan!

  • @brucevidito4923
    @brucevidito4923 Місяць тому +3

    It's the greatest Christmas movie ever made.

  • @socalpaul487
    @socalpaul487 Місяць тому +10

    For older classics, I recommend "Boys Town" 1938, "The Grapes of Wrath" 1940, "Sahara" 1943, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" 1947, "The African Queen" 1951, "Bad Day at Black Rock" 1955, "Fail-Safe" 1964. "Lifeboat" 1944, "The Flight of the Phoenix" 1965. "The Spirit of St. Louis" 1957.

  • @stobe187
    @stobe187 Місяць тому

    I absolutely love that this film takes its time with really fleshing out the backstories, makes the last 25 minutes hit that much harder. A bona fide classic with a timeless message.

  • @QuisletEsq
    @QuisletEsq Місяць тому +24

    During their honeymoon when Mary tells George her wish, she is saying it into his deaf ear. He never knows.

    • @custardflan
      @custardflan Місяць тому +14

      I've watched this dozens of times and that never occurred to me. Thanks. Made my day.

  • @i_love_rescue_animals
    @i_love_rescue_animals Місяць тому

    Really glad you two reacted to this classic movie! I LOVE watching this movie at Christmas. It's my favorite Christmas film other than the much more recent (and much different tone!) - Violent Night. Anyway, not to get side-tracked - so glad you really loved it and want to turn it into a tradition to watch it every year. I don't know if they do this in Canada, but in the US, they play it every Christmas, more than once, I'm sure. Hope you two had a Merry Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year! 🙌🏽 ❤ 🎄

  • @emilywolfe7319
    @emilywolfe7319 Місяць тому

    Ever since i watched this 15 years ago, this movie IS my Xmas eve tradition, as i tie together all loose ends ..
    But the past two years, its been watching reaction videos like this one.
    I love watching people experience this masterpiece.
    Thanks for being part of my xmas eve ❤️

  • @custardflan
    @custardflan Місяць тому +4

    Mary is the Sam to George's Frodo.

  • @gregghelmberger
    @gregghelmberger Місяць тому

    re: "I wish I had a million dollars -- HOT DOG!" The thing he was messing with was an old-fashioned cigar lighter. They didn't always light the first time, so you'd say a wish, press the button, and if it lit, you'd get your wish (or so the convention went). He'd shout "HOT DOG!" to celebrate when it lit.

  • @valbonney2575
    @valbonney2575 Місяць тому

    One of my all-time favourite films, in any genre! I especially enjoy it at Christmas, but the message and wholesomeness is welcome any time of the year! Doesn't matter how many times I watch it (or reactions to it), I cry at the ending every time. Loved your reaction as always, you were totally engaged and didn't miss a single detail.
    Another amazing b&w movie, if you haven't already seen it, is "Twelve Angry Men" with Henry Fonda - you would both love it!

  • @kramermile114
    @kramermile114 Місяць тому

    I’m so happy I was able to rewatch this movie with you guys experiencing this for the first time. This is one of my fav movies ever, such a beautiful story, and timeless, as you guys stated. No matter how many times I watch this I still get choked up. I’m fairly new to your channel, maybe 8 months or so and I’ve seen about 15ish videos maybe. You guys seem like amazing people, so genuine and kind. I wish you both nothing but the best!! Merry Christmas!! ✌🏻 ❤

  • @steve6valdez
    @steve6valdez Місяць тому

    My mom is in her 70s, and she still loves watching this every year when we get together at Christmas. It's a great tradition and an excellent reminder of what is really important. So glad that you enjoyed your first time watching.

  • @EricAntonsen-uz2tq
    @EricAntonsen-uz2tq Місяць тому +2

    If we don’t get misty eyed at the end of this movie … I’m sorry but … you aren’t human.

  • @axspike
    @axspike Місяць тому +1

    One of my fav films.. Watch it every year and it's perfectly normal to get a spec of sentiment in your eye! 😁
    Fun fact, the barman nick is played by actor Sheldon Leonard... The two main characters in the big bang theory(Sheldon and Leonard) are named after him. Happy Christmas from the 🇬🇧

  • @raymeedc
    @raymeedc Місяць тому +2

    James Stewart has been my all time favorite actor most of my life, since I was in grade school back in the 50s/60s ✅

  • @HolySilverStrike
    @HolySilverStrike 8 днів тому

    So that scene where uncle Billy ran into cans, was actually a backstage extra dropping a tray of props and the actor improvised that ‘I’m alright’

  • @thomastimlin1724
    @thomastimlin1724 Місяць тому

    There is an incredble legacy of main actors and supporting actors here. Donna Reed [Mrs George Bailey] went on to win best supporting actress for From Here to Eternity [1953]. In 1958 she was given her own TV sitcom The Donna Reed Show, which ran until 1966 . Many iconic supporting players and bit parts in this movie. The bartender, Sheldon Leonard, became a big time TV show producer. The Cab Driver became the ornery father on the sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" [1959-1963]. Little Tommy Bailey, played by Jimmie Hawkins, as the son of George Bailey sitting on his lap putting tinsel on George's head....he stayed in acting and worked in many movies and sitcoms, including the Donna Reed Show turnin teenager type beach movies etc. Donna Reed gave him a job, must have been great for both of the to be reunited, working together. He's still alive at age 84. Thomas John Mitchell (July 11, 1892 - December 17, 1962) was an Irish-American actor and writer. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of Gerald O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, Doc Boone in Stagecoach, Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life, and Mayor Jonas Henderson in High Noon. Mitchell was the first male actor to gain the Triple Crown of Acting by winning an Oscar[ movies], an Emmy, [TV] and a Tony Award [Stage].

