The idea of George Bailey saying "You made one mistake Mr Potter - you double crossed me and you left me alive!" will always fill me with absolute glee 😂😂😂
@@frodobaggins75 was that one for the money and two for the show and go cat go don't step on my blue. some elvis impersonator. please note elvis dislocated his pelvis and left the building and left also left the planet to ride a tesla auto mobile in outer space and a star man driving the sedan.
Reminds me of Dana on Conan's podcast: doing Jimmy Stewart getting some hand action in the car from Kate Hepburn, and hastily throwing a sweater over his lap when he sees old man Potter rolling his way "Why do you have your penis out George Bailey, I know what I saw!!" "You know what, Mr. Potter, I've been waitin' to say this for 30 years...F--K YOU !!"
@@michaelnally2841 I feel like half of Joe Dante's motivation for making Gremlins was to include a Mr. Potter character just so he could have that character killed by what they think are demons from hell
Yeah, I have been bothered that the greedy, opportunistic villain essentially got away with it. Like I am sure $8000 is a whole lot of money back then. That and Burt the cop fires 6 shots down a crowded town street in darkness/snow (and misses) at an unarmed man for verbally accosting a woman and seemingly acting crazy seemed like an unwise, irresponsible, excessive force. Burt was responsible for where each one of those six shots ended up.
Dana Carey "appeared" as Jimmy Stewart in another hilarious SNL sketch. It portrays Ronald Reagan as a devious mastermind, who only pretends to be a friendly, slightly befuddled old man, but in secret is a genius who can speak multiple languages, do complex computations in his head, and is a hard, tough negotiator and planner. When his unsuspecting acting friend Jimmy Stewart comes to visit him, Reagan is desperate to get rid of him so he can get back to business.
I first saw Dana Carvey on the Nickelodeon series Turkey Television. They showed part of his stand-up routine. He told about discovering that he could talk like Jimmy Stewart. His brothers would get him to do the impression at their mother. It creeped her out.
@@robertaxel That is one of my favorite SNL sketches as well. Another great but much different "presidential" role for Phil Hartman was in the made for HBO movie "The Second Civil War".
The whole skit is perfection. And the cast is what truly makes it. I was too young to really remember it being on television. But being able to see it now you really don't realize just how good all the cast and writers really were and are.
No joke, I was actually a little teary-eyed in the beginning with how faithful the recreation was...which quickly dissolved into tears of laughter. Well played.
When a friend sent this to me because I was complaining how Potter never got his, it was at that moment I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life truly.
This was in fact the original ending to it’s A Wonderful Life but the director never got around to filming the original ending but this was always his intention to end the movie minus the beating with sticks the way it plays out is exactly how it was written only difference is he was arrested and dragged away screaming he owns this town and everyone will suffer for years to come. Saturday Night Live did a funny yet historical segment and William Shatner was right it became a legend to this day.
2:58 “Why-why you’re nothing but a fraud! You’re not even a cripple!” Carvey Jimmy Stewarts the hell of out that that line, hand gesture and everything.
@@robjontay5052 the best era for SNL i think are the 1st five years however i love this cast right here the most. the show was never the same after Carvey, Hartman, Dennis Miller though he left about halfway through & many others were gone. i would have loved to see this used as the Original ending.
Not even kidding, I saw this as a kid and actually thought it was part of the movie so when I saw it again a couple years ago I was like, “where’s the rest of the movie?”😂
I swear as a kid I remember watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, and the part where Rusty is watching Its a Wonderful Life, I SWEAR when the little girl says, "Look Daddy! Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!" and George replies, "Well your teacher's an idiot!" Now for the last 20 years, whenever I see this movie, that part doesn't exist anymore.
That's when you know a movie is popular and a classic: when tons of people know how wrong it was that Potter got away with it and needed the cathartic release of seeing him get his ass beat...
Even w/"The Wizard of Oz", it inferred that Miss Gulch got hers on the tornado! Lionel Barrymore played a right b*****d very well & his Potter definitely deserved an @$$-kicking!...😁
It always amazed me that William Shatner only hosted one episode considering that this episode is one of the greatest SNL episodes ever. No joke, almost every skit is laugh out loud funny.
When Shatner said the lost clip is 40 years old, I went like "what?". Then quickly realized that "oh, right, right, right.. This skit is 34 years old".
Mind blown right. think about this. Shatner was like prime beef then. Wasn't that like star trek 4 time period or something. Like revenge of Kahn. Not really sure. But look at that hair though. Damn he was on top of the world then
@@Fluffyudders I remember watching this episode way back when. This was the best skit and the other 2 I remember right away were him going off on fans at a Star Trek convention and him mocking Oliver North in the Capitol Hill hearings
This sketch is always mandatory viewing for us immediately after watching the film itself at Christmas each year, and of course Carvey's spot on impersonation of Jimmy Stewart kills me every time. My personal favorite lines: "In the vast configuration of things you're nothing but a scurvy little spider." "I don't want the money i want a piece of you, Potter." "Why you're nothing but a fraud, you're not even a cripple!!!" XD
I tend to watch this sketch whether I see the movie or not. But I almost went through this Christmas without watching it at all. I'm so glad I avoided making that mistake. Raise your hand if you saw it when it first aired. 🙋♂️
@@Billinois78 OH, you didn't read that book titled " The Gone With the Wind Letters" - in one of the letters Margaret Mitchell only mentions it once ; " I think she gets him back".
Most people don't catch that at 1:55 Uncle Billy said he just called *_Clarence_* at the bank. This means George's guardian angel gives up Old Man Potter. 😂 Priceless.
Our family use to watch _It's a Wonderful Life_ every Christmas. I'll never forget how hard I laughed my ass off the first time I saw this. Merry Christmas everyone...
But going forward...it would have been George Bailey's town. With all the money, Bailey could have invested it wisely into the town, and Potter would not have been able to stop it. Potter would be phased out.
Initially they were gonna have a scene where Clarence confronts Potter for what he did to George & scares him into acting right, but Capra took it out because he felt it took away from the focus of the movie. Personally I kinda agree with him since the ending is already perfect as it is, but I do kinda wish there was some form of comeuppance with Potter@wmfivethree
Not to be that guy, but the original ending was Clarence watching Potter have a heart attack. It was filmed to be added in in case the ending violating the Hays Code was called out, but it wasn't.
I've never heard of that before, usually all the sources say the scene was scripted but never shot, where'd you get this from if you don't mind me asking?@@futuremovieactor
I was a college student when this episode aired. I taped it on VHS. Probably my favorite SNL episode of all time. There was a sketch where Kirk , Bones and Spock run a salad bar , and Dana Carvey ( Khan) is the food inspector.
@@ssbtd00m I was just going to ask if it was the same episode....shaming Jon Lovitz...”have you ever kissed a girl”? haha poor Jon Lovitz this whole episode! 😂
A couple points about this movie the show got wrong: The movie was released in 1946 (not 1947), and Sam Wainwright offered to advance up to $25,000, much more than the $8,000 lost.
