alternative: a choice; one thing instead of something else

“building and loan”: like a bank, but willing to make money available to more people (see the “proper nouns” section below)

cop: police officer

(to be) cooped up: to feel like you are trapped in a place, as if you were a bird in a cage

drunk/drunkard: as a noun, it means someone who chooses to stay drunk (i.e., so he doesn’t have to face the challenges of life; many “drunks” are also jobless and homeless)

hard drinks: alcohol that makes you drunk fast (as opposed to wine or beer that many people only drink a little of—not enough to get drunk)

the homefront (in the movie, it is called “the battle of Bedford Falls”): things people do “back home” in a time of war; how non-soldiers help their country to win a war by recycling things, not wasting resources, buying war bonds, etc.

honeymoon: a short vacation couples often take right after they are married; a “Bridal Suite” is an expensive room in a nice hotel, reserved for people on their honeymoon

luggage: suitcases and other bags used when traveling (sometimes used in movies to symbolize “travel” or the desire to travel)

old maid: a woman who has never married (this term isn’t used anymore because it is considered impolite)

rabble: a negative term for a crowd, used to insult people who don’t have money or social status

a run (on the bank): when many fearful people want to take out their money at the same time (remember that banks don’t keep your money in a safe; they loan it to businesses and to your neighbors so they can build homes—if too many people want to take their money out at the same time, it forces the bank to go out of business)

slum: a place where poor people live, and usually it is very hard to “move out” to become a part of the middle class

stroke: a medical emergency when blood can’t flow to the brain; this is how George’s father dies

suicide: to kill yourself; in the movie this is called “throwing away God's greatest gift" (that is, your life)

50 cents on the dollar: half price; you paid a dollar, but I’ll buy it from you for 50 cents (this only sounds like a “good deal” if you think no one else would want to buy it at all)

George Bailey (the center of the story)

Peter Bailey: George’s father, a kind man who runs a type of “people’s bank” called the Bailey Brothers’ Building and Loan

Bailey Brothers’ Building and Loan Office: Peter and Billy Bailey run this “alternative bank,” where people can save money by buying “shares” that allow neighbors to borrow money to be used to build small homes; the town’s bank is run by a self-centered man (Mr. Potter) who only wants to make money—not to help people

Billy Bailey (or “Uncle Billy”): Peter’s brother and George’s uncle; kind-hearted but disorganized and forgetful (symbolized by pieces of string tied to his fingers, each one representing something he is supposed to remember!)

Mary Hatch: one of George’s childhood friends (she eventually marries George)

Zuzu: George and Mary have four children; this is the youngest daughter’s name

Harry Bailey: George’s younger brother (“kid brother”); at the beginning of the movie, George saves his life; at the end of the movie Harry is getting America’s highest award (The Congressional Medal of Honor) for saving many lives during World War 2.

Mr. Gower (also called “Old man Gower”): runs the drug store; George worked there as a teenager

Mr. Martini: an Italian immigrant; Mr Potter used to charge him a lot of money to live in a rented apartment, but George helped him (and countless others) get out of “Potter’s slum” and build his own home, and even to build his own restaurant

Nick: a nice man who works for Mr. Martini (in George’s dream, Nick has a mean personality)

Clarence Odbody: an angel who is sent from Heaven to help George (in answer to the prayers of many of George’s friends—these prayers are the first thing you hear in the movie); he is described as being simple-minded (he has the “IQ of a rabbit” but also has “the faith of a child”)

Ernie and Bert: two of George’s childhood friends, who grow up to be a taxi driver and a cop

Sam Wainwright: one of George’s childhood friends (we can recognize him because he greets people by saying "Hee Haw"); when he grows up he gets rich by running a plastics business

Violet Bick: one of George’s childhood friends (we see her as a child and as an attractive young woman)

Henry F. Potter: the “bad guy” in this movie, described as "the richest and meanest man" in the county”; he runs the bank, and wants the Bailey Building and Loan Office to go out of business

Bedford Falls, New York: the (fictional) city where the story takes place

the Granville house: we first see it as a run-down, deserted house (George says that even if he were a ghost he wouldn’t want to live there), but later it becomes George’s home

Bailey Park: an area where the Bailey’s sell land and help people build inexpensive homes
 

1. "All you can take with you [when you go to Heaven] is that which you've given away." (sign on the wall of Bailey Building and Loan; this is the company’s philosophy)

2. The self-centered Mr. Potter believes that when the Building and Loan helps average people build their own homes, the result is "a discontented, lazy rabble instead of a thrifty working class." George defends the people, saying that his father made them all better citizens and customers. Then he adds: “Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars [the cost of a small home in 1930]? Just remember… this rabble you're talking about… do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work, pay, live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath [i.e., in their own homes]? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book, he died a much richer man than you'll ever be.”

3. “The three most exciting sounds in the world: anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles.” (George)

4. "Nice girl, Mary...she lights up like a firefly whenever you're around." (George’s mother)

5. “Bread - that this house may never know hunger. Salt - that life may always have flavor. Wine - that joy and prosperity may reign forever.” (Blessing said when Mr. Martini moves into his new home)

6. "Dear [Heavenly] Father, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I'm at the end of my rope. Show me the way, oh God." (George’s prayer at the lowest moment of his life)

7. “Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel has just got his wings.” (both Clarence and Zuzu say this)

8. “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.” (Clarence)