IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
	La sceneggiatura	I suoni	Jimmy Stewart	La gallery

LA SCENEGGIATURA

EXTERIOR RESIDENTIAL STREET –– NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT –– George is walking slowly past the Hatch home. He stares meditatively at the simple dwelling, then he starts walking ahead. but after a few steps he turns around and starts back. He walks past the house a few yards, turns, and starts back again.

INTERIOR BEDROOM WINDOW –– HATCH HOME –– NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT –– Mary is looking out the window, watching George walk back and forth.

MARY: What are you doing, picketing?

George stops, startled, and looks up.

GEORGE: Hello, Mary. I just happened to be passing by.

MARY: Yeah, so I noticed. Have you made up your mind?

GEORGE: How's that?

MARY: Have you made up your mind?

GEORGE: About what?

MARY: About coming in. Your mother just phoned and said you were on your way over to pay me a visit.

EXTERIOR STREET –– NIGHT

MEDIUM LONG SHOT –– George looks surprised at this.

GEORGE: My mother just called you? Well, how did she know?

MARY: Didn't you tell her?

GEORGE: I didn't tell anybody. I just went for a walk and happened to be passing by . . .

But Mary has disappeared from the window.

GEORGE (cont'd)
(to himself): What do you . . . went for a walk, that's all.

INTERIOR HATCH HOME –– NIGHT

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT –– Mary is running down the stairs.

MARY (calling off): I'll be downstairs, mother.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE: All right, dear.

Mary looks in a mirror at the bottom of the stairs and fixes her hair. She is plainly excited at George's visit. She runs into the parlor and puts a sketch on an easel.

INSERT: THE SKETCH. It is a caricature of George throwing a lasso around the moon. Lettering on the drawing says: "George Lassos The Moon."

BACK TO SHOT –– Mary runs into the hall, opens the phonograph and puts on a record of "Buffalo Gals." Then she opens the front door and stands there waiting for George.

INTERIOR DOORWAY –– NIGHT

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT –– George is struggling with the gate –– he finally kicks it open and starts slowly up the path toward Mary.

MARY: Well, are you coming in or aren't you?

GEORGE: Well, I'll come in for a minute, but I didn't tell anybody I was coming over here.

CLOSE SHOT –– Mary and George are in the entrance hall.

GEORGE: When did you get back?

MARY: Tuesday.

GEORGE: Where'd you get that dress?

MARY: Do you like it?

GEORGE: It's all right. I thought you'd go back to New York like Sam and Ingie, and the rest of them.

MARY: Oh, I worked there for a couple of vacations, but I don't know . . . I guess I was homesick.

GEORGE (shocked) Homesick? For Bedford Falls?

MARY: Yes, and my family and . . . oh, everything. Would you like to sit down?

They go through the doorway into the parlor.

GEORGE: All right, for a minute. I still can't understand it though. You know I didn't tell anybody I was coming here.

MARY: Would you rather leave?

GEORGE: No, I don't want to be rude.

MARY: Well, then, sit down.

George sees the cartoon on the easel and bends down for a close look at it.

GEORGE (indicating cartoon): Some joke, huh?

CLOSE SHOT –– George and Mary sitting on the divan. He is uncomfortable, and she tries desperately to keep the conversation alive.

GEORGE: Well, I see it still smells like pine needles in here.

MARY: Thank you.

There is silence for a moment, then Mary joins in singing with the phonograph record which has been playing all through the above scene:

MARY (singing): "And dance by the light . . ."

GEORGE: What's the matter? Oh, yeah . . . yeah . . .

He looks at his watch, as though about to leave.

GEORGE (cont'd): Well, I . . .

MARY (desperately): It was nice about your brother Harry, and Ruth, wasn't it?

GEORGE: Oh . . . yeah, yeah. That's all right.

MARY: Don't you like her?

GEORGE: Well, of course I like her. She's a peach.

MARY: Oh, it's just marriage in general you're not enthusiastic about, huh?

GEORGE: No, marriage is all right for Harry, and Marty, and Sam and you.

INTERIOR STAIRS

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT –– Mrs. Hatch, in a bathrobe, and with her hair in curlers, is leaning over the banister as she calls:

MRS. HATCH: Mary! Mary!

INTERIOR PARLOR –– NIGHT

CLOSE SHOT –– George and Mary seated on the divan.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE: Who's down there with you?

MARY: It's George Bailey, Mother.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE: George Bailey? What's he want?

MARY: I don't know.
(to George)
What do you want?

GEORGE (indignant): Me? Not a thing. I just came in to get warm.

MARY (to mother): He's making violent love to me, Mother.

George is aghast.

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE: You tell him to go right back home, and don't you leave the house, either. Sam Wainwright promised to call you from New York tonight.

GEORGE (heatedly): But your mother needn't . . . you know I didn't come here to . . . to . . .
to . . .

MARY (rising): What did you come here for?

GEORGE: I don't know. You tell me. You're supposed to be the one that has all the answers. You tell me.

MARY (terribly hurt): Oh, why don't you go home?

GEORGE (almost shouting): That's where I'm going. I don't know why I came here in the first place! Good night!

As George leaves the room, the telephone in the hall starts ringing.

MARY (to George): Good night!

MRS. HATCH'S VOICE: Mary! Mary! The telephone! It's Sam!

INTERIOR HALL –– NIGHT

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT –– Mary comes into the hall.

MARY (almost weeping): I'll get it.

As Mary comes into the hall, she stops by the phonograph, which is still playing "Buffalo Gals," takes off the record with a jerk, and smashes it against the machine. The phone is still ringing.

MRS. HATCH: Mary, he's waiting!

MARY: Hello.

As Mary picks up the phone, George comes in from the front porch.

GEORGE: I forgot my hat.

MARY (overly enthusiastic): Hee-haw! Hello, Sam, how are you?

SAM'S VOICE: Aw, great. Gee, it's good to hear your voice again.

George has stopped, hat in hand, to hear the first greetings.

MARY: Oh, well, that's awfully sweet of you, Sam.
(glances toward door, sees George still there)
There's an old friend of yours here. George Bailey.

SAM: You mean old moss-back George?

MARY: Yes, old moss-back George.

SAM'S VOICE: Hee-haw! Put him on.

MARY: Wait a minute. I'll call him.
(calling)
George!

MRS. HATCH: He doesn't want to speak to George, you idiot!

MARY: He does so. He asked for him.
(calling)
Geo . . . George, Sam wants to speak to you.

She hands the instrument to George.

GEORGE: Hello, Sam.

INTERIOR 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?

INTERIOR 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.

INTERIOR 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 (cont'd): 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.