0:25 I love the way William Shatner emphasises each word in “lost ending of” and then the way his voice gets more gentle and melodic on “‘It’s a Wonderful Life’!”
@@freddyrichards878 You must've missed the point. They don't hate every movie; their motto is "Sometimes movies don't end the way we like", and they make their own endings just for fun.
One of the best, most memorable laughs I shared with my dad was watching this skit together when it originally aired. Seeing it again makes me feel my beloved father's presence once again.
I remember seeing this movie for the first time and wondering: How could they NOT address Potter stealing all that money?! And then I found this video, and life was great! :)
@@brigidmadden5577 There's even a bit in the film where during the "never been born" sequance a cop shoots out the letter H on a sign and it says "Potter's Ill" I bet you that was supposed to be foreshadowing.
I heard that the filmmakers got into hot water over Mr. Potter getting away with stealing the money, because per the Hays Code Mr. Potter should have been punished.
@@brigidmadden5577It was a bit more explicit than that. Clarence appears and calls him out for being a cad, and THAT'S what causes the heart attack. "Mr. Potter, you're a greedy dirt bag who'll die alone and unloved." "HOLY CRAP AN ANGEL (dies)"
They did an excellent job capturing the full essence of a movie filmed in this era. Everything from the grainy quality to the cadence and accents felt authentic. This is definitely something special and every person who contributed to it should be proud.
Mr. Potter is never caught as the thief who embezzled $8000, which he apparently gets to keep. This was very unusual for a Hollywood film at the time; the Hays Office--the censor--code required that criminals must always be shown to be either punished or made to repent at the end of every film.
Just saw the real ending again last night for the first time in like 16 years so this is even more absurd to me now lol. Also Phil Hartman copies that guy in the crowd perfectly. 😂
This was in fact the original ending to it’s A Wonderful Life but the director never got around to filming the original ending but this was always his intention to end the movie minus the beating with sticks the way it plays out is exactly how it was written only difference is he was arrested and dragged away screaming he owns this town and everyone will suffer for years to come. Saturday Night Live did a funny yet historical segment and William Shatner was right it became a legend to this day.
Carvey's audition for SNL included his 'angry cursing Jimmy Stewart' impression, which was always great for a laugh when he was in the cast (loved him pulling a knife on Dieter's monkey on his Sprockets episode)
@@shannonpruitt8008 Yes. In that category of top actors from SNL, I would have to also include Eddie Murphy (“Beverly Hills Cop”) and Mike Myers (“Austin Powers”). It’s really a shame that the cardiac surgeon performing open heart surgery on Dana operated in the wrong artery. Dana would have had a much more stellar career had he not been plagued by heart illness and a surgical error. He won a lawsuit for $7.5 million. But I’m sure Dana and his fans would rather have seen his career rise rather than result in such a crippling experience. Nevertheless, Dana is the funniest of them all in my opinion.
Probably so. George Bush Sr. actually invited Dana to the White House and begged him to do the impression of Bush that Dana made famous on SNL. He LOVED it and thought it was hilarious. I could see Jimmy having a good sense of humor about it as well.
@@ashleighelizabeth5916 Carvey said that for years, right up until his death, Bush Sr. would call him every now and then out of the blue and just chat. Kind've hilarious and touching. I may be wrong about this, but I think I heard an interview once with Carvey where he said he actually got to do his Jimmy Stewart impersonation for Stewart and he thought it was pretty good.
In The It's A Wonderful Life Book, by Jeanine Basinger, regarding the fact that the Hays Code dictated that criminals in movies were supposed to pay for their crimes and Potter stole the $8,000 with no punishment, director and co-writer Frank Capra said that since IAWL deals with angels and other heavenly entities it must be assumed that some form of divine justice should take care of Potter in the afterlife, therefore the Hays Code requirements were somehow satisfied.
There are rumors of a lost scene (either filmed or from an early draft of the script) of Clarence sneaking up on Potter and giving him a heart attack or something... I guess they realized turning Clarence from a benevolent angel to an avenging angel was too much of a character swing.
@@jime6688 No no he's right Well, kinda anyway There's an awful lot of religious denominations that have instilled this mindset into people that the only thing that really matters is their own personal journey into heaven, and so they neglect to do what must be done to care for the world that God placed them in. It doesn't matter, it seems, if someone has done truly awful and irredeemable things and isn't sorry and will continue to do them, because as long as they claim to follow Jesus or whoever, then to them, and to those with the same beliefs, all is forgiven. And so these people continue to tolerate worldly sin because they genuinely believe that this world doesn't matter because they'll spend the rest of existence in the next one anyway, and that this is all just some arena for proving their own personal worthiness instead of the place that God has made for everybody to live together. Anyway that's my 2 cents
@@nathanielwindsor7679, I know of no major denominations that teach all that matters is faith in Jesus, no matter how you live. How we treat others will one day be the test if our so-called faith in Christ was genuine (See Matthew 25:31-46).
@@marccolten9801. Actually philosophically no. The reverse. George Bailey, and his Dad, loaned money so people could start their own businesses and own their own homes. They seldom gave handouts, but hands up. Those people would pay back those fair loans. Potter wanted the people to stay dependent on his concept of society: To rent in Potter's Field (degenerate cities) and to only do the jobs he deemed appropriate for these garlic eaters. He bet his success on their continual failures and appetite for others to supply their basic needs, but nothing more. Bailey helped build prosperous suburbs. Bailey was the archetype of the stoic individual, willing to work his small business to gently profit by others also profiting. If they failed, he failed. He was simply a businessman that built on the success of others, instead of preying on failure - > power through the victim identity. Potter and Bailey don't necessarily fit US party politics. They are characters from Dickens retrofitted to American melodrama.
@@STho205 And yet those were Potter's exact words about a "thrifty working class" and how the Bailey family was destroying it. They were also quite generous and charitable as during the bank crash. He hated that.
He definitely is a piece of shit, but I would argue that there exist more evil movie villains. Ever seen The Dark Knight, A Clockwork Orange, No Country for Old Men, or Schindler's List?
@@marccolten9801. His version of newspeak, but somewhat accurate in a certain context. He wanted poor mass workers forever to keep his engine running, instead of entrepreneurs or people that saw life could be better. Potter wanted to reap mass victims (like Scrooge or the Uncle in Nicholas Nicklby). Bailey wanted to foster individual heroes.
Dana Carvey was 31 when this sketch was filmed. It has been 33 years since then, so anyone in the sketch or audience would be at least 33 years old now.
@Nenethegreat W - Because they are not pertinent to this particular SNL skit. Everyone knows about It's A Wonderful Life from the stretch of time when no one held the copyright to the movie, and local TV stations got to play it for free multiple times all through the holiday season.
