Although Christmas plays only a small role in It’s a Wonderful Life, the movie has become a holiday classic, and its story revolves around the Bailey family. The 1946 drama film tells the tale of George Bailey — a man who contemplates suicide and is visited by a guardian angel. The angel, Clarence Odbody, shows George what it would be like in his hometown of Bedford Falls if he had never been born and how his family would have turned out if he had never existed.
It’s a Wonderful Life became a must-watch during the holiday season almost 30 years following its premiere. Initially, Frank Capra’s movie performed poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews. But after its copyright expired in 1974, and it was able to be broadcast without licensing or royalty fees, the film turned into a Christmas classic. Many now consider George Bailey’s tale one of the best holiday stories ever told, and networks frequently air the movie every November and December.
Peter Bailey
The first patriarch of the Bailey family in It’s a Wonderful Life is Peter Bailey, played by Samuel S. Hinds. Peter only appears during the film’s opening, as he later dies of a stroke when his son, George, is 18 years old. George’s father ran the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan before his death, and he wanted his son to take over for him when he was gone. However, George desired to travel the world before college and then become an architect. Unfortunately, George’s plans dramatically changed following Peter’s death.
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Irene Bailey
Beulah Bondi stars as Irene Bailey, Peter’s wife and George and Harry’s mother, in It’s a Wonderful Life. Like her late husband, Irene does not have a significant role in the 1946 Christmas movie. She is seen supporting her sons and encouraging George to see Mary Hatch, a girl who has had a crush on him since they were young. Plus, during the timeline when George had never been born, Irene is a widow and childless since her only son, Harry, died when he was a boy. In the end, Irene celebrates with George when he returns to the timeline where he exists and receives money to save the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan.
George Bailey
James Stewart’s George Bailey is at the center of the narrative in It’s a Wonderful Life. The film starts with him as a heroic boy who saves his younger brother Harry after he falls into a frozen lake (which leaves George hard of hearing in one ear) and stops his boss, Mr. Gower, from accidentally poisoning a child while filling a prescription at the pharmacy. When George gets older, he has big dreams that have to be put on hold due to his father’s death. He is also forced to postpone his romance with Mary Hatch.
To his dismay, George succeeds his father at the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan when it becomes clear that Harry won’t be doing so himself. But George does marry Mary, and they have four children — Pete, Janie, Zuzu, and Tommy. Unfortunately, the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan runs into trouble when Uncle Billy loses $8,000. George seems to run out of options to fix the problem, and he contemplates suicide while standing on a bridge on Christmas Eve. Clarence intervenes, though, and shows him he is better off alive than dead. At the movie’s end, the citizens of Bedford Falls rally behind George and save him by replacing the missing money.
Harry Bailey
Harry Bailey, portrayed by Todd Karns, is Peter and Irene’s son and George’s brother in It’s a Wonderful Life. Many years after George saves his life after he falls through ice into freezing water, Harry goes to college and marries a woman named Ruth. Ruth’s father offers Harry a job that he can’t turn down, even though he was supposed to take over the Building and Loan so that George could explore the world. Harry is later drafted into World War II and is awarded the Medal of Honor for preventing a kamikaze attack as a United States Navy pilot. Harry returns to Bedford Falls at the film’s end.
Billy Bailey
Thomas Mitchell plays Uncle Billy Bailey in the Christmas classic. Uncle Billy is Peter’s brother and George’s uncle, who helps him run the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan after Peter’s death. He accidentally loses $8,000 belonging to the Building and Loan, which sends George into a spiral on Christmas Eve in 1945. However, all is forgiven when they get the money back from the town at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life.
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Mary Hatch Bailey
Donna Reed stars as Mary Hatch Bailey, George’s love interest turned wife and the mother of his children, in It’s a Wonderful Life. Mary had a crush on George almost her whole life before she finally made her move during a school dance. The two spend the night together before George gets called away because his father dies. Unfortunately, George and Mary’s love story is put on hold for a few years until Mary returns from college many years later, and they finally marry and have four children. Mary worries about her husband on Christmas Eve in 1945, and she rallies the townspeople to help the Building and Loan.
Pete Bailey
Pete Bailey is the oldest of George and Mary’s children in the holiday film, and he is played by Larry Simms. Pete is likely named after George’s late father, Peter. Like his three siblings, Pete doesn’t have a massive role in It’s a Wonderful Life, but he does worry about his father when he starts lashing out at the family. The young boy is there to celebrate with the rest of the Baileys when the townspeople bring them money.
Janie Bailey
Carol Coomes portrays Janie Bailey, George and Mary’s oldest daughter, in It’s a Wonderful Life. For most of the movie, she is seen practicing playing the piano at the Bailey household. When George yells at her to stop, Janie starts crying. But her mood improves during the ending.
Zuzu Bailey
Zuzu Bailey, played by Karolyn Grimes, is George and Mary’s youngest daughter. She is mostly confined to her bed during her scenes since she got sick at school earlier that day. George, who is already distraught about Uncle Billy losing the $8,000, calls Zuzu’s teacher and yells at her. During the final moments of It’s a Wonderful Life, Zuzu’s condition improves, and she is the one to say, “Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings,” after a bell rung in the Bailey’s home.
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Tommy Bailey
Jimmy Hawkins stars as Tommy Bailey, the youngest of George and Mary’s children. Since he is so young in the film, he doesn’t have a significant role. But Tommy is there to celebrate with the other It’s a Wonderful Life characters when the townspeople rally behind his father and the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan.
