Ceramic Villages, Hardware Stores, and Perspective

I got kicked out of an It's a Wonderful Life Facebook page a couple of weeks ago, and until this morning, as I sat down to write this blog post, I didn't really care. In fact, I was laughing at how stupid all of it was, and how people failed to keep their perspective. Now, after searching for a photo to compare against the photo that started the entire ruckus, I'm pretty peeved at the irrationality of the page owner who kicked me out, and the laziness of the person who posted the photo in the first place.

Several months ago, maybe even a year ago, I joined a page that was all about the It's a Wonderful Life ceramic village that was created by Target. I did it out of curiosity to see what pieces I was missing and what kinds of prices they were fetching. I learned a lot from the group, and I also found out that they got a lot of information from this blog. A lot of members liked to supplement their villages with pieces from a collection called Christmas Valley, which was something I didn't do.

Recently, one of the members posted a photo that showed a hardware store. She was so excited about this discovery because it was the first time that she had found a photo of a hardware store in what she thought was Bedford Falls. This photo somehow gave her permission to add, and a location to put her ceramic hardware store in her village, and it meant something extra to her because Jimmy Stewart's father owned a hardware store. She was all wound up and wanted to get ahold of an author who had printed a map of Bedford Falls in one of his books and get him to add the hardware store to his map.

Looking at the photo, one could clearly tell it was the same set, but it was decorated for a different film. I voiced that opinion but offered to use my connections to contact the author through a mutual friend. I did so. Within minutes, our mutual friend sent me several screenshots in which the author offered a scathing, vulgar opinion of this woman's evaluation of the photos in question. The photos are included here.

The photo in question with arrows pointing to the hardware store.

I asked if the author knew what movie the photos were from, waited for another answer, and returned to the Facebook group with the verdict. I couldn't print what the author actually said, so I simply said that he was adamant that the set was the same, but it was a different film, and that I was waiting to find out which one.

Over the course of several days, a couple of people asked multiple times if I had heard back, and I kept telling them no. Finally, after not getting an answer, I gave them several bullet-point reasons why the photo didn't match the Wonderful Life set:

1) Dirt roads in the photo, but not in IAWL
2) The bakery building is clearly the same, but the bakery sign is missing
3) The open lot just to the left of the bakery has a fence in front of it in the photo but doesn't in IAWL.
4) There was also a discrepancy in maps from the author and another map that is posted on the group's Facebook page, but I don't remember the details at this moment for the purpose of this blog.

So it is my evaluation is that there was not a hardware store in Bedford Falls. I wasn't rude about it. I simply posted things I noticed in the photo that pointed to facts. I heard nothing more for about a week. Then I was at my son's high school marching band showcase and something appeared on the page from the page owner that said something about being kind to others and respecting others' opinions and no need to argue. Then I got a private message from her that said someone was offended that I had the nerve to post my bullet-point comment and state that the hardware store wasn't in the movie. She proceeded to put me on a 28-day reprimand, in which I couldn't comment on the page.

Of course, I responded, reminded her that there were people hounding me, wanting to know what the author had to say, and I sent her screenshots of what the author actually did say, pointing out that I could have just published that and it could have been a lot worse. I wasn't rude or condescending in my posted comments. I simply pointed out inconsistencies between the photos and the film and told her in a private message that if her feelings were that fragile she could just ban me from the page. So she did.

I wasn't upset about it. Not until this morning when I went searching for a photo to compare the Bedford Falls street scene to the photo in question to point out the differences. I did a Google image search for "It's a wonderful life bakery scene" and came across this page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Falls_%28It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life%29 And on that page was this photo: 

Wikipedia photo

Notice what that says beneath the photos? "Shots used in the film Cimarron (1931)." Had the original poster of the original photos taken her time, she would have known that it was not a shot from IAWL. She found a couple of photos and ignored the fact that hundreds of films had been shot on the same set. And the owner of the page allowed feelings to get in the way of facts.

The fact is that there was no hardware store in It's a Wonderful Life, just as there was no record store. And yet, I bought the record store because it was part of the Target village, despite the fact that it looked so ridiculous and out of place for the time period of the film.

Target Record Shop

At the end of the day, I have discovered 3 takeaways from this experience:

1) Spend your money the way you want. If you want to add a hardware store to your ceramic village because Jimmy Stewart's dad owned one, knock yourself out. If you want to add something from A Christmas Story or a building from A Nightmare Before Christmas, then DO IT. But if you want to stay true to the film, there wasn't a hardware store in the film, and you should technically only use one pose of each character instead of having George and Mary throwing rocks at the Granville house while at the same time posing with the family and driving in the car and gathered around the Christmas tree. Bottom line: It's YOUR money. Do what makes you happy.