I remember seeing this SNL skit with my husband about 30 years ago, I was not familiar with the movie , my husband told me this is not how " It's a wonderful life" ended, but the SNL version is the way you wished it had .
I have the real movie on VHS. In about 1988 I put a piece of tape over the copy protect slot and recorded this onto it after the end credits. This needs to be included on every DVD sold as a bonus feature.
OMG. This is simply the BEST SNL Christmas sketch of all entire time...A lot of good ones have been done, to be sure...But, this was pure genius. And, Dana Carvey's impression of Stewart is amazing.
They left out the part where George sets Potter on fire from the fireplace flame, and they roast marshmallows over his burning corpse. Damn TV censors..
I remember this show in it's entirety. It was one of the best SNL episodes of all time. The other skits included Star Fleet turning the Enterprise into a rotating restaurant. William Shatner making fun of people that attend Star Trek conventions. T.J. Hooker holding on to the hood of a car for miles and being snowed on, and the musical guest was Lone Justice.
@@vinnieviddivicci5459 I know! I want to root for her, being the oldest person ever cast on SNL and all, but outside of her doing the "fierce thing" all the time, she's not very good. She never really does an impersonation,..she just relies on the costume and announcement of who she's playing to let you know who she's suppose to be.
@@vinnieviddivicci5459 I just think they brought her on to prove a point during this time in our society; yes we include black people who are approaching 50. I just don't think she's THAT funny. Outside of her trying to talk loud, and doing the outspoken," street thing" that we've seen over and over again, there's not much there. SNL used to cast performers (except Victoria Jackson) who had versatility and could pull off many characters, but Leslie is just filler for me...
Being reminded of this SNL skit when watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas, then coming to RUclips to watch it has become as much of a custom for me as watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas.. lol
I saw this when it originally aired too, when I was 12. One thing I didn't notice until re-watching this just a few minutes ago, the name of the guy at the bank who tells Uncle Billy that Potter stole the money was named Clarence, just like the angel. As if Angel Clarence might have initiated the beat down of Potter.
I remember watching this when it originally aired. I laughed so hard. Plus, it's a wonderful life has always been my favorite movie. Not because it's considered a holiday film (because it's not and never was intended to be a holiday film.) but because it's just a great movie even by today's standards. It's a slow burn (really slow) but eventually, if you are patient, you will see at the end how ever single scene builds up to probably the biggest climax in cinematic history. EVERY scene is important. Every word of dialogue builds the climax. George Baily represents the every-man. Other than marrying Mary, George never got to do anything he dreamed of doing. Even had to miss his honeymoon to save the building and loan. He had big dreams and never realized any of them because of family and the town. It's relatable because few ever realize their dreams. Last year i had a co-worker admit he had never seen it and the reason, "it always looked really boring." i encouraged him to be patient and give it another try. He came back and said, " you were right! That's one of the best movies ever."
It's actually based on Frank Capra's own personal sense of loss and despair returning to Hollywood after years working for the United States government filming news reels and propaganda films during WW2. Apparently George Bailey wishing he was never born was his own feelings. At least according to a documentary I watched about Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler, and George Stevens called "Five Came Back", about the famous movie makers of the 1930's/40's who directly participated in the war by filming it.
@Rick O'Shay Mary is one of the villains of the film; she never puts George's dreams ahead of her own. She wants what she wants, and George's ambitions- which do not include her- are obstacles she must overcome.
@@kerryedavis pilot and commander which means many of his men died, once 130 in a single mission, faulty instruments also made him bomb the wrong town in France throwing bombs on unsuspecting people instead of the planned v1 bunker. All of that added to make him come back with very intense PTSD.
I watched this yesterday. For the first time I wondered why Uncle Billy didn't remember right away he had examined the envelope in the bank before writing a deposit slip and figure it out quicker or at least ask Potter about it.
And it could never be made in 2020. Today's woke generation wouldn't feel comfortable showing such violence, and certainly wouldn't allow the word cripple.
@@MrThermostatic Absolute bullshit. Violent sketches get made all the time. Did you see the last season of the wildly successful and popular and critically acclaimed show, The Boys, in which three women beat the shit out of another woman for a comically long time? Slapstick and excessive violence is still a common trope in comedy. Stop making up problems to feel upset about.
Carvey's amazing impressions...and, look, there's a young Kevin Meaney...rest in peace, man...i remember watching this live; was 14 and SNL was must-see TV in our house, every saturday from '75 on. I can remember it being christmas time...and now i'm crying, lol. Thanks for the memories, SNL.
The idea of George Bailey saying "You made one mistake Mr Potter - you double crossed me and you left me alive!" will always fill me with absolute glee 😂😂😂
It fills me Christmas Joy!
Technically he made TWO mistakes.
@@frodobaggins75 was that one for the money and two for the show and go cat go don't step on my blue. some elvis impersonator. please note elvis dislocated his pelvis and left the building and left also left the planet to ride a tesla auto mobile in outer space and a star man driving the sedan.
Yes Mr Potter stole that money Uncle Billy left behind and deserved to get his ass kicked.
Reminds me of Dana on Conan's podcast: doing Jimmy Stewart getting some hand action in the car from Kate Hepburn, and hastily throwing a sweater over his lap when he sees old man Potter rolling his way
"Why do you have your penis out George Bailey, I know what I saw!!"
"You know what, Mr. Potter, I've been waitin' to say this for 30 years...F--K YOU !!"
"You made one mistake, Mr. Potter. You double-crossed me and left me alive" - damn that's one of the most badass lines i've ever heard
Sounds like something Voldemort would have said
No one double crosses George Bailey and lives to tell about it😎👊🏼💥💥🤕
Sounds like a line from a western or a gangster movie.
" I don't want the money, I want a piece of you, Potter"
It really is. Merry Christmas!
What I love most about this is its not even particularly funny, but it scratches such a deep cultural itch that its insanely satisfying to watch.
Especially given how much of a despicable person Mr. Potter was that we all wish he got some sorta karma thrown at him.
@@michaelnally2841 I feel like half of Joe Dante's motivation for making Gremlins was to include a Mr. Potter character just so he could have that character killed by what they think are demons from hell
Yeah, I have been bothered that the greedy, opportunistic villain essentially got away with it. Like I am sure $8000 is a whole lot of money back then.
That and Burt the cop fires 6 shots down a crowded town street in darkness/snow (and misses) at an unarmed man for verbally accosting a woman and seemingly acting crazy seemed like an unwise, irresponsible, excessive force. Burt was responsible for where each one of those six shots ended up.
@@ulvesparker yeah 8000 in 1946 adjusted for inflation is worth over 130,000 dollars now
@@ulvesparkerevery time I watch that I say “oh that’s real smart, fire a gun into a crowd!”
I know it’s a movie, but I say it every single time!
Dana Carvey's imitation of Jimmy Stewart is perfect. He even pulled off the accent nearly perfectly.
