By Erik Piepenburg
Each year in Seneca Falls, New York, a festival honors “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Frank Capra’s touching 1946 film about the ups and downs of a family man named George Bailey, portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in an iconic performance.
Thousands flock to the village, which enthusiasts claim closely resembles Bedford Falls, the endearing and close-knit community of the Bailey family. Attendees can interact with cast members or, as was the case this year, partake in a dance at a high school gym that hopefully won’t conclude like the film’s hilariously chaotic rendition, featuring costumed attendees leaping into a swimming pool.
This year’s celebration, which concluded on Sunday, highlighted, more than ever since its inception in the ’90s, a crucial turning point in the film’s generally heartening narrative — a moment that some individuals may prefer to overlook in December when “It’s a Wonderful Life” serves as their source of comfort and joy.
Ultimately, it can be summarized like this: “It’s a Wonderful Life” is profoundly emotional yet ultimately redemptive, presenting a storyline in which a man comes close to ending his own life.
For the first time, that term was featured in the title of a festival presentation (“From Darkness to Light, From Despair to Hope: How ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Can Save Lives From Suicide,” led by Govan Martin). Additionally, the Seneca County Suicide Prevention Coalition was awarded the George Bailey Award, presented yearly to individuals or organizations that embody the spirit of the character, “without whom Seneca Falls would be considerably different.” This marks the inaugural time the accolade has been granted to an organization focused on such a vital mission.
Making her return to the festival after many years was Karolyn Grimes, who at age 6 portrayed George’s adorable daughter, Zuzu. The anguish of suicide is both personal and unavoidable for Grimes: Her son Johnathan took his life in 1989, when he was just 18.
“When individuals come through the line for autographs, they share their heartbreak with me, as they have lost someone that way,” Grimes, now 84, reflected. Fans of the film, she noted, “comprehend both sadness and joy.”
Anwei Law, director of the nonprofit It’s a Wonderful Life Museum, one of three organizations managing the festival, mentioned that the choice to highlight this challenging topic this year was partly inspired by the constant disappearance of the suicide prevention resources the museum provides to visitors.
Law expressed hope that the museum’s endeavors would remind people “that in this movie, we know hope is on the horizon.”
“The message is that all individuals have worth, and everyone matters,” she stated. “It’s a suitable context for addressing this.”
George’s troubling thoughts emerge in the film’s concluding segment, as he spirals into despair over his financial hardships and unfulfilled aspirations, especially after the avaricious Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) tells him he’s “worth more dead than alive.” George stands on a bridge, poised to leap into the frigid waters, when his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), acts first as part of a divine strategy to prompt George to rescue himself.
Clarence grants George’s frustrated plea that he “never was born,” and they journey to a dark alternate reality where neither George’s mother (Beulah Bondi) nor his spouse (Donna Reed) recognizes him. Through tears, George implores Clarence: “I want to live again.” Clarence brings George back to a world filled with family and friends who cherish his existence. (The film is accessible on most major digital platforms.)
Karen Burcroff, who leads the Seneca County Suicide Prevention Coalition, commented that the film’s endearing qualities and benevolence can feel like distant delights for those grappling with depression, particularly during the holiday season. The issue spans beyond adults: Over the past four years, three local youths, including one as young as 10, have died by suicide.
“The pain remains,” she stated. “Yet lives continue through heightened awareness.”
“It’s a Wonderful Life” had a mixed reception and was financially unsuccessful upon its release just before Christmas, with those setbacks deeply affecting Capra, said Joseph McBride, a biographer of Capra and a professor at the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University. In McBride’s book “Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success,” the director reflected that he “often pondered suicide.”
“I came close to it many times,” Capra shared with McBride. “I considered freeing my wife from myself, but when I thought of my family, I couldn’t go through with it.”
Following “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Capra directed the political dramedy “State of the Union” (1948) and other films, but his career “plummeted after that,” McBride asserted, implying that “It’s a Wonderful Life” marked his “final flourish.” Capra passed away in 1991, at the age of 94.
The film will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2026, and in anticipation, the museum is fundraising for an expansion. Contributors can place a planet, star, or seat plaque in the theater to commemorate a loved one. Martin, the executive director and founder of the Suicide Prevention Alliance in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who moderated the festival discussion, donated a star in memory of his brother, Michael, who died by suicide at age 16 in 1980. Martin reminisced about Michael as a member of the high school swim team and lifeguard — a “quiet kid and good brother” who defended others.
For those wrestling with survivor’s guilt, “It’s a Wonderful Life” presents a poignant wish: that their loved ones had encountered a Clarence of their own.
“We can’t bring them back,” Martin reflected. “This isn’t just a movie. It’s real life. Yet I still see the immense impact this film has had on my life.”
For Grimes, December is always bustling, filled with appearances at screenings of “It’s a Wonderful Life” across the nation. Viewers know every line, none more so than Zuzu’s unforgettable quote: “Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.”
At the screenings and wherever she travels, Johnathan is ever-present in her thoughts.
“He was a very reserved young man, kind and sweet — perhaps too sweet,” she recalled. “People caused him pain frequently. I reflect and wish I could have better equipped him for life. He was too gentle; he couldn’t cope with the hurt.”
A birdhouse in Johnathan’s memory is displayed at the Kansas City, Missouri, nursing home where he played piano for residents.
Grimes mentioned that she feels particularly encouraged by those who tell her they too “have been on the bridge and find hope in the film.”
“It mends everything that pains,” she concluded.
