Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts

Monday, February 27, 2017

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.





Monday, April 20, 2015

Blogging From A to Z - Q is for Quitting Time

Welcome to the It's A Wonderful Blog's Blogging From A to Z April (2015) Challenge. For this challenge, I will post every day in April (except for Sundays) about topics related to the Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart film, It's a Wonderful Life.

Quitting time:
During the bank run, Potter warns George that if he closes the building and loan early, he will never be able to reopen its doors.

Uncle Billy had already panicked and closed once. The news spread fast. Potter has already heard about it, but George denies it.

I admit that I am not completely sure about this, but Potter is probably referring to federal regulations regarding banking hours.

After calming a mob, George and Mary distribute their honeymoon money to their investors. They have $2,000 to hand out and two goals to reach:
  1. Close at closing time and not a minute before.
  2. Close with money left.
They manage to accomplish both goals with exactly $2 left. George and company place those two $1 bills in a basket, celebrate their success, and create a parade for the bills into the safe. They even toast the bills, naming them Mama Dollar and Papa Dollar ... a fiscal Adam and Eve, if you will.
Bank run celebration.
Source: http://www.jenspends.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Blogging From A to Z - M is for Many things

Welcome to the It's A Wonderful Blog's Blogging From A to Z April (2015) Challenge. For this challenge, I will post every day in April (except for Sundays) about topics related to the Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart film, It's a Wonderful Life.

Mother:

George, Ma Bailey and Uncle Billy.
Source: http://internationalpsychoanalysis.net/2007/12/19/
its-a-wonderful-life-a-cure-for-the-holiday-blues/
There's something about the connection an oldest son has to his mother.

Call it love. Call it dedication. call it whatever you want. You can even call it being a Mama's Boy. I'm a Mama's Boy, and I'm okay with that.

So was George Bailey. Sure, he gave her a hard time on occasion. But when it counted, he listened. Although he would never admit it, he visited Mary after Harry got married on the advice of his mother. He knows the wisdom she holds. She has gained that wisdom by being a caring individual, dedicated to Peter and the entire family.


Mary:
Mary is the total package. She is beautiful, dedicated, smart, willing to sacrifice for the greater good, not judgmental except for that one brief moment before she caught herself. She is a dedicated and loving mother, gracious host, artist, and hopeless romantic.

Mary Bailey
Source: http://bit.ly/1OcEWwv
She values the sentimental things in life, such as a meaningful song, or a turning point in a couple's relationship.

She is an American, helping soldiers and supporting her husband in his role fighting "The Battle of Bedford Falls."

Mary is in tune with her family, sensing when things aren't quite right. She is forgiving, not confronting Zuzu's teacher, and not dwelling on the frightening questions when she finds George has returned home.

She may be a Hatch by birth, but she is a Bailey at heart.


Martini:
Mr. Martini
Source: http://bit.ly/1GJ5rKP
Martini is the embodiment of the American Dream in this film. An Italian immigrant, he came to America to follow his dream to live in a decent home and support his family with a comfortable living. He managed to find that American Dream thanks to the building and loan and the end of prohibition.

Martini reminds us that with hard work, we too can accomplish our dreams. It is one of the many messages found in this film.



Money:

It's always about the money, isn't it? This is an unfortunate reality that we all must deal with.

The movie's characters such as 'Uncle Billy' walked the streets of downtown
Seneca Falls greeting the many visitors. The village of Seneca Falls turned into
the real Bedford Falls as it celebrated with the annual 'It's a Wonderful Life'
weekend Dec. 12-14, 2014. Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com
Photo and caption source: http://bit.ly/1Ewri7e
It can buy us what we want, but it can't give us what we need.

More often than not, money leads to any number of issues. Look at the top 3 reasons for divorce. Money is always one of them.

Like it or not, the Bible is correct when it says, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10)

Money, by itself, can do nothing. It is an inanimate object.  The LOVE of money is what causes the evil. The LOVE of money is the embodiment of Potter. And at the end of It's a Wonderful Life, Potter sat alone...with the exception of his goon.

George was tempted....many times. That temptation almost cost him his life. Instead, he rose above it and discovered that a wonderful life is about faith, family, friends and community, not how many dollar bills you have in your pocket.

And if you don't believe that, don't forget about the toast and parade they held for Mama Dollar and Papa Dollar. It was little, but it was enough to celebrate.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Blogging From A to Z - E is for Ernie and Eight Thousand

Welcome to the It's A Wonderful Blog's Blogging From A to Z April (2015) Challenge. For this challenge, I will post every day in April (except for Sundays) about topics related to the Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart film, It's a Wonderful Life.

Ernie the Taxi Driver:
With George Bailey in his life, Ernie Bishop is a happy, friendly guy who earns a modest living driving a taxi. He isn't rich and relies on his relationship with George to get a home loan. That comes back to bite George in the rear end a little bit. Ernie doesn't default on that loan, but Potter finds out about it and twists the facts.
Ernie the Taxi Driver is on the right.
Source: http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2014/10/trivia-tuesday_14.html

In Pottersville, without George, Ernie is a suspicious, angry man.

George and Ernie's friendship goes back to childhood. While he is not identified in the film, he is one of the youth sledding down the hill at the beginning of the film.

Ernie holds up his end of the friendship by taking them to their honeymoon (even though they get stopped), standing by Mary as they face the mob during the bank run, and guiding the crowd as they enter the Bailey house in the famous final scene.

This is a valued friendship that stands the test of time.

Eight Thousand Dollars:
It's not a lot of money by today's standards, but the modern equivalent is quite a pocket full. In 1947, it represented not quite two years' wages for George.

It's also the amount of money Uncle Billy lost. He didn't really lose it, so much as misplace it in Potter's newspaper.

Billy (right) taunting Potter (sitting). You can see the envelope
containing $8,000 in Billy's left hand.
Source: http://www.cracked.com/funny-6716-its-wonderful-life/
We have all heard the saying "pride comes before the fall." It's not a direct quote from the Bible, but it has its origins there. It applies here. Uncle Billy snatches the newspaper out of Potter's hands and starts bragging about the Bailey boys. And when he hands the newspaper back to Potter, he accidentally folds the envelope containing $8,000 into the newspaper. If you aren't paying attention, you miss it.

That money represents the Building and Loan's operating expenses and profits. What the Baileys are doing depositing it in Potter's bank instead of putting it back into their own business is beyond me. Regardless of the reason, with it missing, the future of the Building and Loan is in trouble, and so are Billy and George.

After a futile search and a selfish profit- and power-driven decision by Potter, it is the final factor that drives George to contemplate suicide.

When did money gain so much power over our lives?