Occupy Bedford Falls! Why "It's A Wonderful Life" Is The WORST Christmas Movie Ever.

Boston Herald ^ | December 21, 2011 | Michael Graham

[suspects]

This Christmas marks the 65th anniversary of “It’s A Wonderful Life,” one of the most beloved holiday movies ever made. And one of the very worst.

I know, I know. Admitting you aren’t charmed by the story of George Bailey and Zuzu’s petals is like admitting you spend your spare time kicking puppies, but sorry.

The fact is, “It’s A Wonderful Life” is a movie that only an Occupod could love. The story is sweet, but the message is truly awful.

Consider George Bailey. In your mind, you see him after a lifetime of poverty, grief and bad luck, running through Bedford Falls shouting “Merry Christmas you old Building and Loan,” just happy to have a family he loves.

Well I agree that having a loving family can help us all get through crises. (Remember the stewardess in the disaster-film spoof “Airplane?” “At least I had a husband . . . ”)

But the name of the film is “Wonderful Life,” not, “Well, Things Could Be Worse.” And in George Bailey’s case, things are truly tragic.

Smart, ambitious George gets stuck at the modest Building and Loan back in Hickville when his brother marries into a cushy corporate gig and his father dies. After years of dreaming of going off to college, traveling the world and becoming a top engineer or architect, his life is spent scraping by, and helping others do the same.

Somehow the movie — like the Occupiers of today — tries to turn that into a virtue. Despite his wife and kids, George turns down $20,000 a year so he won’t have to work for that “evil banker,” Mr. Potter.

Occupy Bedford Falls!

Then disaster strikes. His addled Uncle Billy accidentally drops the daily deposit into Potter’s lap and guess who happens to show up that day...

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

I’m thinking of anyone who bashes a good movie like IAWL.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Excellent point. Thanks.

[P-Marlowe]

I disagree. The movie seemed to espouse some sorta sappy New Deal liberalism that was fashionable in 1930's and 1940's movies....not only that, but 90% of the movie is depressing.

There is nothing in the movie about government handouts or people getting something for nothing. If you recognize that Potter represents a crony capitalist banker who owns the local politicians the movie is the perfect Tea Party movie.

[SamAdams76]

Michael Graham does have a leg up on Howie Carr and Jay Severin in that once it gets dark out, the AM stations that Carr and Severin are on have awful signals. On the way home from work I start losing Severin's signal (1200 AM) by the time I get to Waltham. Then I start losing Howie Carr in Concord so then I am stuck with Graham the rest of the way home.

With respect to the article, I think Graham is being too clever by half in his criticism of IAWL. I get what Graham is trying to say, that George Bailey, with his skill set, could have been a tycoon living in a penthouse in New York City. But that probably wouldn't make for a very warm and fuzzy Christmas movie.

Only a very few people can make it to the level of a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, no matter how smart and competent they are. Getting to that level also involves a lot of luck and being in the right place at the right time. For every Steve Jobs, there are thousands of other people with the same skill set who also have very successful lives but on a much smaller scale. That does not make them failures!

In my opinion, anybody who works hard all their lives and is able to support themselves and their family through their own efforts are a success.

In the movie, it ended with George Bailey being toasted as "the richest man in town" by his younger (and more financially successful) brother. Yeah, it's a little hokey but many of us would be glad to trade places with him. Especially with that Donna Reed by his side!

[raccoonradio]

Agreed...as for the signals, as I’ve mentioned before WRKO
has to switch its signal at sunset (you can hear when it happens; shut off for a second of so) to go north and south to avoid other signals on the frequency. WCRN AM 830 in
Worcester might help. I would hope that could help you. I know
I sometimes go up to Rutland VT in the winter and find WVMT 620 Burlington starts to fade, WRKO is hopeless (I get Hannity on WCBM Balt. instead), SOMETIMES the 99.7 from
Lake Sunapee NH area comes in, and then there’s WCRN but even
that is iffy up there. This is why Howie wanted to escape
to WTKK.

As for WXKS 1200, at night they must point their signal
so it doesn’t interfere with other signals. It kind of goes straight toward Boston and also a bit to the northeast,
southeast, etc. I live in Beverly and have no problems
with WRKO (some distant stations do cause some int. in
background though) or WXKS 1200, but I know other people do have problems.

Clear Channel, owner of WXKS, also owns WTAG 580 Worc.,
WGIR 610 Manchester, and WHJJ 920 in Prov. It has been suggested they could simulcast Severin on those stations
(WTAG also simulcasts on 94.9 in Worcester). But WTAG
has their own local guy in pm drive, Jordan Levy

http://www.wtag.com/main.html

[Clemenza]

Love this movie. However I think ANYONE associated with the manipulative tripe known as “To Kill a Mockingbird” should have been banished to Siberia.

[angcat]

Of course it’s that time of year to bash God and Christmas.

[angcat]

“To my big brother George, the RICHEST man in town”

[Joe 6-pack]

My dog doing his Jimmy Stewart impersonation...