IT Editor Janelle is of the opinion that no holiday season is complete without the viewing of the Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life." So when we heard that it's possible to experience the best of Bedford Falls in upstate New York, we were intrigued. Friend of IT, and On Location Vacations blogger Christine Bord has the scoop.
Seneca Falls, New York, is best known as the location of the first National Women's Rights Convention in 1848. But what many don't know is that the town has another claim to fame; it is believed that Seneca Falls is the "real" Bedford Falls from the classic Frank Capra Christmas film, "It's A Wonderful Life."
The citizens of Seneca Falls don't make this claim without plenty of evidence. On their website, The Real Bedford Falls.com, the town lists the many similarities between the two. For starters, both are mill towns, boast Victorian architecture, and have grassy medians in the center of town.
But the similarities don't stop there. Seneca Falls also seems to be in the right location. Though director Frank Capra never tells us exactly where Bedford Falls is, we are given clues throughout the film. For example, in the movie, the bank examiner says he wants to get back to Elmira on Christmas Eve, and George's sister-in-law has family in Buffalo. As it happens, Seneca Falls is in the Finger Lakes region of New York, close to both Buffalo and Elmira.
Furthering this theory is an anecdote that has circulated throughout the region since the film's release in 1946. The story claims that Frank Capra was in Seneca Falls just before production began on "It's A Wonderful Life" in 1945. As the website explains, "he was going to visit an aunt in nearby Auburn and stopped in Seneca Falls and had his hair cut. Barber Tommy Bellissima didn't know who Frank Capra was at the time, but when the movie came out, he recognized the name of his famous patron on the poster." Whether this is folklore or fact is debatable, but it does seem to make sense given all of the other evidence.
But perhaps the most convincing fact is that both towns - real and imaginary - have a steel truss bridge over a canal (which plays a central role in the film). The Seneca Falls bridge has a plaque on its side that commemorates the death of a town resident who leaped from the bridge in 1917 to rescue a woman who had jumped off its edge. Believers speculate that this "guardian angel" sacrifice is one Capra would have noticed. And indeed, Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu in the film, has been swayed by this line of thinking. When Grimes saw the steel bridge that flows over the canal, she is said to have gasped, saying, "It is nearly a replica of the same bridge that George Bailey had grown up with all his life."
Seneca Falls, New York, is best known as the location of the first National Women's Rights Convention in 1848. But what many don't know is that the town has another claim to fame; it is believed that Seneca Falls is the "real" Bedford Falls from the classic Frank Capra Christmas film, "It's A Wonderful Life." The citizens of Seneca Falls don't make this claim without plenty of evidence. On their website, The Real Bedford Falls.com, the town lists the many similarities between the two. For starters, both are mill towns, boast Victorian architecture, and have grassy medians in the center of town.
But the similarities don't stop there. Seneca Falls also seems to be in the right location. Though director Frank Capra never tells us exactly where Bedford Falls is, we are given clues throughout the film. For example, in the movie, the bank examiner says he wants to get back to Elmira on Christmas Eve, and George's sister-in-law has family in Buffalo. As it happens, Seneca Falls is in the Finger Lakes region of New York, close to both Buffalo and Elmira.
Furthering this theory is an anecdote that has circulated throughout the region since the film's release in 1946. The story claims that Frank Capra was in Seneca Falls just before production began on "It's A Wonderful Life" in 1945. As the website explains, "he was going to visit an aunt in nearby Auburn and stopped in Seneca Falls and had his hair cut. Barber Tommy Bellissima didn't know who Frank Capra was at the time, but when the movie came out, he recognized the name of his famous patron on the poster." Whether this is folklore or fact is debatable, but it does seem to make sense given all of the other evidence.
But perhaps the most convincing fact is that both towns - real and imaginary - have a steel truss bridge over a canal (which plays a central role in the film). The Seneca Falls bridge has a plaque on its side that commemorates the death of a town resident who leaped from the bridge in 1917 to rescue a woman who had jumped off its edge. Believers speculate that this "guardian angel" sacrifice is one Capra would have noticed. And indeed, Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu in the film, has been swayed by this line of thinking. When Grimes saw the steel bridge that flows over the canal, she is said to have gasped, saying, "It is nearly a replica of the same bridge that George Bailey had grown up with all his life."
In honor of their connection to the movie, Seneca Falls' hosted its annual It's A Wonderful Life Celebration
earlier this month. But since they decorate the entire town just as
Bedford Falls was decorated for Christmas in the movie, you can still
experience the town just as George Bailey did throughout the holiday season.
In some way, we all have a connection to "It's A Wonderful Life." The holidays wouldn't be the same without it, so what better way to get into the holiday spirit than taking a stroll through Bedford Falls!
Photo: TheRealBedfordFalls.com
In some way, we all have a connection to "It's A Wonderful Life." The holidays wouldn't be the same without it, so what better way to get into the holiday spirit than taking a stroll through Bedford Falls!
Photo: TheRealBedfordFalls.com
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