  • @johndrews206
    @johndrews206 Місяць тому +1

    37:47. The raven haired singer in the back is Adriana Caselotti. She's the voice of snow white

  • @Emma-3010
    @Emma-3010 Місяць тому +2

    We've been collecting old Christmas movies for a while. Here are a few titles I'd recommend that are rarely mentioned these days. In no particular order:
    It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947), Christmas Eve (1947), I'll Be Seeing You (1944), Remember the Night (1940), A Christmas Carol (1951), Scrooge (1935), The Bishop's Wife (1947), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) and The Great Rupert (1950).
    If you can watch only one or two, I'd recommend The Bishop's Wife (Cary Grant and Loretta Young) and I'll Be Seeing You (Joseph Cotton, Ginger Rogers, and a grown up Shirley Temple).
    Merry Christmas!

    • @markdenio4537
      @markdenio4537 Місяць тому

      Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu) is also in The Bishop’s Wife.

  • @shawnjones1483
    @shawnjones1483 Місяць тому +1

    My second favorite Christmas movie after It’s a Wonderful Life is White Christmas. (Another movie you should watch.) Every year at Christmas time my two daughters and I get together and watch it. We have been doing this for over 35 years. It is one of my most cherished family traditions. Thank you for this reaction!

  • @alwaysdriveing
    @alwaysdriveing Місяць тому +4

    Another great classic is Danny Kay In The Court Jester. It was colorized but it is amazing. Back then actors actually had to have talent. Singing, dancing, sword fighting many talents back in the day.

    • @TedLittle-yp7uj
      @TedLittle-yp7uj Місяць тому +2

      It is a great film but was originally made in colour.

    • @alwaysdriveing
      @alwaysdriveing Місяць тому

      Yeah it was filmed in Vista Vision I believe. Poor choice of wording on my part. Was just saying it was not quite as old of an movie.

  • @flerbus
    @flerbus Місяць тому +27

    stares at violet
    "gotta go home and see what the wife's doin"
    bow chicka wow wow

    • @boki1693
      @boki1693 Місяць тому +9

      Amazing how many reactors miss that.

    • @johannesvalterdivizzini1523
      @johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Місяць тому +3

      Ho ho ho! I noticed that---this was so cleverly written.

    • @omgbygollywow
      @omgbygollywow Місяць тому +1

      Kind of racy for the times. Also, the time Mary tells her mother, "He's making violent love to me" was pretty racy for that period. Back then, I don't think you could even use the word "pregnant", so George asks Mary if she is "on the nest" instead of if she is pregnant.

    • @Linda-y9h
      @Linda-y9h Місяць тому

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @MikeTunnicliff-sk7wd
    @MikeTunnicliff-sk7wd Місяць тому

    Thanks!

  • @tdgallagher218
    @tdgallagher218 Місяць тому

    Early on, there is a scene where the young George enters the Bailey's Building and Loan, and both of you remarked how interesting it was that George arrived there via the horse and buggy. The fact is, that was Mr Potter's buggy parked in front of the building waiting for him while he was inside having a meeting with Peter Bailey.

  • @kbrewski1
    @kbrewski1 Місяць тому +5

    Jimmy Stewart was one of the iconic actors of the WWII generation. He played the straightforward "everyman" role to perfection. Closest actor in the Boomer Generation would probably be Tom Hanks.
    Must see Stewart movies if you already have not:
    Hitchcock classics like REAR WINDOW
    VERTIGO
    THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
    Anthony Mann Westerns like
    THE MAN FROM LARAMIE
    ANATOMY OF A MURDER (w George C. Scott)

  • @thomasmorelli9271
    @thomasmorelli9271 Місяць тому

    I have a therapist friend of mine and she said "if a person doesn't cry ugly at this movie ending, they have some pent up stuff, that will come out hard some other time." I think as you get older, you appreciate what this movie REALLY is about and you blubber like a baby.

  • @larryairgood4320
    @larryairgood4320 Місяць тому +1

    So many black and white classics highly meritorious: "Casablanca" (1942), "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"(1948), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940, from Steinbeck's great novel), "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939, James Stewart and director Capra again), "It Happened One Night" (1934, Clark Gable and director Capra),
    "Double Indemnity" (1944), "Some Like It Hot" (1960), "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943, vigilante justice themed western), "Sunset Boulevard" (1950)--- to name a few.

  • @trekkiejunk
    @trekkiejunk Місяць тому +1

    Well, the inspiration for this film also comes from the 150 year-old Charles Dickens's book "A Christmas Carol."

  • @2011Stylus
    @2011Stylus Місяць тому

    So nice to watch a classic film with two pleasant young people like you. Happy Holidays.

  • @StoryConsultant
    @StoryConsultant Місяць тому

    Just a bit of fun trivia: The actor who was Mary's date at the dance at 9:16 through 9:24 was Carl Switzer, better known as "Alfalfa" in the old "Our Gang" movies of the 1930s. He is also seen at 10:30 to 10:40 when he opened up the floor to reveal the swimming pool. He was a great actor.

  • @allenjessup6266
    @allenjessup6266 Місяць тому +1

    Congratulations. Few get the Heavenly conversation scene ar the beginning of the movie. Fewer actually enjoy it.
    Merry Christmas!

  • @otisroseboro5613
    @otisroseboro5613 Місяць тому +4

    Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 Everyone,Katy & Otis