2) If you don't want to hear the answer, then don't ask the question. I have been a serious researcher about It's a Wonderful Life since the mid-1990s. I wrote an unpublished book. I have studied and compared all of Stewart and Capra's movies that are still available. I have watched It's a Wonderful Life about 900 times (no lie) in black and white and in color, comparing scenes, looking at scenes in close-ups, and studying character motivation and theme. Until I learned about the author in question, I had been working on making my own map. I know this film inside and out. I was a member of the It's a Wonderful Life WebRing in the early days of the Internet. I started studying this film when Jimmy Stewart was still alive. If I don't know the answer to a question I know people who do. Facts are different than opinions. Opinions are great, but when photos are involved, it is not a matter of opinion, as we have seen here. The author in question has been studying and assembling the map of Bedford Falls for more than 20 years. One random person on a ceramic fandom collector page finding two photos from an archive I can almost guarantee the author has seen is not an argument that a building existed in a film, no matter how much you wish it to be true. Trust the years of research. I gave a factual answer to the question that was asked of me and I got banned because someone didn't like the answer. That is insane.

3) Don't forget to maintain perspective. My goal when I started was to learn. Now my goal is to teach others and maintain the legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, its actors, and all of those involved in its making. I do that by sharing facts and dispelling myths (Bonus: Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were NOT named after characters in this film). A ceramic village is just decoration. It has its own value, but it's individual to each household. There is no reason to get upset about a piece of painted ceramic.

Keep it real, folks.

Walgreens - Bedford Falls Express

I did not put up the entire train set, but here is a picture of it in the box. This is part of the Walgreens collection.

Walgreens Collection - Bedford Falls Bandstand

This Enesco set was released by Walgreens, but I do not remember what year. I had several pieces, but since they were so large (about 150 percent larger than the Target village), I sold them. I kept this bandstand piece, though, which is very cool.

You can see the bandstand in the film when Uncle Billy walks through town  on his way to the bank.

Target Village - Money Basket

During the run on the bank, the residents of Bedford Falls freaked out and created a mob to get all of their money back from the bank and the Bailey Building and Loan. At the end of the film, the residents redeemed themselves by creating another kind of mob that gives back to the family that has helped them thrive in Bedford Falls. This is that scene. I am not sure who these characters are.

This is the last piece in my collection. I know I am missing several characters, scenes and cars (a total of 14 pieces, I believe). If you have any you want to sell, please message me!!

Stay tuned, because tomorrow, I will continue posting other collection pieces I have.

Target Village - Boys Sledding

Near the beginning of It's a Wonderful Life, a young George, Harry, Sam and Marty go sledding near the river and near Potter's house. This event plays an important role in George's fate. Here, three of those boys sled down the hill...two of them without sleds or shovels.

Target Village - Mary in the Hydrangea Bush

After George and Mary throw rocks at the Granville House, there is an awkward moment that leads to Mary losing her robe (why don't I have any stories like this from my teenage years???), Mary hides in a hydrangea bush. This is that moment.

Target Village - George and Mary Throwing Rocks

On their way back home from the dance, George and Mary pass by the Granville House. There, they share a moment and then throw rocks and make wishes. This is that moment.

Target Village - Bailey Family Trimming the Tree

Once you buy your tree from the Christmas Tree Lot, you must take it home and decorate it, of course! Here is the Bailey family trimming the tree. It is missing one child, which I assume is Zuzu. It would be rational that she was sick in bed while the rest of the family was decorating the tree. That means the characters are, left to right, Janie, Petie, Mary, George and Tommy.

Target Village - Bedford Falls Christmas Tree Lot

When you want a Christmas tree, you need to buy it from somewhere. In the years of small-town America, you didn't just pop in at your local big-box store. Instead, you stopped at the locally-owned business, such as this tree stand. I still remember when tree stands like this existed in the town where I lived as a kid. It even had one of those wooden shelters for the employees.

My tree lot needs repaired. The garland/light/bell piece has disconnected from the main piece (hot glue), and I think there is a plastic jewel missing from the star at the top of the shelter.

Target Village - You are Now in Bedford Falls Sign

This sign welcomes you to the warm village of Bedford Falls. It also tells George Bailey that he has returned from Pottersville.

Target Village - Martini Family Move

At one point in the film, the Martini family moves from Potter's Field to Bailey Park. This is their moving truck.

The side of the box reads, "The Martini family has looked forward to this day for a long time. They are moving into their dream house in Bailey Park thanks to a loan from the Bailey Bros. Building and Loan."

Target Village - Clock Tower

When you sent in the registration form for your Target ceramic village pieces, you received a numbered special edition piece. This clock tower is one of my favorite pieces. It is about 5 inches tall. It is numbered either 996 or 966, and there is no reference on the bottom for how many were made that year.