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‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Almost Had a Darker Ending

The feel-good family classic could have easily finished on a less wholesome note.

BySam Hindman|
This feel-good scene was just one ending the creators considered.
This feel-good scene was just one ending the creators considered. | Paramount Pictures

It’s the time of year when families everywhere are snuggling up with hot cocoa and turning on their favorite holiday movies, including the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

The film tells the story of a man named George Bailey, who is on the brink of suicide after nearly losing his family’s bank and loan company. He’s interrupted by a plucky angel named Clarence, who’s set to save Bailey’s life and earn his own set of wings. 

As one can imagine, the holiday story does not end with Bailey dying by suicide. Instead, Clarence shows Bailey that, despite the hardships he endured, his selfless actions throughout the years have vastly improved the world around him; this realization fills Bailey with a new zest for life and a willingness to keep fighting as the townspeople rally to his aid.

But the story wasn’t always meant to have a happy, feel-good ending.

It’s a Wonderful Life—which was adapted from Philip Van Doren Stern’s short story “The Greatest Gift”—underwent a long and tiresome development process. Early drafts from various writers, including Dalton Trumbo, failed to capture the right tone. It was passed on from writer to writer like a cinematic hot potato until it finally fell into the hands of Frank Capra.

Capra, a known perfectionist, worked day in and day out to craft the film. But there was one thing up for debate among the crew: the movie’s ending.

​​Several alternate endings were considered for It’s a Wonderful Life. One showed Bailey reciting the Lord’s Prayer, which Capra found a little too religious (despite the film having an angel as a character). 

Another depicted the villain, Mr. Potter, dying of a heart attack after stealing George’s money. But this was deemed too harsh. Interestingly, not killing off the villain was considered the more controversial decision. In this golden age of filming, many followed what’s known as the Hay's Code, which usually mandated that any bad guys get properly punished.

The final cut, focused on the town rallying to save George, was the Goldilocks ending: Not too bleak, but not overly religious. It seems the filmmakers chose the right one, too, considering the film’s persistent popularity nearly 80 years later.

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