Bedford Falls: Behind the Scenes, Pt. 2

One of my favorite scenes in Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” is where George Bailey (James Stewart) reconnects with Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) at a dance held at Bedford Falls High School. George is tall and gangly, and not comfortable doing the latest dance craze, The Charleston. Still, his feelings for Mary overcome his shyness and he gives it a whirl. Unbeknownst to both of them, George’s rival (played by “Our Gang”’s Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer) has turned the key that opens up the floor of the basketball court, revealing the pool beneath them. The rest of the dancers see the situation and begin laughing and yelling; George thinks they are cheering them on. As you can guess, the lovestruck duo fall into the pool. This scene has the perfect mixture of sweetness, comedy, and dramatic tension.

Beverly Hills High School’s “Swim-Gym” was designed as a New Deal project by Stiles O. Clements. While the main buildings of Beverly Hills High School were built in 1927, the unique “Swim-Gym” was designed by Clements and built by the WPA in 1939. The gym, now known as the Konheim Athletic Building, contains a basketball court that can be opened to access a 25-yard swimming pool below. The gym has also appeared in Shirley Temple’s “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” (1947) and “Clueless” (1995).



Here are two images that show Reed and Stewart rehearsing The Charleston. I’m sure it didn’t take long for Stewart to have to remove his sweater, as both of them look like they are putting their all into the rehearsal.



This shot shows the two leads relaxing at the piano during a break; not sure who the guy in the middle is [NOTE: Daveland reader Darryl has ID'ed him as Liberty Films co-founder Samuel J. Briskin]:

Want to see this scene? Here you go:



See more “It's A Wonderful Life” photos at my main website.

Bedford Falls: Behind the Scenes

Before there was Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, there was Bedford Falls. It’s the idyllic little town at the center of the Christmas classic, “It's a Wonderful Life” (1946). Today’s post shows some rare images taken during the filming of a scene with James Stewart and Gloria Grahame.

The RKO movie ranch in Encino is where the fictional Bedford Falls was created; Max Ree’s Oscar-winning sets for “Cimarron” (1931) served as the foundation for Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life.” The ranch itself covered 89 (or 110 depending upon the source!) acres of ground; Bedford Falls took up four acres with its main street (300 yards/three city blocks long) with 75 stores and buildings and a residential neighborhood. Bedford Falls also included a tree-lined center parkway (based on what Director Frank Capra had seen in New York’s Seneca Falls when he visited in 1945), a working bank set, and full-grown oak trees transplanted from Encino. Pigeons, cats, and dogs were allowed to roam the set to make it seem more authentic.



Due to the requirements of filming two different versions of the town (and different seasons), the exterior set had to be extremely adaptable. For the autumn scenes the leaves were knocked off; for winter, the trees were coated with white plaster. When you see James Stewart sweating in his heavy overcoat during the snowfall, it’s not just because of stress; those scenes were filmed in the scorching heat of an Encino summer! Russell Shearman, RKO’s head of special effects, developed a new compound using water, soap flakes, foamite, and sugar to create snow for the film. Previously, movie snow was made from untoasted cornflakes which were so loud when stepped on that dialogue had to be dubbed. Window sills were coated with gypsum to look like ice; car tracks with formed with actual crushed ice.



Filming of “It’s A Wonderful Life” began on April 15, 1946 and ended July 27, 1946, exactly on deadline.



A wide view of the tree-lined parkway:



In this detailed view, you can see Gower Drug Store in the background on the left:



…and Stewart and Grahame:



The mansion for Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942) was also located here at the movie ranch. RKO sold off the movie ranch in 1953 and it was torn down to make way for a subdivision of homes. It is known as the Lake Balboa area today.

See more photos at my main website.