Bedford Falls from the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life was partially filmed in Seneca Falls, NY. In 1917, a man jumped from the bridge and saved a young girl from drowning in the canal at the risk of his own life. This heroic act inspired the movie where George Bailey jumps into the canal to save Clarence the angel.
I was bored and zoomed in on small towns in upstate New York. I zoomed in and zoomed in until I found specific sights such as museums and restaurants to discover the It’s a Wonderful Life Museum. I clicked on the website to find out that the week I was planning to visit coincided with the 75th anniversary of the movie. I made a call to reserve a seat at a dinner with the surviving cast and off I went.
A lot of the people that go to the festival return every year, but international visitors this year only included a few Canadians and a Welshman. It’s a nice atmosphere where jokes consist of movie references and strangers geek out with one another about specific favourite scenes. The actors were very nice. I got to meet their spouses and children, it was an excellent experience.
The museum hosts a number of artifacts related to the movie, but only four props are known to have survived. Two pairs of Violet Bick’s earrings are in the museum, George Bailey’s car is in private ownership but often showcased during the annual festival, and Ernie’s taxi is also in private ownership.
