Is George Bailey the Villain in the Christmas Classic "It's a Wonderful Life"?
Get ready for an odd take on beloved tale
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No! It can’t be! Good ol’ George Bailey is ALWAYS the hero, right? Well, maybe not. And furthermore, Old Man Potter may actually be the good guy. Don’t believe me? Put on your Santa hat and let’s take a trip to Bedford Falls! Read on or watch me read it below.
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It’s a Wonderful Nutshell
I’m sure you have seen “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but for those who haven’t YET, here’s the story in a nutshell:
George Baily, a well-respected family man in his town is frustrated with the cards life has dealt him. When a financial mishap occurs at the hands of an employee (George’s problematic Uncle Billy), a rich fat cat banker, Mr. Potter, tries to wrangle George into a compromising situation. At the end of his rope, George attempts to off himself. An angel named Clarence saves him and shows him what life in his town of Bedford Falls would be like had George never been born. The experience gives George a perspective like none other.
It’s a multiverse movie before those were everywhere. It’s one of my favorite Christmas movies and I watch it every year. And every year I find myself wrestling with the question: “Who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy?” The lines of good and evil in “It’s a Wonderful Life” seem so clearly defined until you take a step back.
George and His Mad Stacks
During the run on the savings and loan, George gleefully gives out “loans” from his own stash of two thousand bucks ($32,380 in today’s dollars) which he and his new wife were going to spend frivolously. Where did that money come from? George makes something like $45 per week with his job yet he amassed all this cash? Then he tells people that there’s no money in the vault. How convenient.
On top of all this, George practices fractional reserve banking, i.e., he has to keep a small percentage of each deposit as on-hand cash while loaning out the rest. Geroge didn’t seem to have this on hand, only a little stash in a drawer. Yet, he had that two grand for a luxurious honeymoon? Hmm…
The Case for Old Man Potter
Old Man Potter is widely considered the villain in the story. As each year passes, I realize that Potter wasn’t as much the bad guy, but a staunch businessman. He insulated himself from mistakes by hiring the best and brightest, which was why he wanted to hire George. In addition, he paid well. George dropped his cigar when he heard Potter offer a salary of $20K/year ($323,758 in today’s money).
Potter didn’t coddle the citizens nor did he bend his integrity for the sake of pity or emotion. George, a married man mind you, gave the town hussy a handshake loan after a sob story, and then SHE KISSED HIM! There was no documentation and this was behind closed doors. Potter would have advised her against chasing a silly dream and would NOT have funded it. I’m on Team Potter with this one.
George Bailey: Good Man, Bad Manager
The community comes together to “bail” out George. Yet, George (by way of entrusting Uncle Billy) LOST their money in the first place. Then they give him more? Unless George fired Uncle Billy, there’s a chance this (or something worse) could happen again yet George won’t get rid of Uncle Billy. Old Man Potter had never hired a liability like Uncle Billy. George’s employment of Uncle Billy is nepotism at its worst.
Old Man Potter wants the Building and Loan. Does that make him greedy? Maybe. Yet he’s willing to hire George for a high salary that he could have lived off of 10% and used the other 90% to start an endowment fund to help people get better housing. Or how about this: if George played his cards right, he could have leveraged part of his salary as stock in Potter’s business or a seat on the board. Once Potter croaked (he was old, after all), George would then have an empire to build the city in his utopian vision. Instead, George stubbornly stood on his “principles,” those same principles that got him in a jam in the first place. Foolish George!
It’s Still a Wonderful Movie After All
“It’s a Wonderful Life” has a ton of flaws, but it’s a fable; a parable. Potter is supposed to be seen as greedy. George is supposed to be seen as altruistic. And the community is supposed to be seen as just that, a community. Once I allow myself to suspend belief (and logic), I enjoy the film immensely.
That said, I’d love to see a movie about Old Man Potter; something akin to “Joker” or the Suzanne Collins book “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Potter seems like the kind of guy who succeeded through hard work, discipline, grit, and best business practices. That may not make for a good Christmas movie, but it would inspire those entrepreneurs who can’t make it by on luck, goodwill, and a script that makes everything OK in the end.
One more thing, here’s a comic for you!
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Until next time, stay oddly beautiful!
Jason