The film It's a Wonderful Life (1946) has become an important part of the Christmas season for millions of Americans. Each year, families gather around the television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) to watch the story of George Bailey (James Stewart, 1908–1997), a man who grew up yearning for a life of travel and adventure. Personal and national events thwarted George's plans to escape his home-town of Bedford Falls. He grows into one of the community's leading citizens as he runs the family Building and Loan and repeatedly tangles with Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore, 1878–1954), the town's miserly, mean-spirited millionaire. On Christmas Eve, George is threatened with financial ruin and contemplates suicide. Before committing the desperate act, he is saved by Clarence, an elderly angel (Henry Travers, 1874–1965), who allows George to see how the world would be...