Dana Carey "appeared" as Jimmy Stewart in another hilarious SNL sketch. It portrays Ronald Reagan as a devious mastermind, who only pretends to be a friendly, slightly befuddled old man, but in secret is a genius who can speak multiple languages, do complex computations in his head, and is a hard, tough negotiator and planner. When his unsuspecting acting friend Jimmy Stewart comes to visit him, Reagan is desperate to get rid of him so he can get back to business.
Carvey does a great Jimmy Stewart orgasm. He also does a great Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas having sex.
I first saw Dana Carvey on the Nickelodeon series Turkey Television. They showed part of his stand-up routine. He told about discovering that he could talk like Jimmy Stewart. His brothers would get him to do the impression at their mother. It creeped her out.
@@dongilleo9743 The late great Phil Hartman as Reagan in my favorite SNL political sketch ever, brilliant...
@@robertaxel That is one of my favorite SNL sketches as well. Another great but much different "presidential" role for Phil Hartman was in the made for HBO movie "The Second Civil War".
When Potter stands up and reveals he's not crippled, I died. Fantastic skit.
The whole skit is perfection. And the cast is what truly makes it. I was too young to really remember it being on television. But being able to see it now you really don't realize just how good all the cast and writers really were and are.
Wait a minute, I can explain!
Grandpa Joe!
Walter Sobchak saw this skit.
The elbow drop by Carvey at the end too.
Every Christmas eve for the past 5 years we watch this after we finish the movie
Now I will too.
Same here. I even put my mother on to this sketch.
I found this this year 😂
Siiiiiiiiiiick....... XD
Everytime I watch it with the family at christmas I think: "I dont want the money back, I want a piece of you Potter."
“Mary, hold him for me” gets me every time. We watch this sketch every year, it’s a holiday tradition in my house
I think Mary's "attention" would just have turned him on
Mr. Potter was old. He died 5 years later… so no need to commit murder. Just be patient
.
Noice 🤗
@@sawtooth808I’m pretty sure if this movie was made circa 2023 it would have ended w/violence & prob car chase. And would be a franchise. 🤦
Same here!😀 I watch this every Christmas.
No joke, I was actually a little teary-eyed in the beginning with how faithful the recreation was...which quickly dissolved into tears of laughter. Well played.
Exactly. Carvey is brilliant
"I don't want the money, I want a piece of you Potter!". I lost it!!!!!
kdesigner07 Snape should have said this to James lol
George wants blood this time!
"I oughta POUND you!"
Best line for sure, I lost it too.
As someone who's seen It's A Wonderful Life, this ending is IMMENSELY satisfying...
When a friend sent this to me because I was complaining how Potter never got his, it was at that moment I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life truly.
@@jakez5227 I just know potter was going to be unhappy forever since pottersville would never exist, he'll live with it forever
Indeed..
The movie sucks. This skit is a hundred times better.
IKR? Who wouldn't want to see Potter get his ass kicked?
I love how this is literally the exact opposite feeling of the actual ending and it’s still just as great 😂
This was in fact the original ending to it’s A Wonderful Life but the director never got around to filming the original ending but this was always his intention to end the movie minus the beating with sticks the way it plays out is exactly how it was written only difference is he was arrested and dragged away screaming he owns this town and everyone will suffer for years to come. Saturday Night Live did a funny yet historical segment and William Shatner was right it became a legend to this day.
@@TNHFPRODUCTIONS987 That's no funnier than the first time you wrote it.
It is way better
It's as American now as baseball!
#Catharsis
2:58 “Why-why you’re nothing but a fraud! You’re not even a cripple!” Carvey Jimmy Stewarts the hell of out that that line, hand gesture and everything.
Hell yes he did! I bet as a kid he mocked actors and his teachers voice and manners to a T!
That one punch as Mary's helping to hold Potter. He's literally lifted off the floor. LOL
And Lovitz' Edward G. Robinesque response, "Now, waitaminnit, I can explain dis..."
They would never allow the word "cripple" today, nor would they have a scene with someone being bullied with such violence. Sissies!
@@MrThermostatic Oh no. You're so persecuted.
This cast, in my opinion, produced some of the best SNL seasons.
Whomever said SNL hasn't been funny or worth watching didn't pay attention!
Not to put her above anyone, but Jan Hooks was as good as anyone who's been on that show. I miss her.
@@robjontay5052 the best era for SNL i think are the 1st five years however i love this cast right here the most.
the show was never the same after Carvey, Hartman, Dennis Miller though he left about halfway through & many others were gone. i would have loved to see this used as the Original ending.
Rob Jontay yeah. BACK THEN it was funny. Now it’s unwatchable. You DO realize this is not a current clip...RIGHT??!
Dana Carvey is an SNL legend...
Every time a bell rings, old man Potter gets his ass kicked ❤
That’s an incredible Uncle Billy impression
Not even kidding, I saw this as a kid and actually thought it was part of the movie so when I saw it again a couple years ago I was like, “where’s the rest of the movie?”😂
Nearly spit out my drink reading this, lol.
I’m crying! 😂😭🤣
I swear as a kid I remember watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, and the part where Rusty is watching Its a Wonderful Life, I SWEAR when the little girl says, "Look Daddy! Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!" and George replies, "Well your teacher's an idiot!" Now for the last 20 years, whenever I see this movie, that part doesn't exist anymore.
Hahahahaha.
🤣🤣🤣
Listen to the audience cheer when Potter gets his after 40 years.
That's when you know a movie is popular and a classic: when tons of people know how wrong it was that Potter got away with it and needed the cathartic release of seeing him get his ass beat...
@I spamsalot just the Jewish ones
Even w/"The Wizard of Oz", it inferred that Miss Gulch got hers on the tornado!
Lionel Barrymore played a right b*****d very well & his Potter definitely deserved an @$$-kicking!...😁
@@scotcarr3390 Nah , Potter escaped and later changed his name to Simon Bar Sinister, and started threatening Sweet Polly Purebread and Underdog!
@@cartoonjoe And for extra evil, he also opened a nuclear power plant in Springfield under the alias Montgomery Burns.
It always amazed me that William Shatner only hosted one episode considering that this episode is one of the greatest SNL episodes ever. No joke, almost every skit is laugh out loud funny.
Get a life. Its just a tv show. 🤪
And this was big pimpin' William Shatner like revenge of Kahn bigley
This episode was kind of a turning point for SNL after years of mediocrity, and kicked off its second golden age.
The TJ Hooker skit was gold too.
I consider this cast and with the addition of Sandler, Spade, Farley and Schneider to be the best.
They forgot the very last scene when the whole town decides to cover up this homicide and lie to federal investigators.
I thought originally the feds show up and saw what was happening and joined in lol
@Kimberly Winters Potterbud...and the circle is complete.
Don't overthink it!
