Potter kept the money: In the film, it is implied that Potter decides to keep the money after realizing Uncle Billy's mistake. He sees it as an opportunity to ruin the Baileys and gain more power [1].
Once in his office, Potter finds the money and realizes Uncle Billy's mistake, but decides to keep it, knowing that it will ruin the Baileys. George later visits Potter to ask for a loan to cover the lost funds.
We have to assume Potter kept it, knowing it would ruin the Bailey business and George would chalk the lost money up to Uncle Billy's apparent senility.
You may also remember the scene in the film "It's a Wonderful Life,” when old man Potter offers protagonist George Bailey a salary of $20,000 a year to come work for him.
It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - James Stewart - George Bailey's Speech to Potter & the Loan Board
How much was $20,000 worth in Its a Wonderful Life?
The $20,000 annual salary that Mr. Potter offers George, also in about 1936, would be worth more than $350,000 today. Quite a bribe for a working man to turn down.
Potter offers George a job for $20,000 a year ($352,000 today) but George, realizing that Potter's true intent is to close the Building and Loan, rebuffs him.
What equity does George offer Potter for a Loan of $8000?
Dark Night of the Soul: George goes to Henry Potter (who accidentally has the $8,000 Uncle Billy lost) for a loan to save his family business. The only thing George has as collateral is a $15,000 life insurance policy (with a $500 equity).
When Clarence is being told what is going to happen to George Bailey, he is told that it will happen "at 10:45, Earth time". However it will be 10:45 at some point that day all over the globe. Without a location being defined, Clarence would have to check the entire globe throughout the day!
How much was $8,000 dollars worth in It's a Wonderful Life?
“It's a Wonderful Life” is obstinately about money – $8,000 to be exact ($126K roughly in today's dollars). Without that money, it seems George Bailey is sunk. It is no accident, however, that the money-obsessed villain of the story (Mr.
How old was Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life?
George Bailey, played by James "Jimmy" Stewart, is at the center of It's a Wonderful Life, and the actor was 37 years old when principal photography began. Stewart turned 38 on May 20, 1946, during the middle of production.
The money is lost at the bank when Uncle Billy attempts to boast to Mr. Potter about George's brother Harry being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Billy's poor judgment resulted in the mishandling of their depositors' funds, which, today would be equal to $170,000.
Jeanine Ann Roose, who played young Violet in It's a Wonderful Life, died Friday at age 84 after battling an infection in her abdomen, according to TMZ. She was 84. The 1946 classic was Roose's only film credit. In the movie, she plays a young Violet, who has a crush on young George.
By 1938, Barrymore's disability forced him to relinquish the role of Ebenezer Scrooge (a role he made famous on the radio) to British actor Reginald Owen in the MGM film version of A Christmas Carol. From then on, Barrymore used a wheelchair exclusively and never walked again.
Of course, George wasn't the one who actually lost the funds, it was Uncle Billy who misplaced the $8,000 deposit, but George could still share some liability as an executive at the Building and Loan.
So, each time in the movie that George Bailey lit the cigar lighter, it produced a flame. He remarks, "Hot dog!" enthusiastically, superstitiously presuming his wish will eventually come true.
But, as I continued watching the film, I found that beneath the fairytale story hid a distinctly mature film, one whose hopeful message only covers for a very, very sad truth about adulthood: You won't get what you want. They tell us that life is a long and winding road, but no one tells us that it gets narrower.
Potter broke the law, in the case of holding onto the $8000. But a little research reveals that he DID. If someone accidentally leaves you with an extra quarter, say, it would never be tried in court, because where trivial amounts are concerned, they could be reasonably interpreted as a gift or a tip.
What caused the bank run in It's a Wonderful Life?
In the 1946 film classic, “It's a Wonderful Life,” community banker George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) is besieged by depositors demanding their money after the despised Mr. Potter spurs a run on the bank for his own gain.
What is the last line of the movie It's a Wonderful Life?
His suicidal thoughts are interrupted by a literal guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), who takes George on a scenic tour of the lives he impacted and teaches him the film's lesson, summed up in the final lines, "No man is a failure who has friends."
A 1993 Supreme Court decision allowed Republic to reclaim the film from public domain by copyrighting the story and music; the next year, the company cut a long-term deal to grant NBC exclusive broadcast rights to It's a Wonderful Life, which the network typically aired from one to three times a year.
When It's a Wonderful Life was released in 1946, it was a box office flop for RKO Studios. And the critics were also lukewarm on it. It didn't become a Christmas classic until its copyright lapsed, and broadcasters were able to show it royalty-free.
Why was Uncle Billy depositing money in Potter's bank?
The central crisis of IAWL is caused when Uncle Billy goes to Potter's bank to deposit $8,000 for the Building and Loan and absentmindedly leaves the money behind. As George tells Uncle Billy after hearing about the lost deposit, “Do you realize what this means? It means bankruptcy and scandal, and prison!”
