f George Baily, a wonderfully honest and decent young man who has always wanted to leave his small town of New Bedford, New York, in order to travel the world. Unfortunately, George is never able to go, for it seems that whenever he is about to, a new crisis or development keeps him in town. The film follows George from his childhood and teenage years in the 1920s, through the great economic depression of the 1930s, and on through the years of World War 2. This movie was made in 1946, just after the war. The main problem for George is that as a young man, he ends up being responsible for running the family business, the New Bedford Building and Loan. For many working people in town, this company is the only hope that they will be able to buy a house, since the banks and many of the other local businesses are run or controlled by the evil Mr. Potter. Potter is not interested in lending money to poor people, since he prefers that they be stuck renting the horrible apartments that he also owns. Although George never gets out of town, he does marry a wonderful wife and has a beautiful home with four healthy kids. One day though, crisis strikes when Uncle Billy loses $8,000 dollars of the company’s money, and George suddenly faces "bankruptcy, and scandal and prison." The situation gets so bad that George actually considers committing suicide, but then he meets Clarence, his wonderful "guardian angel." With great difficulty, Clarence is able to slowly convince George that his life is still worth living, and that in fact, the most valuable things in life have little to do with money. Some Words and Expressions that You May not Know Clarence the angel learns about George Bailey’s childhood, and how he saved everyone from his brother to his boss. Give him a break, God. "To give a person a break" is to help them, usually by giving them an opportunity to help themselves get out of trouble. I love him, dear Lord. Another word for God. Yes, tonight’s his crucial night. A good word for extremely important. You know, he’s got an IQ of a rabbit. "IQ" stands for "intelligence quotient," which is a measure of how smart a person is (It is based on a widely used but controversial test). But he’s got the faith of a child. Joseph, send for Clarence. Another word for belief or trust, often used in a religious context. A man on earth needs our help. :: Splendid, is he sick? An old-fashioned word for excellent, often used when hearing good news. Look, I’ll help you out. Now concentrate. "To concentrate" is to think about something with great seriousness. This is amazing. An alternative to unbelievable, often used when something causes great wonder or surprise. Hee-Haw! The sound made by a donkey, and a dated expression which shows that the speaker is joking. Never used now, but common in this film. Her
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