So, what happened to Ken McElroy, basically.
@@ddthewolf
"So you're beating Mr. Potter, eh?"
"Yes, sir."
"Step aside, let's shoot him where he'll feel it!"
After watching the movie for the first time I was left wanting an ending like this, so so happy to see it 😊
same
Yes Mr Potter deserved it. 👏
In my head canon, this is the extended ending
@@pattyoneill6724Indeed! Fuck Potter, there’s a special place in Hell for his real-life counterparts.
Mr. Potter was old. He died 5 years later… so no need to commit murder. Just be patient
.
"You doubled crossed me and you left me alive"
I remember when this was on SNL originally and that line always made me laugh the hardest. Well that and when he says "Mary, Harry, hold him for me".
Lololololozzz...😂😂
"Mary.....Mary have piece of this!!"
He gets a well-deserved, ass kicking!!🤕😂😂
I fell out of my chair on the floor laughing way back then when it first aired. Cried laughing again just now.
Stevie Nines my favorite line.
that's a nod to Stewart's fling at Westerns in the 1950s, I'm pretty sure he uses that line in one of them.
When Shatner said the lost clip is 40 years old, I went like "what?".
Then quickly realized that "oh, right, right, right.. This skit is 34 years old".
insane to think how the 80s were just as long ago to us as the 40s was to them huh
Is that Shatner? I thought it was Norm McDonald doing a Shatner impression.
Mind blown right. think about this. Shatner was like prime beef then. Wasn't that like star trek 4 time period or something. Like revenge of Kahn. Not really sure. But look at that hair though. Damn he was on top of the world then
@@Fluffyudders I remember watching this episode way back when. This was the best skit and the other 2 I remember right away were him going off on fans at a Star Trek convention and him mocking Oliver North in the Capitol Hill hearings
@@jakez5227 Yes, he had a really great hairpiece. He's worn one at least since ST was on NBC in first run.
"Look Daddy! Teacher says, every time a corrupt banker gets his brains smashed in, an angel gets his wings!"
Damn an angle aint got his wings since 2006 at least.
That’s right! Atta boy Clarence!
Lmao that's funny!
Daddy "Your teacher's a commie, isn't she?"
@@primepm8861 nah this is right after the Great Depression, beating corrupt financial types would be a national sport
This sketch is always mandatory viewing for us immediately after watching the film itself at Christmas each year, and of course Carvey's spot on impersonation of Jimmy Stewart kills me every time.
My personal favorite lines:
"In the vast configuration of things you're nothing but a scurvy little spider."
"I don't want the money i want a piece of you, Potter."
"Why you're nothing but a fraud, you're not even a cripple!!!" XD
It is qued up waiting as soon as the real movie ends 👍😂
@jake z lol i know right, this sketch goes together with the original movie itself so well. Gets me good every year. XD
I tend to watch this sketch whether I see the movie or not. But I almost went through this Christmas without watching it at all. I'm so glad I avoided making that mistake.
Raise your hand if you saw it when it first aired. 🙋♂️
What I like about this sketch is that we finally get to see Mr. Potter get his just desserts that he never got in the original movie!
"I never get tired of that ending" - Abe Simpson
Didn't that movie used to have a war in it?
@@kiddynamite1991 "Frankly, my dear, I d-LOVE YOU. LET'S REMARRY".
@@Billinois78 OH, you didn't read that book titled " The Gone With the Wind Letters" - in one of the letters Margaret Mitchell only mentions it once ; " I think she gets him back".
Most people don't catch that at 1:55 Uncle Billy said he just called *_Clarence_* at the bank. This means George's guardian angel gives up Old Man Potter. 😂 Priceless.
OR Hartman screwed up. OR there's more than Clarence on Earth. OR the writers screwed up.
+Marc Colten
OR the writers knew exactly what they were doing.
Tosh T ... based on the time period this took place in, it is far more likely of a screw up than a clever hint, stop reading into things too much.
I think most people caught that. I haven’t even watched It’s a wonderful Life and I know Clarence was the guardian angels name.
+Cobra Kai Yup. Everyone definitely knows Clarence. Definitely not a coincidence or random name as others here have suggested. 😂
"Mary, Mary! Hold him for me!"
Mary: Still the perfect wife.
Mary, have a piece of this!
miss 'Christmas Eve in Cricketville' starring Jiminy Stewart and Donna Chirp -------------- ruclips.net/video/QdOE0ziPfWM/видео.html
@@SagaofaCrew... That. That was awesome!
Hit the ◀ to leave this comment... Gonna
hit the ▶ to sub & 👍!
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Technically he said; "Harry, Mary! Hold him for me!" He talking to his brother and wife. No offense.
Wcw, even Mary gets in on the action with a few swings herself !
"You made one mistake, Mr. Potter! You double crossed me and you left me alive!" continues to be the funniest line ever uttered in SNL.
Looks like Clarence not only got his wings but they celebrated on Potter's demise as well! With angel food cake! 🍰🎂
LOL
Our family use to watch _It's a Wonderful Life_ every Christmas. I'll never forget how hard I laughed my ass off the first time I saw this. Merry Christmas everyone...
That the audience cheers when Potter gets dumped out of his chair tells what a cathartic sketch this was for everyone...
It always pissed me also he got away with it in the end of the movie.
I like this alternative ending.
But going forward...it would have been George Bailey's town. With all the money, Bailey could have invested it wisely into the town, and Potter would not have been able to stop it. Potter would be phased out.
Initially they were gonna have a scene where Clarence confronts Potter for what he did to George & scares him into acting right, but Capra took it out because he felt it took away from the focus of the movie. Personally I kinda agree with him since the ending is already perfect as it is, but I do kinda wish there was some form of comeuppance with Potter@wmfivethree
Not to be that guy, but the original ending was Clarence watching Potter have a heart attack. It was filmed to be added in in case the ending violating the Hays Code was called out, but it wasn't.
I've never heard of that before, usually all the sources say the scene was scripted but never shot, where'd you get this from if you don't mind me asking?@@futuremovieactor
Maybe I misread it. I got it from TV Tropes in the Film section under Karma Houdini.
I was a college student when this episode aired. I taped it on VHS. Probably my favorite SNL episode of all time. There was a sketch where Kirk , Bones and Spock run a salad bar , and Dana Carvey ( Khan) is the food inspector.
No SNEEEEEZE GUARD!
And let's not forget the infamous "Get a LIfe!" skit. Priceless.
@@ssbtd00m I was just going to ask if it was the same episode....shaming Jon Lovitz...”have you ever kissed a girl”? haha poor Jon Lovitz this whole episode! 😂
I love that sketch! "Bones, help that man, hes choking!" "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not a...oh."
A lot of people reading this have never heard of VHS.
Wow, he sounds exactly like Jimmy Stewart
Not really. Stewarts voice was deeper...
That is a great impression of Jimmy Stewart.
adéla chobotová
Yes, well done
I'm pretty sure that's part of what makes this sketch work (that and Potter being such a hate sink).
No Carvey is speaking to fast, Stewart spoke much slower.
A couple points about this movie the show got wrong: The movie was released in 1946 (not 1947), and Sam Wainwright offered to advance up to $25,000, much more than the $8,000 lost.
Ok.
Next you're gonna tell us they really didn't beat potter up either
@@ENDERTON2000 LMAO!
@@ENDERTON2000 also, Dennis Miller didn't play George's brother.
Also, Gloria Grahame did not appear in this version of the film
0:25 I love the way William Shatner emphasises each word in “lost ending of” and then the way his voice gets more gentle and melodic on “‘It’s a Wonderful Life’!”
The original HISHE.
Same
Except the sketch here doesn't hate the movie
I was just thinking that.
Freddy Richards HISHE doesn’t hate all of the movies they poke fun at. No film is perfect.
@@freddyrichards878 You must've missed the point. They don't hate every movie; their motto is "Sometimes movies don't end the way we like", and they make their own endings just for fun.
One of the best, most memorable laughs I shared with my dad was watching this skit together when it originally aired. Seeing it again makes me feel my beloved father's presence once again.
One of the greatest sketches in the nearly 50 year history of this show. I always come back to it during the Christmas season
I remember seeing this movie for the first time and wondering: How could they NOT address Potter stealing all that money?! And then I found this video, and life was great! :)
Allegedly Potter was supposed to die of a heart attack, with the implication being that Clarence caused it or atleast witnessed it
@@brigidmadden5577 There's even a bit in the film where during the "never been born" sequance a cop shoots out the letter H on a sign and it says "Potter's Ill" I bet you that was supposed to be foreshadowing.
@@Aeonterbor considering he was already sickly in the normal timeline, that might’ve been a little site gag
I heard that the filmmakers got into hot water over Mr. Potter getting away with stealing the money, because per the Hays Code Mr. Potter should have been punished.
@@brigidmadden5577It was a bit more explicit than that. Clarence appears and calls him out for being a cad, and THAT'S what causes the heart attack.
"Mr. Potter, you're a greedy dirt bag who'll die alone and unloved."
"HOLY CRAP AN ANGEL (dies)"
No matter how many times I watch this I never get tired of it.
They did an excellent job capturing the full essence of a movie filmed in this era. Everything from the grainy quality to the cadence and accents felt authentic. This is definitely something special and every person who contributed to it should be proud.
I came for the Jimmy Stewart impression. I stayed for the beating of Jon Lovitz.
Jimmy Stewart doesn't actually have an accent. He has a particular way of speaking, but it's not an accent.
@@peterpiper7441 Everyone has an accent.
@@franktranks9445 - That is true.
Mr. Potter is never caught as the thief who embezzled $8000, which he apparently gets to keep. This was very unusual for a Hollywood film at the time; the Hays Office--the censor--code required that criminals must always be shown to be either punished or made to repent at the end of every film.
I think there was an extra scene where Potter got a heart attack and died or something but for some reason they decided not to keep it in the film.
S. Adam Bernstein It's a little known fact that Mr Potter was the basis for Charles Dickens "A Christmas Card" and the ghosts give him his in the end
He did get it in the end. We just watched the lost footage... Lol
@@aprilgarris4722 it's the other way around. A Christmas Carol was written many years before It's a Wonderful Life!
Gloria J. Pinsker Yes you're correct. It was a joke
Just saw the real ending again last night for the first time in like 16 years so this is even more absurd to me now lol. Also Phil Hartman copies that guy in the crowd perfectly. 😂
Phil Hartman happened to be playing Uncle Billy.
@@jeanoboyle2439 The actor Thomas Mitchell.
Hartman was one of the biggest losses that Showbusiness ever had. Philip Edward Hartman : September 24, 1948 - May 28, 1998
@@Valkonnen so true!!
This was in fact the original ending to it’s A Wonderful Life but the director never got around to filming the original ending but this was always his intention to end the movie minus the beating with sticks the way it plays out is exactly how it was written only difference is he was arrested and dragged away screaming he owns this town and everyone will suffer for years to come. Saturday Night Live did a funny yet historical segment and William Shatner was right it became a legend to this day.
I screamed with laughter when this parody first aired. Dana Carvey’s my all-time favorite SNL cast member. 😂😂😂😂
“Why you’re nothing but a fraud. You’re not even a cripple.” 🤣😂🤣
Carvey's audition for SNL included his 'angry cursing Jimmy Stewart' impression, which was always great for a laugh when he was in the cast (loved him pulling a knife on Dieter's monkey on his Sprockets episode)
@@tullymox Great piece of trivia. Thanks. Long live Dana Carvey. 👍
Dana is the best of all the SNL actors, and that's REALLY saying something!
@@shannonpruitt8008 Yes. In that category of top actors from SNL, I would have to also include Eddie Murphy (“Beverly Hills Cop”) and Mike Myers (“Austin Powers”). It’s really a shame that the cardiac surgeon performing open heart surgery on Dana operated in the wrong artery. Dana would have had a much more stellar career had he not been plagued by heart illness and a surgical error. He won a lawsuit for $7.5 million. But I’m sure Dana and his fans would rather have seen his career rise rather than result in such a crippling experience. Nevertheless, Dana is the funniest of them all in my opinion.
This ending is canon for me. 😊
I love happy endings.
Plant Maven
I love divorce
L O L !!
That's what she said.
R.I.P. Jan Hooks, One of the funniest ladies I've ever seen...Janet Vivian Hooks (April 23, 1957 - October 9, 2014)
I am here immediately after finishing watching the movie, what a cathartic way to end 2020.
I wonder if the actor Jimmy Stewart ever saw this. I’m sure he did because he died 11 years after this was aired.
Probably so. George Bush Sr. actually invited Dana to the White House and begged him to do the impression of Bush that Dana made famous on SNL. He LOVED it and thought it was hilarious. I could see Jimmy having a good sense of humor about it as well.
Its Frank Capra I wish could’ve seen this-he received a lot of letters complaining Potter never got punished!😅
I think Jimmy Stewart was more interested in getting redemption for all the women and children he murdered.
@@ashleighelizabeth5916 Carvey said that for years, right up until his death, Bush Sr. would call him every now and then out of the blue and just chat. Kind've hilarious and touching. I may be wrong about this, but I think I heard an interview once with Carvey where he said he actually got to do his Jimmy Stewart impersonation for Stewart and he thought it was pretty good.
As much as I completely love this it ruined the ending of the movie for me because now I want it to end like that LOL
Mr. Potter was old. He died 5 years later… so no need to commit murder. Just be patient
.
"Harry, Marry, hold him for me..." LOL
thx man best line of this skit for me
Jan Hooks was so funny.
@@joeyconvery2055 She was a genius.
In The It's A Wonderful Life Book, by Jeanine Basinger, regarding the fact that the Hays Code dictated that criminals in movies were supposed to pay for their crimes and Potter stole the $8,000 with no punishment, director and co-writer Frank Capra said that since IAWL deals with angels and other heavenly entities it must be assumed that some form of divine justice should take care of Potter in the afterlife, therefore the Hays Code requirements were somehow satisfied.
There are rumors of a lost scene (either filmed or from an early draft of the script) of Clarence sneaking up on Potter and giving him a heart attack or something... I guess they realized turning Clarence from a benevolent angel to an avenging angel was too much of a character swing.
Che Padron over thought and stupid theory.
I knew a bit of this. Thanks for filling in the details.
@@jime6688 No no he's right
Well, kinda anyway
There's an awful lot of religious denominations that have instilled this mindset into people that the only thing that really matters is their own personal journey into heaven, and so they neglect to do what must be done to care for the world that God placed them in. It doesn't matter, it seems, if someone has done truly awful and irredeemable things and isn't sorry and will continue to do them, because as long as they claim to follow Jesus or whoever, then to them, and to those with the same beliefs, all is forgiven. And so these people continue to tolerate worldly sin because they genuinely believe that this world doesn't matter because they'll spend the rest of existence in the next one anyway, and that this is all just some arena for proving their own personal worthiness instead of the place that God has made for everybody to live together. Anyway that's my 2 cents
@@nathanielwindsor7679, I know of no major denominations that teach all that matters is faith in Jesus, no matter how you live. How we treat others will one day be the test if our so-called faith in Christ was genuine (See Matthew 25:31-46).
Still one of the most excellent SNL skits ever. I love it.
😂 I never get tired of this one.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
*FINALLY* they upload this!!! Been looking for this for *YEARS* !!!
Same. I love everything about this. Like the old-timey phrase, "Why I oughta pound you!" And how sweet Mary beats the hell out of Potter too.
@Powerswish yes, it's sooo on point :)
Me too. man!
Love this
So was i
R. I. P. Phil Hartman :|
He was the best of all. So amazingly talented and funny.
@@annehajdu8654 I know *sigh*
R.I.P.
Phil Hartman
Jan Hooks
Don Pardo
For me, that was the worst show business loss that's occurred in my 62 years on earth.
That was so incredibly tragic the way Mr. Hartman died, too. Truly.
This is my favorite SNL Christmas sketch.
I like when musical guest Frank Zappa acted in a Killer Christmas Tree sketch.
More than Shweaty Balls?
Hannah, Bruce "Schweddy Balls"
ruclips.net/video/bPpcfH_HHH8/видео.html
This and Sump'n Claus.
Anti-Villain - and don't forget 'Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo' from South Park.
I’ve seen this movie 10 times and I never get tired of this ending.
I just love watching this immediately after the original movie
I still believe that Mr. Potter is the most evil villain in movie history!
And yet he'd be a Conservative hero today. After all he didn't want social programs preventing the poor from becoming a thrifty working class.
@@marccolten9801. Actually philosophically no. The reverse. George Bailey, and his Dad, loaned money so people could start their own businesses and own their own homes. They seldom gave handouts, but hands up. Those people would pay back those fair loans. Potter wanted the people to stay dependent on his concept of society: To rent in Potter's Field (degenerate cities) and to only do the jobs he deemed appropriate for these garlic eaters. He bet his success on their continual failures and appetite for others to supply their basic needs, but nothing more. Bailey helped build prosperous suburbs.
Bailey was the archetype of the stoic individual, willing to work his small business to gently profit by others also profiting. If they failed, he failed. He was simply a businessman that built on the success of others, instead of preying on failure - > power through the victim identity.
Potter and Bailey don't necessarily fit US party politics. They are characters from Dickens retrofitted to American melodrama.
@@STho205 And yet those were Potter's exact words about a "thrifty working class" and how the Bailey family was destroying it. They were also quite generous and charitable as during the bank crash. He hated that.
He definitely is a piece of shit, but I would argue that there exist more evil movie villains.
Ever seen The Dark Knight, A Clockwork Orange, No Country for Old Men, or Schindler's List?
@@marccolten9801. His version of newspeak, but somewhat accurate in a certain context. He wanted poor mass workers forever to keep his engine running, instead of entrepreneurs or people that saw life could be better. Potter wanted to reap mass victims (like Scrooge or the Uncle in Nicholas Nicklby). Bailey wanted to foster individual heroes.
The little girl held by Dana Carvey is now older than Carvey was when this was filmed.
What is the name of her
Sebastien Sade How did you know that?
Dana Carvey was 31 when this sketch was filmed. It has been 33 years since then, so anyone in the sketch or audience would be at least 33 years old now.
@@lilmissrockchick4962 Zuzu, you know, his little ginger snap!!😀😀
@Nenethegreat W - Because they are not pertinent to this particular SNL skit. Everyone knows about It's A Wonderful Life from the stretch of time when no one held the copyright to the movie, and local TV stations got to play it for free multiple times all through the holiday season.
I remember seeing this SNL skit with my husband about 30 years ago, I was not familiar with the movie , my husband told me this is not how " It's a wonderful life" ended, but the SNL version is the way you wished it had .
I have the real movie on VHS. In about 1988 I put a piece of tape over the copy protect slot and recorded this onto it after the end credits. This needs to be included on every DVD sold as a bonus feature.
miss 'Christmas Eve in Cricketville' starring Jiminy Stewart and Donna Chirp -------------- ruclips.net/video/QdOE0ziPfWM/видео.html
After years of watching It’s A Wonderful Life, we finally get closure!
OMG. This is simply the BEST SNL Christmas sketch of all entire time...A lot of good ones have been done, to be sure...But, this was pure genius. And, Dana Carvey's impression of Stewart is amazing.
Captain Kirk went back to 1986. He saved the whales and he saved Christmas.
Boy, that escalated quickly..
"You're not even a cripple"... well, when it's all over he'd be that's for sure.
He's dead when it's over.
That’s what I said when I watched it for the first time. 😂😆
So many years later and this is still one of my favorite SNL skits.
Go on Mary, get a piece of this!
😅😅😅😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
They left out the part where George sets Potter on fire from the fireplace flame, and they roast marshmallows over his burning corpse. Damn TV censors..
...and right before Potter was set on fire the kids got to beat him
@@grape512 - yeah, you think all those
lead pipes & sticks went unused? **shaw-riight**
My favorite moment: Potter gets the atomic elbow dropped on him....
🤣
I could never remember what that move was called, so thanks for answering my question before I even asked it. :D
I like the baseball bats also!
Every time I see that I part, I crack up even more. 🤣
I’m tellin u right now, that part makes me LMAO!!! The way Dana did that was hilarious!
I remember this show in it's entirety. It was one of the best SNL episodes of all time. The other skits included Star Fleet turning the Enterprise into a rotating restaurant. William Shatner making fun of people that attend Star Trek conventions. T.J. Hooker holding on to the hood of a car for miles and being snowed on, and the musical guest was Lone Justice.
Sweeney Sisters snd
Ollie North the mute marine.
Yeah!@@ritacal557
Absolutely a classic!! And I loved Lone Justice too. What a great episode front to back.
George: “Mary, have piece of this!”
Mary: “oh yeah!! You know it, baby!” (Enthusiastically starts stomping on Potter)
That's what they should have done to Mr Potter 😂
or Mr. Potter in handcuffs.
Sami Motaghedi and Bernie Madoff.
that's how l felt, too!
They were so great back then,..this is when they memorized their lines. It annoys me how much they depend on the cue cards now...
And Leslie Jones STILL will mess up her lines! smh
@@vinnieviddivicci5459 I know! I want to root for her, being the oldest person ever cast on SNL and all, but outside of her doing the "fierce thing" all the time, she's not very good. She never really does an impersonation,..she just relies on the costume and announcement of who she's playing to let you know who she's suppose to be.
@@fool4singing
Yeah, I like her, and she can be really funny. But damn, pay me that salary to read a cue only to bumble and stammer. I could do it.
@@vinnieviddivicci5459 I just think they brought her on to prove a point during this time in our society; yes we include black people who are approaching 50. I just don't think she's THAT funny. Outside of her trying to talk loud, and doing the outspoken," street thing" that we've seen over and over again, there's not much there. SNL used to cast performers (except Victoria Jackson) who had versatility and could pull off many characters, but Leslie is just filler for me...
@@fool4singing
I know I'm in the minority with this next comment, but at least she's funnier than Pete Davidson. Man, I just don't get his appeal.
What are we waiting for,let's go get him
Six degrees of Bill Shatner. Immortalized in a Christmas classic, forever.
Being reminded of this SNL skit when watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas, then coming to RUclips to watch it has become as much of a custom for me as watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas.. lol
Possibly the best single episode of SNL. Every sketch was a hoot. The Star Trek convention skit is classic comedy gold.
"Get a life!" -- Shatner.
3:30 My favourite part, the diving elbow drop 😂😂
Definitely. I lost it when he went all people’s elbow lol.
I love the scream when he punches him over the table!
Every year I watch Imake sure to watch this ending instead of the real one
"In the whole vast configuration of things, you're nothing but a scurvy little spider."
I saw this when it was originally broadcast. This was shortly after IAWL had re-emerged. Absolutely a SNL all time highlight.
I saw this when it originally aired too, when I was 12. One thing I didn't notice until re-watching this just a few minutes ago, the name of the guy at the bank who tells Uncle Billy that Potter stole the money was named Clarence, just like the angel. As if Angel Clarence might have initiated the beat down of Potter.
One of the best SNL skits ever. I'm so glad they uploaded this one.
The ending we all really wanted! Hysterical after all these many years!
I remember watching this when it originally aired. I laughed so hard. Plus, it's a wonderful life has always been my favorite movie. Not because it's considered a holiday film (because it's not and never was intended to be a holiday film.) but because it's just a great movie even by today's standards. It's a slow burn (really slow) but eventually, if you are patient, you will see at the end how ever single scene builds up to probably the biggest climax in cinematic history. EVERY scene is important. Every word of dialogue builds the climax. George Baily represents the every-man. Other than marrying Mary, George never got to do anything he dreamed of doing. Even had to miss his honeymoon to save the building and loan. He had big dreams and never realized any of them because of family and the town. It's relatable because few ever realize their dreams. Last year i had a co-worker admit he had never seen it and the reason, "it always looked really boring." i encouraged him to be patient and give it another try. He came back and said, " you were right! That's one of the best movies ever."
It's actually based on Frank Capra's own personal sense of loss and despair returning to Hollywood after years working for the United States government filming news reels and propaganda films during WW2. Apparently George Bailey wishing he was never born was his own feelings. At least according to a documentary I watched about Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler, and George Stevens called "Five Came Back", about the famous movie makers of the 1930's/40's who directly participated in the war by filming it.
@Rick O'Shay Mary is one of the villains of the film; she never puts George's dreams ahead of her own. She wants what she wants, and George's ambitions- which do not include her- are obstacles she must overcome.
@@johnhartley5071 And Jimmy Stewart was actually a bomber pilot in WW II.
Every year I watch it. Every time I'm crying like a baby. Every time. I'M 40, I'M A MAN
@@kerryedavis pilot and commander which means many of his men died, once 130 in a single mission, faulty instruments also made him bomb the wrong town in France throwing bombs on unsuspecting people instead of the planned v1 bunker. All of that added to make him come back with very intense PTSD.
I just finished the movie and this guy does a really good George Bailey impression
I declare this skit a Christmas classic.
2021 and this is still the best alternate ending of all time 🤣
It's my Christmas tradition to watch this at least once every holiday season!
That elbow drop to Potter! Lol!!!!
I watched this yesterday. For the first time I wondered why Uncle Billy didn't remember right away he had examined the envelope in the bank before writing a deposit slip and figure it out quicker or at least ask Potter about it.
He's an idiot.
He had a lot of memory issues throughout the movie
I believe the implication in the movie is that Uncle Billy was a bit of an alcoholic and had kind of rotted his brain out with drinking.
Besides those reasons, they’re wouldn’t have been a movie without Uncle Billie’s screwup
The whole Shatner-hosted 1986 SNL was great, especially the 'Get A Life' Trek convention sketch.
Who else is here Christmas Eve 2020?
Because in spite of all that has gone on, It IS a wonderful life, and laughter is the best medicine for everything!
Christmas Day 2020. I only watched this film for the first time ever last night, after hearing about it for years. Great film
No one. You're the only one.
And it could never be made in 2020. Today's woke generation wouldn't feel comfortable showing such violence, and certainly wouldn't allow the word cripple.
@@MrThermostatic Absolute bullshit. Violent sketches get made all the time. Did you see the last season of the wildly successful and popular and critically acclaimed show, The Boys, in which three women beat the shit out of another woman for a comically long time? Slapstick and excessive violence is still a common trope in comedy. Stop making up problems to feel upset about.
One of the best parodies. RIP Phil Hart. We miss you.
Carvey's amazing impressions...and, look, there's a young Kevin Meaney...rest in peace, man...i remember watching this live; was 14 and SNL was must-see TV in our house, every saturday from '75 on. I can remember it being christmas time...and now i'm crying, lol. Thanks for the memories, SNL.
He was like a crazy person, with his special eskimo pie. I miss him.
I now consider this to be canon, and watch it straight after any time I see It's a Wonderful Life. 😂
I've always loved this "What if?" alternate ending of "It's a Wonderful Life" done by SNL w. Mr Potter finally getting what he deserves! Lol 😆